Auxiliary Law Programs

The School of Law includes several centers and institutes that serve external constituencies but also enhance the educational experience of students. Many of the programs sponsored by the centers are national and international in scope and offer students the opportunity to participate in conferences on cutting-edge topics.

National Center for Justice and the Rule of Law

The National Center for Justice and the Rule of Law focuses on issues relating to the criminal justice system and receives funding from the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs.

Its purpose is to promote the two concepts that make up the title of the center. The concept of “justice” appeals to basic notions of equality, equity and fairness. In contrast, the phrase “the rule of law” refers to the requirement that certain procedures and principles be followed in each case to reach a correct result. Neither concept is sufficient; both must be utilized to ensure that the criminal justice system fulfills its function in society.

The center implements its mission through projects, conferences, educational programs and publications that examine important criminal law and procedure issues. Faculty at the center offer advanced courses in criminal law and procedure to law students, who may choose a “criminal law concentration” and receive official recognition of that achievement upon graduation. Students may also take advantage of the dozen or so conferences the center hosts each year for judges, prosecutors and law enforcement in the areas of search and seizure and cybercrime. NCJRL programs and initiatives include

• Cybercrime Initiative: Helps state governments investigate sophisticated criminal activity through training and model programs designed to attack computer-related crime.
• Fourth Amendment Initiative: Promotes awareness of search and seizure principles through conferences, training and support for selected publications.
• Prosecution Externship Program: Provides specialized course work and real-world training in the duties and responsibilities of prosecutors.
• Criminal Appeals Clinic: Provides law students with advanced training in appellate practice through the representation of persons convicted of crimes.

National Center for Remote Sensing, Air and Space Law

The National Center for Remote Sensing, Air and Space Law is the only dedicated aerospace law program in the United States offered by an ABA-approved law school. Established in 2000, the center is a source for research, education, outreach activities and information exchange among academic, government and commercial organizations related to the legal aspects of human activities using aerospace technologies. The center addresses subjects such as data laws policies, intellectual property, privacy, liability, using imagery as legal evidence, environmental issues, licensing and international law.

Certification Program

A concentration in remote sensing, air and space law is available through the center. Courses include U.S. Space Law, International Space Law, Remote Sensing Law, Independent Study, U.S. Aviation Law, International Aviation Law and Journal of Space Law.

International Collaboration

The center’s faculty provide a United States academic presence at the international level. They serve as official observers to the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space Legal Subcommittee, the U.N. International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Institute of Space Law. They also advise the U.S. and other governments on aerospace law. Students have the opportunity to work with the faculty on projects related to these activities.

Scholarships and Internships

Recently, the center awarded three merit-based scholarships to first-year students. The scholarship value was approximately the cost of one year of in-state law school tuition. Additional information about the center and future opportunities can be obtained by visiting www.spacelaw.olemiss.edu.

Mississippi Innocence Project

Established in 2007 and housed at the School of Law, the Mississippi Innocence Project is committed to providing the highest quality legal representation to its clients: state prisoners serving significant periods of incarceration who have cognizable claims of wrongful conviction. In addition, the Innocence Project seeks to identify systemic problems in Mississippi’s criminal justice system; develop initiatives designed to raise public and political awareness of the prevalence, causes and societal costs of wrongful convictions; and to promote meaningful criminal justice reform. As an integral part of The University of Mississippi School of Law, the project also provides a clinical learning opportunity for law students, who actively participate as full members of the project staff in representing the project’s clients and engaging in outreach and reform.

Mississippi Law Research Institute

The School of Law is home to the Mississippi Law Research Institute, the state’s official law revision, research and reform agency. The organization promotes orderly modernization and simplification of the state’s laws and more complete use of its law resources. MLRI also includes the National Sea Grant Law Center, which conducts research on marine laws and policies, coordinates ocean and coastal law researchers, and disseminates information to coastal and ocean policy makers. The center is administered in conjunction with the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Legal Program. Law students selected on a competitive basis research questions received by the Sea Grant Law Center from federal and state agencies and publish articles in the center’s two quarterly legal reporters. More information is available on the center’s Web site at www.olemiss.edu/orgs/SGLC, or students can visit the center in Kinard Hall on campus.

Mississippi Judicial College

The Mississippi Judicial College provides court education for Mississippi’s judicial system. Created in 1970 by judge, legislator and law professor Noah S. Sweat Jr., MJC was the first full-time state judicial education program in the nation. Through the support of the Mississippi Supreme Court and the National Judicial College, the organization has become a model for judicial education at all levels. More than 15 countries have dispatched representatives to MJC to gain knowledge of our local, state and federal judicial systems and to secure a foundation for the establishment of judicial systems in new democracies around the world.