Fordham University School of Law

Introduction

Fordham Law has been dedicated to preparing great leaders in the legal profession for over a century. The school is proud of its unique and compelling mission: to provide a complete legal education that stresses equally academic excellence, the craft of lawyering, a focus on ethics, and a spirit of public service. The unwavering commitment to these values—combined with the school's dynamic New York City location—offers Fordham Law graduates an unparalleled opportunity to pursue a broad spectrum of careers. The school's signature public service and human rights programs encourage lawyers to pursue the lives of responsible and noble legal practice. A faculty distinguished by its commitment both to teaching and to scholarship creates an atmosphere in which students learn creatively and think critically.

Fordham Law's prime location in Manhattan provides convenient access to all New York City has to offer, enabling students to begin their careers at the center of the world's legal, financial, and cultural capital. The school's campus is adjacent to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, a mere two blocks from Central Park, and steps away from the transportation and shopping hub of Columbus Circle. Fordham Law puts a strong focus on the importance of experiential education, and the school's location puts students close to a broad range of professional opportunities at some of the largest law firms in the world, the busiest federal and state courts, the US Attorney General's Offices, the United Nations, Wall Street, and a myriad of state and federal agencies. Fordham lawyers practice in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 73 nations around the world. Among our more than 19,000 alumni are partners and associates of leading law firms, CEOs of major corporations, academics, and individuals engaged in public service.

Curriculum

Fordham's innovative and challenging curriculum balances substantive theory with ample hands-on lawyering opportunities. The school offers a remarkable depth of courses in fundamental areas such as contracts, criminal law, legal ethics, and civil procedure. Additionally, traditional and emerging areas of legal practice—including intellectual property, international human rights, and corporate and finance law—are well represented by professors who are specialists in their fields. Most importantly, these professors are passionate teachers who recognize the significance of welcoming students and being accessible.

Fordham also promotes the art and science of legal analysis and the cultivation of a vigorous ongoing dialogue between students and professor through the following nationally renowned academic centers:

Brendan Moore Advocacy Center fosters the teaching and study of lawyers as advocates, with special emphasis on client representation at the trial level.

The Center for Corporate, Securities, and Financial Law serves as the focal point for the school's business law programs and includes roundtable discussions with business leaders, corporate law practitioners, and state and federal regulators.

The Leitner Center for International Law and Justice contributes to the promotion of social justice by encouraging knowledge of, and respect for, international law and human rights standards. The center oversees an annual fact-finding mission, providing law students the opportunity to participate in human rights work overseas.

Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics promotes the integration of ethical perspectives in legal practice, legal institutions, and the development of the law generally. The center also oversees the Stein Scholars Program, a program for students who demonstrate commitment to public service and who undertake specialized academic work in legal ethics.

The Feerick Center for Social Justice works with students, alumni, lawyers, and community volunteers to connect low-income New Yorkers to the legal resources they need and cannot afford.

The Forum on Law, Culture, and Society is a public humanities program that invites the general public to satisfy its intellectual curiosity on matters of law, justice, and civil society in a dynamic and engaging town hall setting.

The Center on Law and Information Policy (CLIP) supports and conducts research, organizes workshops and conferences, and hosts and facilitates high-level public discourse on topics such as data privacy and security, peer-to-peer technologies and intellectual property protection of information assets, and the liability of Internet intermediaries.

The Intellectual Property Institute fosters awareness of and encourages interest in cutting-edge issues in US, European, and Asian IP law as well as in multinational treaties and intergovernmental organizations.

The Fashion Law Institute provides legal assistance to design students and designers and offers assistance on issues facing the fashion industry.

The Center on National Security engages in research, policy work, and public programming on cutting-edge national and global security issues, including cybersecurity.

Cocurricular Activities

There are six student-edited law journals at Fordham, as well as two intramural moot court competitions.

The school also participates in interschool competitions, fielding award-winning appellate moot court teams, trial advocacy teams, and alternative dispute resolution teams.

