Georgia State University College of Law

Introduction

Georgia State University College of Law is located in downtown Atlanta, the center for legal, financial, and governmental activities in the Southeast. This location provides easy access to federal, state, and local courts and agencies; the state capitol and legislature; corporations; major law firms in the metropolitan area; and the library and other facilities of Georgia State University.

The College of Law began operation in 1982. The College of Law is accredited by the ABA and is a member of the AALS.

Library and Physical Facilities

The College of Law library is designed and equipped to meet the demanding research needs of today's students, faculty members, staff, and members of the legal community. With a collection of more than 171,276 hard-copy volumes, more than 228,117 microform-equivalent volumes, and almost 60,000 electronic titles, the library provides research materials in American, British, Canadian, and international law. Students find a host of computer applications available in the law library computer lab, which is staffed by computer consultants. The college dedicates state-of-the-art computer equipment for training purposes only in our computer training room. The classrooms and study carrels accommodate laptop computers.

The College of Law is one of the leading law schools in the Southeast. Located on a 39-acre campus in the heart of downtown Atlanta, the Urban Life building houses a moot courtroom equipped with state-of-the-art video technology and provides activities directed toward trial and appellate advocacy. Students have access to many other campus facilities, including the athletic complex, which offers a variety of individual fitness opportunities and team sports.

Curriculum

The college offers students the opportunity to study full or part time and provides a traditional yet innovative curriculum. It offers extensive coverage of the foundational areas of the law to first-year students while providing an array of elective opportunities in public and private law. Opportunities range from the study of legal philosophy and jurisprudence to vital skills training through courses in litigation, counseling, negotiation, legal drafting, and alternative dispute resolution.

The growth of technology in our lives is reflected in courses in Intellectual Property and Computers and the Law; in our innovative course, Law and the Internet; and in the increasing use of computer programs and online discussion groups. Opportunities exist for in-depth study in international and comparative law, environmental law, health law, tax law, employment law, commercial law, and bankruptcy.

Admission

The College of Law actively seeks to enroll a student body with diversity in educational, cultural, and racial backgrounds that will enrich the educational experience of the entire group.

Applicants are encouraged to visit. Please make arrangements through the Office of Admissions to tour the campus; talk with students, faculty, and admissions staff; or attend a class.

Special Programs

Dual-Degree Programs—Seven dual JD and master's degree programs are available with Georgia State University's J. Mack Robinson College of Business, the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, the Department of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences, and the College of Architecture at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

International Programs—Students have the opportunity to participate in two summer-abroad programs. These are the Transnational Comparative Dispute Resolution Program in Europe and the Summer Legal and Policy Study Program in comparative and international law in Brazil.

Clinics—The Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic and the Health Law Partnership (HeLP) Clinic provide a live-client component to the college's Lawyer Skills Externship Development Program. Both clinics give students hands-on, real-life experience in client representation and handling cases. Work in the Tax Clinic teaches case management, evidence gathering, document preparation, interviewing, counseling, and effective negotiation. The Health Law Partnership Clinic offers a community service clinic that provides students with opportunities to work on cases related to children's health and welfare, including clinics on site at three Atlanta-area children's hospitals where low-income children and their families are eligible for these services aimed at eliminating socioeconomic barriers to optimum health.

Externships—Externships are designed to tie theoretical knowledge to a practical base of experience in the profession. Externships involve actual participation in rendering legal services. Students interested in the externship program should contact the Lawyer Skills Development Externship Office.

Trial Advocacy—The College of Law offers students an extensive variety of opportunities in the area of trial advocacy. Our litigation workshop, offered each spring semester, provides second-year students with an intensive skills training experience. Working in small seminar groups, students are asked to conduct drafting and simulation exercises on all phases of the pretrial and trial process, including a full jury trial. In addition to the workshop, the college offers several advanced litigation courses in which students can further enhance their advocacy skills in civil and criminal areas.

Moot Court—Each year, students compete in several of the most challenging and prestigious moot court competitions throughout the country. The Moot Court Program has achieved substantial renown and success in its 28-year history. The National Moot Court Competition, sponsored by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, is the oldest and most recognized national competition, and the College of Law became the first law school in Georgia to place first in that competition. Teams from the college have since won numerous other competitions.

Centers—The College of Law has two centers: the Center for Law, Health, and Society and the Center for the Comparative Study of Metropolitan Growth. The Center for Law, Health, and Society promotes the integration of health law and ethics into

health policy and research,
the health sciences,
the provision of health services, and
the interdisciplinary education of law students.

The Center for the Comparative Study of Metropolitan Growth produces research, teaching, and academic exchange on the range of issues relating to metropolitan growth.

Student Activities

The Georgia State University Law Review is published four times a year by students who have demonstrated outstanding writing and academic skills.

The college also boasts a nationally renowned student mock trial program in which our students compete annually in numerous mock trial competitions held at locations throughout the country. Our student teams have amassed an incredible record of success at the national, regional, and state levels. The College of Law has won numerous national, regional, and state championships.

The College of Law regards student organizations as an important part of a legal education experience and encourages participation in our wide variety of organizations, some traditionally found in law schools, some less common. The college recognizes over 30 organizations, most of which are affiliated with national professional associations. We are proud of the accomplishments of these groups.

Career Services

The Career Services Office offers a broad range of services. Students may begin using the office in November of the first year of law school and may continue utilizing career planning services throughout their careers. Specific programs geared toward minority students are the Atlanta Bar Association Minority Clerkship Program and the Southeastern Minority Job Fair. Typically, over 93 percent of each graduating class accepts employment within six months of graduation.

Applicant Profile

Georgia State University College of Law

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

LSAT Score	3.75+	3.50–3.74	3.25–3.49	3.00–3.24	2.75–2.99	2.50–2.74	2.25–2.49	2.00–2.24	Below 2.00
	GPA
LSAT score 175–180	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 170–174	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 165–169	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 160–164	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 155–159	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 150–154	Possible	Possible	Possible	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 145–149	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 140–144	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 135–139	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 130–134	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 125–129	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 120–124	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely

Good = Good Possibility

Possible = Possible

Unlikely = Unlikely