List of law schools in the United States
Law schools in this list are categorized by whether they are currently active, proposed, or closed; within each section they are listed in alphabetical order by state, then name. Most of these law schools grant the Juris Doctor degree, which is the typical first professional degree in law in the United States.
Law schools are nationally accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA),[1] and graduates of these schools may generally sit for the bar exam in any state. There are 201 ABA accredited law schools, divided between 200 with full accreditation and one with provisional accreditation.[2] However, Whittier Law School will no longer be taking students and the legal program will be discontinued.[3]
The ABA revoked the accreditation of Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2019, and Arizona Summit Law School in 2018.
In addition, individual state legislatures or bar examiners, like the State Bar of California, may maintain a separate accreditation system which is open to non-ABA accredited schools. The California State Bar also accredits law schools, which the California Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE) recognizes. Also, the CBE allows registered "Unaccredited" schools to operate and students of those schools are eligible to take the California Bar Examination upon graduation.
No correspondence or online law schools are accredited by the ABA[4] or by state bar examiners.[5] However, twelve correspondence and online law schools, although not accredited, are registered by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California. This means that the graduates of these distance learning law schools can sit for the California Bar Examination and, under varying circumstances, the bar exams in many other states.
Non-profit schools
1 – Provisional ABA accreditation expired in June 2011
2 – Provisional accreditation via the Puerto Rico Supreme Court
For-profit schools
State (city) | School | Accreditation/Approval | Founded |
---|---|---|---|
California (Los Angeles) | Concord Law School, Purdue University Global[69] | California | 1966 |
Florida (Jacksonville) | Florida Coastal School of Law,[70] InfiLaw System | Full ABA | 1996 |
Georgia (Atlanta) | John Marshall Law School,[71] | Full ABA | 1933 |
North Carolina (Charlotte) | Charlotte School of Law[72] InfiLaw System | Closed 2017 | 2006 |
South Carolina (Charleston) | Charleston School of Law[73] | Full ABA | 2003 |
Tennessee (Knoxville) | Duncan School of Law, Lincoln Memorial University[74] | Full ABA | 2009 |
Proposed
State (city) | School | Accreditation | Year founded |
---|---|---|---|
Alaska (Anchorage) | University of Alaska at Anchorage | Not applicable | Proposed[75] |
Louisiana (Pineville) | Pressler School of Law, Louisiana College[76] | Not applicable | 2012 |
New York (Rochester) | St. John Fisher College School of Law | Not applicable | Proposed |
North Carolina (Charlotte) | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Not applicable | Proposed |
Texas (Dallas) | University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law[77] | Provisional[78] | Opened in 2014 |
Former
See also
- History of the American legal profession
- Lists of law schools
- Law school in the United States
- Legal education in the United States
- Law school rankings in the United States
- Online law school
- List of law school GPA curves
- List of law schools attended by United States Supreme Court Justices
- Catholic University of America School of Canon Law
Notes
- ^ ABA Accreditation Process
- ^ List of ABA approved law schools
- ^ "A Message from the Whittier College Board of Trustees". Archived from the original on 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
- ^ [1] ABA-CLE Career Resource Center
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-06-30. Retrieved 2007-09-13.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Law Schools - ^ "Welcome". BSOL. 2012-05-29. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Cumberland School of Law". Cumberland.samford.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Miles Law School". Mlaw.edu. 2012-04-27. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Thomas Goode Jones School of Law". December 16, 2008. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008.
- ^ "The University of Alabama | School of Law". Law.ua.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law". Law.asu.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "James E. Rogers College of Law". Law.arizona.edu. 2012-05-22. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "University of Arkansas School of Law". Law.uark.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "William H. Bowen School of Law | University of Arkansas at Little Rock". Law.ualr.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Online Law School | Online Law Degree: Abraham Lincoln University – Online Law School in California | Online Legal Studies Programs | Legal Training Courses". Alu.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "American Heritage University: School of Law". Amheritageuniv.net. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ http://www.aisol.org/
- ^ DeBenedictis, Don J. (July 12, 2012). "New law school to focus on advocacy". Los Angeles Daily Journal. p. 5.
- ^ "Cal Northern School of Law: Cal Northern Law School". Calnorthern.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "California School of Law". Californiaschooloflaw.com. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "California Southern Law School". Cslawschool.com. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Online Education | Online Education Degree – California Southern University". Calsouthern.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "California Western School of Law – San Diego, CA". Cwsl.edu. 2012-05-22. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Chapman University – Chapman University School of Law". Chapman.edu. 2012-01-27. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Pacific West College of Law". pacific west college of law. 2014-12-26. Retrieved 2014-12-26.
- ^ "School of Law | Empire College". Empcol.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ Glendale University College Of Law :: Home
- ^ "School of Law – Golden Gate University". Ggu.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "International Pacific School of Law". Paclawschool.com. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "College of Law | Irvine University". Irvineuniversity.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-05-11. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "John F. Kennedy University • College of Law". Jfku.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Larry Layton School of Law". Vanguardnews.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-30. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Oak Brook College of Law – A Christian Correspondence Law School". Obcl.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Home – Pacific West College Of Law". Pacificwestcollege.com. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Online Law School | Online Law Degree: St. Francis School of Law". Stfrancislaw.com. 2012-06-15. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Western State College of Law". wsulaw.edu.
