While most University of Oregon students still have a month to savor the waning days of summer, UO School of Law students are already hitting the books and in their first week of classes.

The UO School of Law operates on a semester system, which makes its academic calendar different from the rest of the UO campus. Students arrive in late August for the beginning of the academic year and round out the year in May with finals and commencement.

The law school welcomed its newest students and returning law Ducks on Monday, Aug. 24, for the first official day of law school classes, although first-year law students participated in an orientation week prior to the first day of classes. The academic year for the rest of the university begins Monday, Sept. 28.

This year’s first-year class is made up of 128 students from across the country and the globe. A diverse group, they hail from 31 states and three countries representing 86 universities and colleges. Eighty-four percent of the “1L class” majored in something other than political science and 42 percent have been involved in public interest or public service work.

Twelve of the students are graduates of the University of Oregon, making them “Double Ducks.” The class has substantial international experience with 38 percent having studied or worked abroad and 30 percent speaking more than one language. Visit the Oregon Law website to learn more about the Oregon Law Class of 2018.

Two additional programs housed at the School of Law, the Conflict and Dispute Resolution Master's Program and the master of laws in environmental law, also began classes Aug. 24.

—From UO School of Law Communications