Worldwide Significance

Fordham Law cultivates in its students a critical global perspective through an array of international programs, including

• the nation's preeminent Center on European Union Law;
• the school's Stein Center for Law and Ethics;
• an International Antitrust Law and Policy Conference, now in its 39th year;
• an annual International Intellectual Property Law Conference, now in its 20th year;
• the Leitner Center for International Law and Justice;
• a Belfast/Dublin summer program, which offers two weeks of study in each city with a special emphasis on international alternative dispute resolution;
• a summer program in Seoul, Korea, at Sungkyunkwan University College of Law (SKKU) that offers courses in international and comparative law as well as internships at local law firms, companies, and governmental offices;
• a Ghana summer law program, building on our long and successful history of partnership with Ghanaian legal institutions, that offers students the opportunity to study Ghanaian and international law, as well as internships in Ghana;
• semester study-abroad programs offered in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Japan, Brazil, Korea, and the People's Republic of China;
• five graduate degree programs—the LLM in International Business and Trade Law; the LLM in Banking, Corporate, and Finance Law; the LLM in Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law; the LLM in International Law and Justice; and the LLM in US and Comparative Law—that have created a network of Fordham alumni in more than 70 countries; and
• the first Fashion Law Institute at any US law school.

Experiential Programs

Fordham's clinical program encourages students to integrate legal analysis with lawyering theory and skills by assuming lawyering roles or performing lawyering functions in problem-solving settings. Fordham Law's clinical program—one of the largest in the nation—engages more than 550 students in live-client clinics and simulation courses in 15 practice areas. Fordham also offers one of the widest ranges of externship placements in American legal education—more than 250 opportunities at nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations and in state and federal courts.

Career Development

Fordhams Law's Career Planning Center has developed a comprehensive and focused approach to assisting students and alumni with their career development in both the public and private sectors.

• The CPC and Public Interest Resource Center work collaboratively on the extensive 1L Career Development Curriculum.
• Each spring and fall, the CPC organizes an extensive On-Campus Interview Program, attracting hundreds of employers. Please visit law.fordham.edu/employmentstats to view a PDF of the employers who participated.

Public Service

Fordham believes that the development of a lifelong commitment to public service is an integral part of a legal education. Last year, Fordham law students volunteered over 158,000 hours of public service. More than half of the graduating class devoted 50 or more hours of their time through the school's nationally recognized Public Interest Resource Center (PIRC). The PIRC's 25 student-run organizations address issues concerning the environment, housing for the poor, domestic violence, unemployment, police brutality, the death penalty, immigration, and community service. Fordham also has a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) to assist those who pursue public service careers. Today, Fordham continues to set the standard for law schools nationwide by assisting and inspiring those students who, regardless of their ultimate career choice, are committed to the spirit of pro bono publico—work for the public good.

Living at Lincoln Center

Approximately 80 spaces are set aside for entering students in McMahon Hall, the university's Lincoln Center residence. Students live in two- or three-bedroom apartments, each of which contains private bedrooms, a living room, full kitchen, and bath. Preference is given to those students who live beyond a commutable distance from the law school. Inquiries regarding housing should be directed to the law school Office of Admissions.

Applicant Profile

Fordham's Admissions Committee—comprised of full-time faculty members and administrators—evaluates each complete application received. While the best available evidence suggests that LSAT scores and undergraduate GPAs should be accorded significant weight in evaluating most applicants, the Admissions Committee believes that securing the most interesting, diverse, and exciting class involves the evaluation of other qualitative factors as well. The combination of academic excellence and experiences is considered in evaluating applicants' potential contributions to their success at Fordham and beyond.

Applicant Profile

Fordham University School of Law

This grid includes only applicants who earned 120–180 LSAT scores under standard administrations.

	GPA
LSAT Score	3.75+ Apps	3.75+ Adm	3.50–3.74 Apps	3.50–3.74 Adm	3.25–3.49 Apps	3.25–3.49 Adm	3.00–3.24 Apps	3.00–3.24 Adm	Below 3.00 Apps	Below 3.00 Adm	No GPA Apps	No GPA Adm	Total Apps	Total Adm
LSAT score 170–180	146	125	155	140	116	90	64	30	52	5	13	8	546	398
LSAT score 165–169	360	318	534	440	358	189	184	56	122	8	61	34	1619	1045
LSAT score 160–164	412	142	636	150	523	85	273	34	169	5	71	6	2084	422
LSAT score 155–159	204	23	356	29	372	31	225	19	179	4	40	1	1376	107
LSAT score 120–154	167	7	315	7	445	6	376	4	547	2	76	1	1926	27
Total	1289	615	1996	766	1814	401	1122	143	1069	24	261	50	7551	1999

Apps = Number of Applicants
Adm = Number Admitted
Highest LSAT data reported.