UMKC School of Law

What UMKC School of Law does

UMKC School of Law is a public, ABA-accredited law school and constituent school of the University of Missouri System, founded in 1895 as the Kansas City School of Law and located on the Volker Campus in Kansas City, Missouri. It delivers a three-year Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.) for internationally trained lawyers and J.D. graduates seeking specialization, and an online Master of Legal Studies (MLS) for working professionals; it also offers Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars, study abroad in five countries, and eight or more live-client clinics. The school monetizes primarily through tuition ($25,937.70 per year for Missouri-resident J.D. students in 2025-26, plus non-resident fees), online MLS per-credit pricing ($695/credit hour), CLE event fees, bar-prep sponsorships from law firms, and alumni giving via the UMKC Law Foundation.

Operationally, UMKC Law runs on a standard educational technology stack — Canvas LMS for course delivery, CONNECT (12twenty) for career services and job postings (migrated from Symplicity), LSAC for admissions, and EBSCOhost research databases accessed through the Leon E. Bloch Law Library — supplemented by a bundled Helix Bar Review partnership through AccessLex Institute that is included in tuition. Its go-to-market is a hybrid sales-and-marketing motion: rolling admissions through LSAC for prospective students, on-campus interviewing and the CONNECT platform for legal employer partners, and dedicated field placements across 100+ host offices including federal and state courts, prosecutors, legal aid, and private firms. Headcount sits at 101–250 employees, the student-to-faculty ratio is 6:1, and reported outcomes include a 93% employment rate for the Class of '25 (as of March 2026), 98.6% of incoming students receiving scholarships, four national championship competition teams in 2024-25, and over 90% bar passage for LL.M. graduates on U.S. bar exams.

Name

UMKC School of Law

Legal name

UMKC School of Law, University of Missouri-Kansas City

Website

https://law.umkc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

UMKC School of Law is a public, ABA-accredited law school in Kansas City, founded in 1895, offering J.D., LL.M., and online MLS programs plus CLE and clinics. It serves prospective law students, international lawyers, working professionals, and the regional legal community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

ABA-Accredited JD-Granting Law Schools (EDAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

LLM & Post-JD Graduate Law Programs (EDAHAIAC), Law School Continuing Legal Education (CLE) & Executive Programs (EDAHAIAH), Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE) (EDAAALAB)

Keywords

• Legal education
• Juris doctor program
• Law school degrees
• Bar exam preparation
• Continuing legal education

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. J.D. Program Tuition: Full-time first-year law students pay $25,937.70 for Missouri residents; nonresident fees add $6,000. Based on typical 30-hour enrollment for 2025-2026 academic year
2. Online MLS Program Tuition: $695 per credit hour, 30 total credits = $20,850 tuition plus $56.80 per credit hour online fee
3. Continuing Legal Education: CLE seminars and events for Kansas City legal community professionals. Missouri requires 15 CLE hours annually; Kansas requires 12 hours. Fees for event registration, webinars, and study abroad programs
4. Law Foundation and Alumni Giving: Annual scholarship distributions exceeding $200,000 plus support for technology, programming, lectures and library acquisitions. Alumni engagement through donations and events
5. Bar Preparation Sponsorship: Sponsorships from law firms (e.g., Wagstaff and Cartmell as Gold sponsor) to support student bar preparation. Program costs $1,000 per student to provide

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

UMKC School of Law delivers accredited legal education through its Juris Doctor (J.D.) program, Master of Laws (LL.M.), and online Master of Legal Studies (MLS) programs, supplemented by Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars and integrated bar exam preparation through the Helix Bar Review partnership. Experiential learning is provided via 100+ field placements, clinics, study abroad programs, and the Professional and Career Development Center using the CONNECT platform.

