Gonzaga, EWU team up to develop law programs

Gonzaga University and Eastern Washington University have teamed up to develop programs for students interested in legal careers.

The partnership, announced Friday, aims to establish a program that would enable students to earn their bachelor’s and law degrees in six years instead of the usual seven.

Students in the 3+3 program would apply to Gonzaga’s School of Law during their junior year at EWU, and their first-year law courses would count as electives for their undergraduate degrees.

Law schools across the country offer similar accelerated programs, including the University of Idaho’s College of Law. Gonzaga’s law school already has a 3+3 program for students transferring from Whitworth University’s political science department.

Two representatives from Gonzaga and two from EWU will form a committee to explore a new 3+3 program and work on other initiatives, according to a news release.

Gonzaga and EWU already offer a program that grants a law degree and a master’s degree in social work. They want to establish similar programs that would combine law school with graduate programs in public health and public administration.

The two schools also want to pool funding for law-related events and guest speakers, and create EWU student internships at Gonzaga’s Law Center for Civil and Human Rights.

“For years, talented Eastern students have contributed to the vibrancy of our law school,” Jakob Rooksby, the dean of the law school, said in a news release. “We look forward to strengthening our long-standing relationship with EWU and growing it in ways that will enhance the educational opportunities available to students in the region.”