Do you want to study in Georgia? Do you want to know the various law schools located in the state? If your response to these questions is positive, then this article is meant for you.
We will be discussing the best law schools in Georgia in it, to enable you to identify the school you fit into. Let’s get started!
Overview
Georgia is home to more than peaches, grits, and southern hospitality. Many people do not know that it is home to several premier institutions of higher education, including reputable law programs.
Choosing a law school can seem like an overwhelming prospect. There are many factors to consider and many places from which to choose.
A school’s rankings can be a useful guide and are indicative of the overall quality of a program. See Best Law Schools in Los Angeles.
The schools on this list were selected primarily on the basis of their rankings on the latest edition of US News & World Report’s “Best Law Schools” and best specialty programs. Their post-graduation employment statistics are among the highest in the nation.
However, rankings and statistics do not tell the whole story. For one, numbers do not tell prospective students whether a specific school is the best fit for them or not.
Different programs have different strengths and vary in their offerings. Someone aspiring to work in environmental law may not have much use for a school whose strengths primarily lie in intellectual property law and family law.
For these reasons and more, the schools on this were also selected for their first-class faculty and the range and quality of their opportunities in terms of legal clinics, externships, and other forms of experiential education.
Here is our guide to the best law schools in Georgia.
- University of Georgia School of Law
- Emory University School of Law
- Georgia State University College of Law
- Mercer University School of Law
- Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School
1. University of Georgia School of Law
The top-ranked law school in all of Georgia is the University of Georgia School of Law, more commonly known as Georgia Law.
Ranked #27 nationally by US News and World Report, Georgia Law is located north of Atlanta in Athens, GA, and is one of the oldest law schools in continuous operation in the entire country.
Since its founding in 1859, Georgia Law has graduated nearly a dozen state governors, over 100 state and federal legislatures, dozens of federal judges and state supreme court justices, and influential players in nearly every industry.
Georgia Law is highly selective, admitting approximately 19% of its applicants. Successful applicants have a median LSAT score of 165 and an average GPA of 3.78.
Meanwhile, Georgia Law’s first-time bar passage rate averages a whopping 94%, and within 10 months of graduation, 93% of members of the Class of 2019 were employed in full-time, long-term jobs that required bar passage.
Part of what makes Georgia Law so successful is its small student-to-faculty ratio of just 6:1, and its related Mentorship Program, which matches every incoming law student with a faculty mentor, upperclassman peer mentor, a Career Development Office counselor, and an alumnus professional mentor to support their time in and beyond the program.
Georgia Law’s alumni are some of the most well-respected and influential JDs in the country and around the world.
Some particularly influential recent graduates include former acting United States Attorney General Sally Yates and former President Pro Tempore of the Senate Richard B. Russell Jr.
2. Emory University School of Law
Emory University School of Law, located in Atlanta Georgia, is a Top 30 law school in the United States, currently tied with Boston College, Brigham Young, University of Iowa, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison at #29 nationally in the US News and World Report rankings.
Emory University as a whole is also highly regarded nationwide, ranked 21st in the country by US News. See Emory University Transfer Acceptance Rate.
Emory’s law school admissions are quite selective, with approximately 30% of applicants admitted. Successful applicants have a median LSAT score of 158 and an average GPA of 3.80.
Emory’s first-time bar passage rate is 82.8%, and the top jurisdictions where graduates sat for the bar in 2019 were Georgia, New York, Florida, Texas, and California.
The school’s curriculum offers a challenging mix of theory and practice and develops students’ competencies through a number of specialized clinics.
Students can also participate in a summer exchange program in Budapest, Hungary. Externships are a key feature of the program, linking students with real world professional opportunities in public defense, government, NPO, or in-house counsel positions, to name a few.
Emory University School of Law alumni can be found in the top tier of businesses, government and politics, the court system, and a host of other industries.
Among Emory Law’s notable alumni are numerous CEOs, US Congressmen and ambassadors, dozens of judges, the daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and many business founders.
3. Georgia State University College of Law
Georgia State University College of Law is situated in the heart of downtown Atlanta. Established relatively recently in 1982, the law school is accredited by the ABA and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.
Georgia State University College of Law has grown quickly from its humble beginnings and is now ranked 78th in the country by US News and World Report.
Impressively, the law school is ranked 1st in the entire country for Health Care Law and 17th nationwide for its Part-Time Law program.
One of Georgia State University College of Law’s interesting features is its study abroad programs, which enable students to study for five weeks in Linz, Austria through the Summer Academy in International Commercial Arbitration; in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil through the Summer Legal and Policy Study;
or in Buenos Aires, Argentina through the Buenos Aires Summer Program which is jointly sponsored by the Florida International University College of Law.
Georgia State University College of Law alumni have made notable contributions to the world in the judicial and governmental spheres, as well as in business and media.
Graduates of the program have gone on to become Georgia Supreme Court justices and state judges, members of the Georgia House of Representatives, business executives, and news media anchors.
4. Mercer University School of Law
Mercer University School of Law was established in 1893 and is one of the oldest law schools in the US.
Based in Macon, Georgia, the law school is memorable for its main building, which is a partial replica of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall.
Mercer has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1923 and has been fully accredited by the ABA since 1925.
Mercer is known for its Woodruff Curriculum, which has inspired law school curricula across the country. See the easiest law school to get admission.
The curriculum emphasizes small class sizes, practice-based learning opportunities, legal and professional ethics, legal writing, and professional responsibility, and was even awarded the sought-after Gambrell Professionalism Award by the ABA.
Relatedly, the School of Law is home to the Mercer Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism, the National Criminal Defense College, and the largest legal writing organization in the world, the Legal Writing Program.
Mercer boasts a number of influential alumni, including dozens of politicians, judges, and high-profile legal figures.
Among these alumni are former Georgia governor Nathan Deal, former Attorney General of the United States G. Harrold Carswell, and CNN political commentator Erick Erickson.
5. Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School
Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School is a for-profit law school located in the heart of Atlanta, fittingly on a road called Peachtree Street.
The school was founded in 1933 and received American Bar Association (ABA) accreditation in 2005.
One distinguishing feature of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School’s curriculum is its Experiential Learning Program, which includes for-credit externships in legal practices and other field positions.
This ensures that students aren’t just learning how to memorize case briefings, but are also prepared to enter the real world of law after graduating from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.
Several of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School alumni have gone on to hold influential positions in government, including Jon G. Burns, Doug Collins, and Ronald Ramsey, Sr.
Moreover, former conservative radio show host Neal Boortz and even Nigerian politician Femi Gbajabiamila are graduates of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.
Conclusion
That was all on this topic. Feel free to share your thoughts on this topic with us if you found it useful. Doing so will enable us to serve you better.
Last Updated on May 7, 2023 by Admin
