Cornell
Law School

The Right Choice

J.D. Program FALL 2023

Forge your own path

The kinds of students who choose to study at a small law school nestled in the middle of the Finger Lakes are the kinds of people comfortable forging their own paths.

When you choose a law school, you aren’t only deciding on a place to spend the next three years. You’re choosing the legal scholars who will shape your outlook as a lawyer. The location that will be the backdrop to days spent reading in the library or gathering with friends. And the reputation that will follow you into interviews, client meetings, and the courtroom for a lifetime. It’s not a decision to take lightly. If you’re looking for a place where you can engage deeply with professors and peers, enjoy your time outside of class, and position yourself for a successful career post-graduation, you’ll find it at Cornell Law.

Students walk around the Cornell Law School campus

The Right

Size

Connect with a Close-Knit Student Body

We’re not like other law schools. And we like it that way. With about 600 J.D. students, Cornell Law is a close-knit, collegial community of learners. We like to think of ourselves as serious, but not stuffy. Elite, but not elitist.

ORIENTATION’S HOFFMAN CHALLENGE COURSE » Entering members of the Class of 2018 learn important lessons about teamwork on the high ropes course.

~ The Right Size ~

A Stimulating Intellectual Community

Our small student body means you can interact with your classmates in a supportive and friendly environment.

ENCOURAGING

Our collegial nature will encourage you to become an effective communicator and team player—essential qualities for success as a lawyer.

Cornell Law is a place where students learn from one another, not just from their professors. Here, you’ll find a rigorous and vibrant atmosphere in which students view one another as colleagues, rather than competitors.

COMMUNITY

At Cornell, community is more than just a catchphrase. Our care for one another is what sets us apart. Students sense it from the moment they step on campus. You’ll discover it in the classmates who stay up late helping you study for a big exam. In the law review colleagues who push you to do your best work. And in the mentors who encourage you to study abroad, join a new club, or apply for a prestigious judicial clerkship.

The care we have for one another is what sets us apart.

Learn from
world-class
scholars who are
accessible and
committed to
advising students.

66

Full-time Faculty

Our faculty is consistently ranked among the most prolific sources of legal scholarship in the country.

“I wanted to attend a law school where collaboration and community building were not only encouraged but considered essential to becoming an effective lawyer—this was absolutely the case at Cornell Law.”

Camilah Hamideh ’22

~ The Right Size ~

Be Inspired by Leading Scholars

Cornell Law faculty are more than faces in a lecture hall. They are mentors, advisors, and professional role models.

EXCHANGE of IDEAS

Our faculty members are prolific and nationally recognized scholars of the law. Many are the authors of the leading law casebooks in the subjects they teach. They have advanced degrees in more than a dozen different disciplines, from the humanities to the social sciences. And they have practiced law for firms, corporations, or government, and have served as legal advisors from the municipal to federal level.

They have chosen Cornell because they are fully committed to the teaching and intellectual pursuits of the Law School. Our faculty members are available full time for teaching, research, and professional service. This abundance of research and knowledge engenders a lively exchange of ideas—and provides hands-on experiential opportunities for law students to serve as research assistants.

Form Bonds with your professors

With a low student-to-faculty ratio, you’ll have more opportunities to interact with your professors than at most top law schools. In this relaxed setting, you can access faculty for support to meet your educational goals, collaboration on academic projects, and even friendships that will enrich your law school experience.

Here, you’ll
actually
get to know your
professors.

The Right

Location

A vibrant local culture

We’ve been named the best college town nationally by various publications. When you visit Ithaca, you’ll see why. The backdrop to the Cornell Law experience is Ithaca, a beautiful and cosmopolitan small city in the Finger Lakes region of New York State.

150+ waterfalls within 10 miles of Ithaca

Arts - See a play at the Hangar Theatre, experience a show at the State Theatre, or watch an independent film at Cinemapolis.

Food - Ithaca has numerous farm-to-table dining options. Sample local produce at the Ithaca Farmers Market or explore Ithaca's restaurants, bars, and cafes - all just steps from campus.

~ The Right Location ~

High Quality of Life

One of the most culturally progressive small cities in America, Ithaca has received numerous accolades for having a high overall quality of life.

Livability

Area rent and living expenses are below the national average. And numerous campus and local events are inexpensive or free.

Arts

Ithaca has plenty to keep you entertained. We’re a hub for music, fine arts, theater, museums, and more.

Food

Ithaca is known as a culinary hotspot, with more restaurants per capita than New York City and over 100 vineyards in the surrounding Finger Lakes region.

A vibrant and varied restaurant scene

Ithaca is
within easy
driving distance
of New York
City, Philadelphia,
and Toronto.