- ^ UC Irvine receives $1 million gift for its new law school's library Archived 2007-06-03 at the Wayback Machine, UCI press release, May 1, 2007 (noting the approval of the law school's creation by the University of California Board of Regents with an expected 2009 opening date).
- ^ It’s Agreed: No Bren Name on UCI Law School, Orange County Business Journal 10-20-2008 [dead link]
- ^ "San Luis Obispo School of Law – Home". Slolaw.org. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ Founded in 1977 as the University of Bridgeport School of Law, in 1992 merged with Quinnipiac University
- ^ "Widener University Delaware Law School – Home". delawarelaw.widener.edu. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
- ^ Started in 1972 as the Antioch School of Law, in 1996 merged with the District of Columbia School of Law, itself founded in 1986
- ^ Opened in 1949, closed in 1968 and reopened in 2000
- ^ On the campus of St. Thomas University
- ^ Through St. Thomas University School of Law
- ^ "WMU-Cooley Law School". www.cooley.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^ "Tampa Bay Campus | WMU Cooley Law School". www.cooley.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^ "Moscow & Boise – College of Law – University of Idaho". www.uidaho.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^ Founded in 1975 as Lewis University College of Law and in 1979 merged with Northern Illinois University
- ^ Northeastern closed, because of lacking resources, in 1956 and reopened in 1968.
- ^ Opened in 1982 as Southern New England School of Law, because UMass-Dartmouth School of Law in 2010.
- ^ Has satellite campuses in Grand Rapids, Rochester, and Ann Arbor.
- ^ "WMU-Cooley Law School". www.cooley.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^ http://www.wmich.edu/news/2014/08/18003
- ^ Founded in 1923, closed in 1933 and reopened 1999
- ^ First of five predecessor school founded in 1900; mergers completed in 1956
- ^ Closed in 1845 and reopened in 1908
- ^ http://web.nccu.edu/law/
- ^ Founded separately as Cleveland Law School in 1897 and John Marshall School of Law in 1916, merged in 1946
- ^ Law, University of Oregon School Of. "Portland Program | University of Oregon School of Law". Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^ All Day. "Welcome to Lewis & Clark Law School in Beautiful Portland, Oregon". Lclark.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Widener University Commonwealth Law School – Home". commonwealthlaw.widener.edu. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
- ^ "Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico". Derecho.inter.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Belmont University | Nashville, TN | College of Law". Belmont.edu. 2009-10-07. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ William & Mary Law School. "William & Mary Law » Homepage". Law.wm.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "School of Law – University of Richmond". Law.richmond.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ The U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School confers the Master of Laws (LL.M) degree only, and it is generally open only to Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps military officers.
- ^ Originally opened in 1942, closed in 1946 and then reopened in 1950
- ^ "Concord Law School".
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|url=
(help) - ^ "Florida Coastal School of Law".
- ^ "Atlanta's John Marshall Law School".
- ^ "For-Profit Charlotte School of Law Closes". New York Times. Aug 15, 2017.
- ^ "Charleston School of Law". charlestonlaw.edu.
- ^ "LMU-Duncan School of Law". Lmunet.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-06-18. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "UAF Medical School proposed". UAF Sun Star. February 22, 2011. Archived from the original on 2014-12-13. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
- ^ "New Site". Law.lacollege.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-03-17. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Proposed UNT Law College : A Public College of Law for DFW and north Texas". Untsystem.unt.edu. 2012-04-10. Archived from the original on 2011-11-30. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2017/06/07/aba-just-gave-unt-dallas-law-school-thing-ever-asked-chance-prove
- ^ "Summit School of Law".
- ^ "California State Bar, General Statistics Report, July 2008 California Bar Examination". Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "American College of Law – Anaheim – California". Aclaw.com. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "California State Bar, General Statistics Report, February 2003 California Bar Examination". Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "Inland Valley University College of Law". Inlandvalleyuniversity.net. Archived from the original on 2012-06-10. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "MD Kirk School of Law". MD Kirk School of Law. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "California Midland School of Law". Californiamidland.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ a b "California State Bar, General Statistics Report, July 2001 California Bar Examination". Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ David, Roger Wolcott (October 20, 1948). "History of the Hartford College of Law". University of Connecticut. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
- ^ FAMU College of Law (2018). "College of Law History". Retrieved June 3, 2019.
- ^ See "Extreme Makeover: Law School Edition[permanent dead link]," Daily Report, May 21, 2007.
- ^ McClure's Magazine, LaSalle Extension University advertisement, Outstanding Facts About LaSalle, April, 1922, page 7
- ^ "Lincoln College of Law". History of Sangamon County, Illinois.
- ^ "TIM OBERMILLER, For five decades, Illinois Wesleyan's law school trained top legal minds". IWU Magazine, Spring 2012 edition.
- ^ "Indiana Tech to shutter its law school". Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^ Hamilton College, History of the Government Department at Hamilton College, accessed July 18, 2013
- ^ Charles Elmer Allison, A Historical Sketch of Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, 1889, page 75
- ^ North Carolina Office of Archives and History. "Greensboro Law School". StoppingPoints.com. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
External links
- List of ABA approved law schools
- Law Schools, State Bar of California
- NALP (National Association for Law Placement) Directory of Law Schools—a non-profit educational association listing of law schools
- List of Top Law Schools – U.S. News University Directory