PITTSBURG — Washburn’s School of Law and Pittsburg State University have joined forces to speed up the process to obtain a law degree, according to a PSU news release.
On Monday, representatives from each institution celebrated the partnership which fast-tracks the process from the typical seven years to six, plus guaranteed scholarships.
The partnership means a year less in tuition and fees at PSU, said Chris Childers, director of PSU’s School of History, Philosophy and Social Sciences. Students accepted into the program are guaranteed a minimum tuition scholarship of $5,000 a year to Washburn Law School.
The 3+3 program means students attend Pitt State for the first three years to work on their bachelor’s degrees and then transfer to Washburn where they complete both their bachelor’s and juris doctorate over the next three years.
Typically, students must complete a bachelor’s degree, usually based on four years of classes, before they are accepted to a law school.
The new program addresses the scarcity of attorneys in Southeast Kansas, said Marla Luckert, chief justice of the Kansas Supreme Court and a Washburn Law School alumnus, who attended Monday’s ceremony.
“We have a critical shortage of attorneys — especially in rural Kansas,” Luckert said.
The announcement comes at a time when demand is high and supply is low: Southeast Kansas is considered underserved when it comes to the number of cases on the books and the number of lawyers available.
Southeast Kansas has only one quarter of the number of attorneys needed to meet demand, Luckert noted. Getting students who are seeking law degrees educated more efficiently will help.
The program mirrors PSU’s partnership in the biology department to fast-track students into the medical and dental fiels.
Washburn Associate Dean Shawn Leisinger said students in the program also will be able to go into communities in their third year of law school for externships with law firms, serving communities and gaining valuable real-world experience.
The program will begin in August 2023.
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