4 hours
From New York City, Philadelphia, and Toronto

5^½ hours
From Boston

6 hours
From Washington, DC

Getting to and from the Big Apple is a snap with many options for daily nonstop, premium bus service.

“My professors and peers at Cornell Law School have consistently inspired me to strive to use all that I have learned inside and outside of the classroom to make the world a better place.”

Diarmuid O’Leary ’22

~ The Right Location ~

Stunning Natural Beauty

You can easily escape your desk by hiking trails along the gorges, taking dips in waterfalls and lakes, biking on woodland paths, skiing down slopes and across fields, or picnicking in the area’s many state parks.

ENDLESS ACTIVITIES

Cornell University overlooks Cayuga Lake, and many gorges and waterfalls are just steps from the Law School.

Ithaca weather allows for a variety of outdoor activities, ranging from boating, swimming, and hiking in the summer to cross-country skiing and ice skating in the winter.

EXPLORE

When taking a break from your studies you can jog or bike on trails in one of Ithaca’s local or state parks. Enjoy wine tasting year-round and apple picking in the fall.

Rent a kayak or take sailing lessons on Cayuga Lake. Visit an organic winery or farm. Or head eight miles north to Taughannock Falls, the tallest waterfall in the northeast. There’s no end to the ways you can explore and get active.

100+ wineries within the Finger Lakes region

The natural
world of Ithaca
is breathtaking.

The Right

Outcome Arrows

Start Your Career

Upon graduation, Cornell Law students are fully prepared for the challenges of the legal landscape. Plus, they stand out in the employment marketplace. In 2021, 97.9% of our graduates were employed within 10 months of graduation.

5th in job placement among all Law Schools

3rd in job placement at nation's 100 largest law firms

92.2% bar passage for calendar year 2021

~ The Right Outcome ~

Positioning you for Success

From the time you arrive on campus through graduation and beyond, Cornell Law will help you gain the skills you need to pursue your professional interests.

Career Support

Working with the Career Services Office, you’ll get support in designing an individualized job-search strategy.

We invest significant resources in connecting you with preeminent employers in both the private and public sectors through on-campus interviews and job fairs held across the country.

Access to an esteemed community

Cornell is dedicated to teaching broad analytical thinking, encouraging students to look at issues from all sides. As you will discover, this approach will allow you to excel across a wide range of fields.

In addition to Cornell Law’s distinguished faculty and rigorous curriculum, students benefit from access to and mentorship from the school’s extensive and highly accomplished alumni network.

In 2021, 97.9% of our graduates were employed within 10 months of graduation.

Graduates
secure
employment
across the
country and
around the world.

5th

In Job Placement Among all Law Schools

In 2021, 42 alumni secured prestigious clerkships with federal or state judges.

“Cornell has truly refined my litigation skills. From the intense trial advocacy program to the personalized Lawyering (Legal Writing) classes in the first year, my oral and written advocacy skills have skyrocketed from being at the law school.”

Monet Thomas ’23

~ The Right Outcome ~

Use Your Skills for Good

Cornell Law graduates have served the nation and the world through careers in public interest law for more than 100 years. Scores of our alumni have emerged as leaders in social justice movements and government practice.

Career Counseling

The Office of Public Service offers in-depth, one-on-one career counseling and provides help researching job opportunities, finding externships, networking with alumni, building résumés and cover letters, and developing interview skills.

Grants

There are Public Interest Fellowship grants available for every first- and second-year student who chooses to spend the summer working in the public interest. Cornell Law has one of the nation’s most generous loan forgiveness programs for graduates who begin their careers in the public sector.

Judicial Clerkships

Cornell Law graduates support our judicial system and serve our communities through judicial clerkships for federal- and state-court judges nationwide. In these year-long, post-graduate positions, they work closely with judges to help them consider parties’ arguments, research precedent, and assist in drafting opinions.

Regardless of your chosen career path, our instructors will give you the legal skills to transform the world around you.

Jens David Ohlin

Allan R. Tessler Dean and Professor of Law

~ The Right Outcome ~

Learn Experientially Through Clinical Programs

The Law School’s academic curriculum allows you to integrate theory and practice with a variety of clinics, practicum courses, and externship opportunities.

In clinics and practicums, you’ll engage in all phases of client representation, including litigation planning, interviewing, counseling, legal drafting, negotiating, discovery, and trial and appellate advocacy.

Our clinics and practicums serve clients across the globe and often allow students to travel abroad during the semester.

