Concordia: The cornerstone for success
The foundation for the law school is rooted in the home campus of Concordia University, a fixture in Portland, Oregon, for more than 100 years. The private, liberal arts university started as a training seminary for the Lutheran church, before becoming a junior college after World War II. The Concordia University-Portland of today is a full-scale, four-year liberal arts Christian university with graduate programs and an enrollment of more than 3,500 students, making it the fastest growing university in the state. Concordia University-Portland is one of ten universities operated by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
Bringing Concordia to Boise
For years, Boise remained one of the only state capitals in the United States without a law school. The city contains the majority of Idaho's law firms, attorneys, and judicial institutions, but lacked a law school to match the dynamic environment, and prepare the next generation of legal talent.
"Concordia established a program which will shape all legal education in the future. It's a blend of the standard classroom education with practical skills in a way that allows long-standing law school traditions to remain while providing for the needs of today's students."
— Concordia Law Student
In 2007, when this fact came to the attention of several Concordia University board members – all distinguished lawyers, many with connections to Idaho – and university president Charles Schlimpert, they asked the question, "Why not start a law school in Boise?"
Thanks to visionary leadership from Founding Dean Cathy Silak, unprecedented hard work and determination from the Dean's Advisory Council, and generous financial support from long-time Boise resident (and Concordia benefactor) George R. White, the Concordia University School of Law welcomed its first class in the fall of 2012.
A visionary approach
Today, Concordia University School of Law is proud to be part of a new vision for Boise. It's a growth in ethics, a growth in educational opportunities, and a strengthening of the civic infrastructure that will help change and improve the community and region we proudly call home.