Courses of Study 2024-2025 
    
    Oct 03, 2024  
Courses of Study 2024-2025

General Information


In the Law School .

Administration


Jens D. Ohlin, Dean and Professor of Law

Chantal Thomas, Vice Dean and Radice Family Professor of Law

Jed Stiglitz, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law

Beth Lyon, Associate Dean for Experiential Education and Clinical Professor of Law

Ofer Leshed, Associate Dean for Administration and Finance

Akua Akyea, Associate Dean for Career Development

Aimée Houghton, Assistant Dean for Graduate Legal Studies

Fouad Saleet, Assistant Dean for External Education

About the Law School

The Law School prepares attorneys for both public and private practice. Graduates are trained to provide the highest quality professional services to their clients and to contribute to the development and reform of law and legal institutions. The curriculum is designed to prepare students for admission to the bar in all American states and territories. Students who pursue the three-year Doctor of Law degree (J.D.) must have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent. Students wishing to concentrate in international law may be admitted to a program leading to the J.D. “with specialization in international legal affairs.” The Law School also offers a limited number of students an opportunity to earn both a J.D. degree and an LL.M. (Master of Laws) degree in international and comparative law.

Students may pursue combined graduate degree programs with the Johnson Graduate School of Management; the Department of City and Regional Planning of the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning; the School of Industrial and Labor Relations; the graduate divisions in economics, history, and philosophy of the College of Arts and Sciences; the Université de Paris I (Pantheon Sorbonne); L’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris; and Humboldt University.

Each year students from abroad pursue the LL.M. degree (Master of Laws) and the J.S.D. degree (Doctor of the Science of Law). Additionally, the Law School offers the Tech LL.M. degree to a limited number of students enrolled on the Cornell Tech campus (Master of Laws in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship). A small number of law graduates also may be admitted as special students, to pursue advanced legal studies without seeking a degree. Students in other graduate programs and qualified undergraduate students registered with the university are welcome in many classes with the permission of the instructor. In addition, highly qualified undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences may register in the Law School during their senior year.

For further information, refer to the Law School website, or contact the Office of the Registrar, Myron Taylor Hall.

The professional curriculum at Cornell Law School conforms to American Bar Association Standard 302 for Approval of Law Schools. We offer a rigorous program of legal education designed to prepare students, upon graduation, for admission to the bar and for effective, ethical and responsible participation in the legal profession at the highest levels. Upon completion of the program of legal education, Cornell Law School graduates will: (1) possess knowledge of the substantive and procedural law required for effective participation in the legal profession; (2) engage in legal research, analysis, and problem-solving; (3) communicate effectively in both oral and written form as counselors and advocates; (4) possess the practical skills fundamental to exceptional lawyering and client representation; and (5) conduct themselves with the highest moral and ethical standards.

It also offers substantial opportunities for: (1) live-client or other real-life practice experiences, appropriately supervised and designed to encourage reflection by students on their experiences and on the values and responsibilities of the legal profession, and the development of one’s ability to assess his or her performance and level of competence; (2) student participation in pro bono activities; and (3) small group work through seminars, directed research, small classes, or collaborative work.