Two female students walking through gate

82% of the Class of 2022 took at least one clinical course

CLINICS

Afghanistan Assistance

Capital Punishment

Entrepreneurship Law

Farmworker Legal Assistance

First Amendment

Gender Justice

International Human Rights

Labor Law

Movement Lawyering

Securities Law

Transnational Disputes

Practicums

Advocacy for LGBT Communities

Campus Mediation

Criminal Defense Trial

Federal Indian Law

Low-Income Taxpayer Law and Accounting

New York State Attorney General

Non-Jury Trial

Tenants Advocacy

20 Approximate number of J.D. students participating in this program each year

Study at
Cornell Tech’s
state-of-the-art campus
in New York City.

~ The Right Outcome ~

Gain a Global Outlook

At Cornell Law School, we’ve had a passion for international law and a commitment to global engagement since our founding in 1887. As a result, we offer one of the country’s oldest and most distinguished programs in international and comparative legal education.

Students can participate in unique international joint- and dual-degree programs, study abroad and exchange opportunities, a summer institute in Paris, and internationally focused clinics, programs, and centers. In addition, students can choose from a wide range of international and comparative law courses taught by world-renowned faculty.

20% of an average class spends a semester or longer abroad

We value the
uniqueness
of each
applicant.

Admission to Cornell Law School is highly competitive. However, we do not evaluate candidates solely by their numbers. We also take into consideration extracurricular and community activities, life experience, work background, and recommendations. We subscribe to Cornell’s long-standing tradition of affirmative action, and members of traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic groups are encouraged to discuss their relevant background.

85%

of students receive a scholarship with an average award of 30k

2022–2023
Tuition and Estimated Expenses

Tuition: $71,522

Student Activity Fee: $86

Room: $11,250

Board: $5,516

Books and Supplies: $1,100

Personal/Travel: $5,000

Cornell Health Insurance Fee: $420

Loan Fee: $220

Total tuition and estimated expenses: $95,114

For more information, visit www.lawschool.cornell.edu/admissions/tuition/tuition_expenses.cfm

You may apply to Cornell Law by visiting www.lsac.org

Financial Aid Procedures

Applicants for merit and need-based scholarship must complete the Cornell Law Scholarship Application at www.lawschool.cornell.edu/admissions/tuition/applying_for_aid.cfm. Applicants for federal loans must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at www.fafsa.ed.gov (Cornell Law’s Title IV code is 002711). Need-based scholarship applicants are required to complete the CollegeBoard CSS Profile at http://css.collegeboard.org. All scholarship application information must be received by March 15. We evaluate merit and need-based scholarship prior to enrollment.

Transfer Applicants

Applicants who have a strong academic record at their current ABA accredited law school, and are in good academic standing at the end of their first year, may qualify for transfer to Cornell Law. Applications must be complete by August 1.

2022–2023
Application and Financial Aid Deadlines

Binding Early Decision Round I: November 1 (LSAT not later than September test)

Binding Early Decision Round II: January 8 (LSAT not later than November test)

Regular Decision: March 1

Transfer: August 1

Financial Aid: March 15

Contact Information

We invite you to contact us regarding admissions, financial aid, or any general questions you may have.

Admissions:
jdadmissions@cornell.edu

Financial aid:
law.financialaid@cornell.edu

Cornell Equal Educational and Employment Opportunity Statement – Non-Discrimination Policy
Cornell University has an enduring commitment to support equality of education and employment opportunity by affirming the value of diversity and by promoting an environment free from discrimination. Cornell Law is committed to Cornell University’s policy affirming equality of opportunity.

No person shall be denied admission to any educational program or activity or be denied employment on the basis of any legally prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, such factors as race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, ancestry, sex, gender (including identity or expression), sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, or protected veteran status. Inquiries concerning the application of Title IX may be referred to the Director of the Office of Workforce Diversity, Equity, and Life Quality, Cornell University, 160 Day Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-2801 (T: 607-255-3976; TDD: 607-255-7066).

Produced by: Communications Department, Cornell Law School
Imagery: Maeve Anderson, Robert Barker, Joe Braun, Sharice Davids, Fly on the Wall Productions, Joseph Cheng Wai Hok, Nina Hein, Bruce Hutchison, jaimelawton, JLAPhotography, Simon Wheeler, and the photographers of Cornell Marketing Group: Matt Fondeur, Lindsay France, Jason Koski, Kevin Stearns, and Luke Walker.

“Our aim is to keep
its instruction strong, its standard high,
and so to send out a fair number of
well-trained, large-minded, morally based
lawyers in the best sense.”

ANDREW DICKSON WHITE
cornell university’s first president

~ lawschool.cornell.edu ~

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Cornell
Law School

Forge your own path

Forge your own path