Juris Doctor (JD) Admission

Hands-on instruction. Experiential learning. Exceptional faculty who are collaborative and committed to shaping the best legal minds of the next generation. When you study at a top-tier law school, you prepare to take on global challenges and make an immediate and lasting impact.

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A Leader in the Law

The Class of 2028 application is now open. Explore the Emory Law experience in our current online viewbook.

JD Concentrations

There are four concentrations available to JD students: Health Law; Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution; Criminal Law; and Law and Religion. The Health Law and Law and Religion concentrations require an application, but all students can complete the litigation concentrations. Even if you do not complete a concentration, the required and recommended courses can help you prepare for a career in these fields.

• New students are accepted only in the Fall semester.
• Three academic years (six semesters) of resident study are required.
• The majority of required credits for graduation must be earned at Emory Law.
• JD students must complete all juris doctor degree requirements within 84 months of initial matriculation.
• For all JD students who are expected to graduate in or after the Spring of 2019, six of the required 90 semester hours of course credit must be experiential learning credits as defined by ABA Standard 303.
• Regular, professional curriculum of the law school is a full-day program leading to the juris doctor (JD) degree.
• The JD degree is conferred on a student who has completed 90 semester hours of course credit as prescribed by the faculty, with a minimum overall grade point average of 2.5.
• Joint-degree JD students must earn a minimum of 79 law school hours.
• Students who transfer to Emory Law from another US JD program who wish to earn a joint degree must earn 79 to 90 hours from the law curriculum. (Exceptions are made at the discretion of the vice dean.)
• Students who achieve a semester average of 3.45 are designated on the Dean’s List that semester.
• The JD with Honors is conferred on each student whose scholastic average for his or her entire law school program is 3.45 or higher.

Our curriculum is designed to help you take advantage of every opportunity and overcome any challenge. As a practitioner of the law, you’ll be entrusted with the care of society’s laws—an important, impactful, and rewarding responsibility.

That’s why you can expect discipline, integrity, and excellence in every classroom and learning environment at Emory Law. When you study with us, you attain insight into the world’s institutions and values along with the power to think clearly and carefully.

Get one-on-one attention in foundational research, writing, and appellate advocacy courses. We have one instructor for every 35 students, so you’ll never feel lost or overlooked.

Instruction is based on the case method so you can develop analytical thinking skills that apply to the real world. Finish your first year with the solid groundwork needed to solve legal problems with research and learn how to best present those solutions in writing and orally.

With few exceptions, all courses are elective after the first year. All students must successfully complete Evidence (632), Legal Profession (747), and Trial Techniques (671).

Every student must fulfill the writing requirement prior to graduation. Research a topic in depth and submit drafts to an instructor for revisions before completion. A minimum grade of C is required. For other ways to complete the writing requirements, please contact the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Overview

JD students must enroll for six semesters with a minimum of 10 hours each semester. Students must be enrolled 12 hours per semester to be considered full-time and must remain in good standing with a minimum GPA of 2.5 to continue at Emory Law.

Dean's List

Non-joint students must earn a GPA of 3.45 or higher on at least 10 graded law hours to be on the Dean's List.

Joint-degree students must earn a GPA of 3.45 or higher on at least five graded law hours to be on the Dean's List.

Graduate with Honors

JD students must earn a GPA of between 3.45 and 3.79 to graduate with Honors. Students must earn a GPA of 3.80 or above to graduate with High Honors.

The First Honor Graduate

The student who earns the highest overall GPA for all three years (with the exception of summer school) will be the First Honor Graduate.

Emory University School of Law’s Learning Outcomes for JD Candidates

Note: What follows is a statement of learning outcomes established under ABA Standard 302 (“Learning Outcomes”). These learning outcomes also identify the skills and professional values embodied in the required curriculum, pursuant to New York’s Rule 520.18 (“Skills Competency and Professional Values Bar Admission Requirement”).

Note Also: This is an evolving document, subject to continuing review and change by the law school faculty.

Each student graduating with a J.D. from Emory University School of Law must have demonstrated:

1. Knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law.
2. Legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, problem-solving, and written and oral communication in the legal context.
3. Exercise of proper professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system.
4. Other professional skills needed for competent and ethical participation as a member of the legal profession.

Exceptional Experiences

“In February 2018, I was unexpectedly seated next to United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor at a private brunch. She asked questions about my interests and told me that I could help people of color without committing to only doing civil rights law. It's a moment I will never forget—the capstone on my career here.” -Victoria Sparks, 2018 Graduate, Juris Doctor