Product overview

UMKC School of Law is a premier public law school offering a portfolio of educational programs including the Juris Doctor (J.D.) as the core degree, Master of Laws (LL.M.) for advanced specialization, and an online Master of Legal Studies (MLS) for professionals. The institution provides comprehensive bar preparation through integrated Helix Bar Review and UMKC Bar Prep Programs included in tuition. Experiential learning is delivered via Field Placements, Clinics, and Study Abroad Programs. Supporting services include Continuing Legal Education for practitioners, Academic Support Services with orientation and study groups, a Professional and Career Development Center with CONNECT job board access, and the Leon E. Bloch Law Library with research databases. The school is ranked No. 22 Best Value Law School by PreLaw magazine and maintains a 93% employment rate for the Class of '25.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) Program The primary three-year law degree program preparing students for bar admission and legal practice. Offers top-ranked emphasis areas including advocacy, business and entrepreneurial law, child and family law, estates and trusts, intellectual property law, international law, and urban land use and environmental law. ABA-accredited.
• Master of Laws (LL.M.) Program Graduate law degree for internationally trained lawyers and J.D. graduates seeking advanced specialization. Emphasizes business and entrepreneurial law, child and family law, criminal law, intellectual property, international law, litigation, tax law, and U.S. law. Designed for those seeking U.S. bar exam eligibility or specialized expertise.
• Online Master of Legal Studies (MLS) Part-time online program for non-lawyers and professionals seeking legal expertise without bar admission. Designed for navigating regulatory environments, managing risk, and driving organizational compliance. 30 credit hours at $695 per credit hour plus $56.80 per credit hour online fee.
• Helix Bar Review Online commercial bar preparation program provided at no additional cost to all UMKC Law J.D. graduates. Includes comprehensive video lessons, practice questions, flashcards, and MPRE exam preparation. Covered through tuition and fees via partnership with AccessLex Institute.
• Field Placements and Clinics Live-practice experiential learning opportunities where students work in law offices, judicial chambers, and government agencies under supervision of mentor attorneys and judges. Includes externships with prosecutors, public defenders, courts, and private firms. 8+ clinics plus 100+ field placement partner organizations.
• Continuing Legal Education (CLE) CLE seminars and events for legal professionals in Kansas City and beyond, including live events, on-demand courses, and study abroad programs. Missouri requires 15 hours annually including ethics and elimination of bias; Kansas requires 12 hours.
• Study Abroad Programs International study opportunities in the Netherlands (International Court of Justice), Mexico, England, Italy, and the Balkans through law school consortia and partner schools in Asia, Europe, and South America.
• Professional and Career Development Center Career services offering networking events, one-on-one career coaching, resume assistance, and employer connections. Provides access to the CONNECT job board with 1,885 local and regional positions posted during 2024-25 and 110 networking events.
• Leon E. Bloch Law Library Three-floor law library with collaborative study spaces, physical and digital collections, databases, interlibrary loan services, and a public Self-Help Clinic for individuals representing themselves.
• Academic Support Services Comprehensive academic support including mandatory orientation week, structured study groups, strategy workshops, and individual academic assistance from the Director of Academic Support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% employment rate for Class of '25 as of March 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Sporting Kansas CityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Sports and Entertainment Law Society field placement host. Students gain real-life understanding of sports law through in-house work at professional sports organizations.
• Helix Bar Review (AccessLex Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2023All UMKC Law J.D. graduates enrolled in Helix Bar Review, an online commercial bar prep program covered by tuition and fees. AccessLex Institute is a nonprofit that has partnered with nearly 200 state-affiliated and nonprofit ABA-approved law schools for 40 years. Helix provides best-in-class bar prep at no profit cost to students.
• Jackson County Prosecutor's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerField placement host for criminal law students. Sample placement opportunities include Jackson County Prosecutor, Clay/Platte/Cass County Prosecutors, and Wyandotte/Johnson County DA offices.
• U.S. District Court – Western District of MOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerField placement host for judicial externships. Also includes U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Missouri Court of Appeals, and 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County.
• Legal Aid of Missouri and KansascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerField placement hosts for public interest law students. Includes Legal Aid of Western Missouri, Eastern Missouri, and Kansas offices.
• National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSports law field placement host alongside Sporting KC and UMKC Athletics NCAA compliance office.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Washburn University School of Law: A public ABA-accredited law school in Topeka, KS. Comparable as another public regional Kansas law school with similar emphasis areas and tuition positioning, serving overlapping employers in Kansas.
• Saint Louis University School of Law: A Jesuit-affiliated law school in St. Louis, MO. Comparable as a Missouri-based ABA-accredited law school competing for similar JD applicants, with similar emphasis areas and a comparable regional employer footprint.
• University of Missouri School of Law: The University of Missouri's flagship public law school in Columbia, MO. Directly comparable as a public ABA-accredited JD-granting law school in the same state university system, competing for the same Missouri-resident applicant pool and employers.
• University of Kansas School of Law: The University of Kansas's public law school in Lawrence, KS. Directly comparable as a public ABA-accredited law school in the immediately neighboring state, sharing the same Kansas/Missouri dual-degree market and KC legal employer network.
• Washington University in St. Louis School of Law: A private ABA-accredited law school in St. Louis. Comparable as another Missouri-based JD-granting law school competing in the same market, though positioned as a more selective, higher-priced private peer.

Regional players

• Creighton University School of Law: A Jesuit-affiliated law school in Omaha, NE. Comparable as a private regional Midwest law school with similar emphasis areas and bar prep support, drawing from an overlapping applicant geography.
• University of Nebraska College of Law: A public ABA-accredited law school in Lincoln, NE. Comparable as a public regional flagship law school with similar enrollment scale, tuition model, and rural/midwest employer network.
• University of Iowa College of Law: A public ABA-accredited law school in Iowa City. Comparable as a Big Ten-adjacent public flagship law school with similar tuition structure, faculty scale, and emphasis area breadth, serving a similar Midwest applicant pool.
• Drake University Law School: A private ABA-accredited law school in Des Moines, IA. Comparable as a smaller Midwest regional law school with similar program size, tuition bracket, and concentration in advocacy/constitutional law.

Emerging players

• Mitchell Hamline School of Law: A Minnesota-based ABA-accredited law school formed by the merger of William Mitchell and Hamline. Comparable as a regional Midwest public-mission law school with a notable hybrid/online JD program, making it an emerging competitive threat for non-traditional applicants.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UMKCLaw
• Facebookfacebook.com/UMKCLaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/groups/UMKC-School-Law-Alumni-Students-853577/about
• Instagraminstagram.com/umkc_law

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UMKC School of Law