Cornell University

Law School Overview

U.S. News Rankings

Ranking score and category

Rank Category Name #13 Best Law Schools

Specialties Locked in International Law #8 in Law Firms Rank Schools

Law School Overview

First year students at Cornell University Law School get an early introduction to the profession through the Lawyering Program, which teaches skills used by practicing attorneys and wraps up with Moot Court arguments. In addition to the traditional three-year J.D. program, Cornell Law offers joint degrees including a J.D./M.B.A. in conjunction with the highly ranked Johnson School of Management and a J.D./M.P.A. through courses at the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs.

Students can also get involved in pro bono work early on through the Public Service Challenge at Cornell, which encourages students to participate in community service through initiatives such as the Cornell Prison Education Project, which teaches the law to inmates, and the Student Hurricane Network, a group that has volunteered in New Orleans.

The school has about 10 research centers, institutes, and programs, including the Death Penalty Project and Cornell e-Rulemaking Initiative, and has about five legal journals. Cornell Law School partners with Sorbonne Law School at the Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne to offer a five-week Paris Summer Institute, where law students gain training in comparative and international law. About 25 percent of first year law students opt to live on campus in the Law School residence, Hughes Hall.

Notable alumni of Cornell Law School include Philip Perry, former U.S. Department of Homeland Security General Counsel, and David Litman and Robert Diener, cofounders of Hotels.com.

Year founded	1887
Public/private	Private
Law school designation	National

Admissions

Application deadline	February 1
Full-time program application fee	$80
Part-time program application fee	N/A
Admissions Phone	(607) 255-5141
Admissions E-mail	lawadmit@lawschool.cornell.edu
Web site	http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu

Academics

Full- and part-time faculty	80
Student-faculty ratio	10.4 - Low
Total faculty	92

Student Body

Enrollment (full-time)	615
Gender distribution (full-time)
J.D. candidates graduating in 2009-2010	192

Cost

Tuition and fees
Full-time: $51,150 per year
Room and board	$11,000

Careers

Graduates known to be employed at graduation	92.8% - High
Median private sector starting salary	$160,000
Median public service starting salary	$60,000

Library

Total volumes and volume equivalents

771,846

* Law School Overview details based on 2010 data