The University of Tennessee at Martin and the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law signed a memorandum of understanding Sept. 24 enabling students at UT Martin seeking a degree in the legal field to complete their bachelor’s degree with a year at the Memphis law school that would go toward a postgraduate degree from that institution.
The ceremony took place at the Paul Meek Library on the UT Martin main campus.
The affiliation agreement for the 3+3 programs would require qualifying UT Martin students to complete three years of undergraduate coursework – including three-fourths of the credits required for their undergraduate degree – as well as apply to the Humphreys School of Law during their junior year and be accepted by the bachelor’s degree and juris doctorate degree programs.
UT Martin students could transfer up to 32 credit hours of courses during their first year at the Humphreys School of Law, and they would have to complete their bachelor’s degree before beginning their second year of law school. The bachelor’s degree would come from UT Martin.
Students would spend a total of three years at the Humphreys School of Law completing their bachelor’s and juris doctorate degrees after studying three years at UT Martin. This enables students to complete both degrees in six years instead of seven years.
Chancellor Yancy Freeman Sr. signed the memorandum of understanding for UT Martin, and Jim Strickland, dean of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, signed on behalf of the University of Memphis and the law school.
“This has been the culmination of a lot of work for our campus and for the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law,” Freeman said during the signing ceremony. “We started this two years ago with a vision for providing an opportunity for our students to participate in a 3+3 program, meaning they would enroll at UTM and the next three years would be at the University of Memphis school of law.”
Freeman said the agreement was “the epitome of access and opportunity for our students.”
“Students who are willing to work hard will have a chance to gain a law degree from a premier university school of law in this country,” he said. “This is a great symbiotic partnership that I know will last for many, many years to come.”
In attendance at the signing ceremony from UT Martin were Dr. Laurie Couch, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs; Dr. Todd Winters, dean of the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences; Dr. Matthew Bice, dean of the College of Business; Dr. Jeffrey Bibbee, dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts; and Dr. Joey Mehlhorn, dean of graduate studies.
Strickland said that the Humphreys School of Law is “very proud of our long association with this great institution that you have.”
“We are very hopeful that this new partnership will make that association bigger and stronger and much more profitable for all of us,” he said. “We’ve had over 8,000 alums who have gone on to practice in 49 states, and they have succeeded in every way that a lawyer can succeed, from a great solo practice to partners in the biggest law firms around, from corporate work to public service. More Tennessee judges went to our law school than any other law school.
“…You are important to us, and we want that relationship to grow. Our hope is that this 3+3 program will grow that.”
Strickland noted that retired Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Roger Page, who served on the Tennessee Supreme Court from 2016 to 2024 and was chief justice from 2021 to 2023, attended UT Martin and graduated from the Humphreys School of Law.
Also in attendance from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law was Justin Aromas-Janosik, assistant dean of law admissions.
The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law was founded in 1962 under then-university president Dr. Cecil C. Humphreys.
UT Martin is a primary campus in the University of Tennessee System, offering 23 bachelor’s degree programs that feature 155 specialized concentrations. The university offers nine graduate degrees that include 29 specialized concentrations.
In addition to the main campus and six regional centers, UT Martin Online offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees, including the online Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree for working adults.
For more information about UT Martin, visit www.utm.edu or call 731-881-7000.
PHOTO: Jim Strickland (left), dean of the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, and UT Martin Chancellor Yancy Freeman Sr. sign the memorandum of agreement forming the 3+3 program between the schools. The agreement will enable UT Martin students seeking a degree in the legal field to study for three years and transfer to the law school for three more years of study, earning a bachelor’s degree and a juris doctor degree.
