Maine Law is pleased to announce a new tuition agreement with residents of Alaska. The standard application fee for Alaska residents is waived and they are granted resident tuition status.
Alaska remains the only state without a law school. This new agreement is designed to make a legal education more accessible to prospective law students in the state. Additionally, Maine Law offers an educational program well-suited for Alaska residents hoping to return home to practice.
Maine Law offers the only Arctic Law program in the country with coursework, fellowships, and externship opportunities that allow students to examine the many intersectional challenges currently facing Arctic regions. Maine has strong economic, political, and environmental ties to Arctic nations while roughly a third of Alaska sits above the Arctic Circle, making Maine Law a strategic choice for students interested in the future of this region. Additionally, Maine Sen. Angus King and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski co-chair the Congressional Arctic Caucus, furthering both state’s interests in the region.
“Students in our Arctic program acquire interdisciplinary skills bridging international law, science, and policy for application to problems confronted by governments, businesses, and indigenous communities in transactional and dispute resolution settings,” Program Director Professor Charles Norchi noted.
Maine Law’s focus on rural law also offers opportunities for Alaska residents. From the Rural Practice Summer Fellowship program to the Rural Practice Clinic in Fort Kent to a host of rural law externship opportunities, Maine Law is training the future rural law workforce both in and out of state. While Maine’s population is twice as rural as Alaska’s, the states face similar issues in terms of a shortage of lawyers and public defenders, case backlogs, and other access to justice challenges. At Maine Law, students interested in rural law gain an appreciation for the unique hurdles that come with practicing rurally as well as the rewards.
Maine Law’s certificate programs, including those in Environmental and Oceans Law and Privacy Law, offer students the opportunity to prepare for the intersecting legal challenges of the future while receiving a world-class education in and outside of the classroom. Maine’s only law school prides itself on its strong sense of community and congeniality, so whether students plan to remain in Maine or not, for three years Maine Law offers a home to all.
“We are so proud to be able to offer students in Alaska this opportunity to receive a quality legal education and gain tools that will enable them to build a career and potentially strengthen the legal community in their home state,” Maine Law Dean and President Leigh Saufley said. “This is another example of how Maine Law is committed to advancing justice around the world as well as in our own backyard.”
