1422 W. Peachtree Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30309
Phone: 404.872.3593; Fax: 404.873.3802
E-mail: admissions@johnmarshall.edu; Website: www.johnmarshall.edu
Atlanta's John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) has been educating lawyers and leaders in Georgia since 1933 and now attracts students from around the country. We provide a rigorous, high-quality program of legal education that produces competent and ethical lawyers who are dedicated to helping people, especially in underserved communities. We intentionally instill in our students a sense of obligation to the community and to the legal profession—an obligation to pursue justice, rather than mere personal gain, and to improve society, rather than to solely advance personal ambition. Whether our graduates remain in law practice, become judges, enter politics, or succeed in business, these rich values stay with them.
The mission of the law school is to prepare highly competent and professional lawyers who possess a strong social conscience, continually demonstrate high ethical standards, and are committed to the improvement of the legal system and society. The school is dedicated to providing a quality educational opportunity to nontraditional or adult learners, and to other significantly underserved segments of the community. We emphasize the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct. As Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall once said, "There's only one kind of reputation a young lawyer gets in a hurry." Graduates of this law school are trained to do the right thing.
The law school campus is centrally located in midtown Atlanta, the social, cultural, and economic hub of the South. It is in close proximity to Atlanta's largest law firms, government offices, state and federal courts, and nonprofit legal organizations. Atlanta also boasts an extensive array of arts, music, sports, and recreational events, making it an exciting place to live.
The law school is housed in a modern, nine-story building located on one of the major streets in Atlanta. Additional classroom and faculty offices are located in an adjoining building connected by a two-story pedestrian bridge. A new conference center, including a 350-seat auditorium, allows for a constant flow of student programs and symposia.
Our library spreads over three floors, contains more than 200,000 total volumes and equivalents, and provides students and faculty with access to all legal materials necessary to learn the skill of legal research.
The law school has made the inclusion of new technologies throughout the school a priority. All students and faculty enjoy direct and unlimited access to wireless Internet, massive online legal databases, as well as new state-of-the-art technology in multiple classrooms that allows for interactive learning experiences. Students can take both midterm and final exams on their laptops and download them to the school's network.
Prospective students can also apply to AJMLS using a smart phone or tablet at m.johnmarshall.edu.
The AJMLS faculty makes the difference in the student experience and are committed to students' success throughout their legal education and beyond. The faculty is dedicated to providing an intellectually rigorous academic program while instilling the highest sense of professional, ethical, and moral responsibilities that are required of members of the legal profession. All of our faculty members have extensive practical experience in their respective fields of expertise, bringing real-world experience into the classroom. All first-year and required courses are taught in small classes, and professors are easily accessible to their students outside of class. Our small class sizes and low student-to-faculty ratio (one of the best among American law schools) create a supportive environment where students can enjoy learning and express their views.
Because AJMLS's educational environment focuses on an interactive learning process, a diverse student body is essential to providing a broad range of perspectives in the classroom and the law school community. The Fall 2011 entering class of 264 students includes 53 percent women and 41 percent minorities. The student body is not only ethnically diverse, but it is also varied in life experience and professional backgrounds. Also in the 2011 entering class, the median age of full-time students was 24, and the median age of part-time students was 32.
AJMLS's rigorous program of study is designed toward the development of intellectual, analytical, and lawyering skills. From the first-year curriculum, with its predetermined set of core courses, through the third year, with courses that emphasize practical skill development, the Juris Doctor program is designed to promote analytical reasoning, precision in both oral and written communication, and problem-solving skills. Upper-class students can pursue their areas of interest through a broad variety of elective courses.
Full-Time and Part-Time Law Study. AJMLS remains dedicated to providing access to legal education to both traditional and nontraditional students by offering both full-time and part-time law programs. Individuals who are unable to devote themselves to the study of law full time may attend either the part-time evening or part-time day program.
The JD Honors Program in Criminal Justice is a unique, innovative curriculum for students planning to be prosecutors, public defenders, or criminal defense lawyers. The Honors Program immerses the student in the criminal justice field from the first day of law school, integrates skills classes with criminal law, and introduces students to the leading prosecutors and defense lawyers in this country. Graduates of this JD program will earn a truly valuable credential.
The Legal Skills and Professionalism Program takes a holistic approach to preparing students for success during and after law school. Beginning with writing, the program teaches legal skills and professionalism. The same tools that students use to draft documents in their writing classes are employed to solve legal problems in Negotiations, Mediation, Trial Advocacy, Client Interviewing and Counseling, and other skills courses. In addition, a professionalism component is built into every course in the program, preparing students to confront and resolve real-world professionalism issues as they learn to solve legal problems and meet client goals. The law school faculty comes with diverse law practice backgrounds, including criminal defense and prosecution, administrative law, domestic relations practice, and corporate/transactional work.
Academic Support. Tools for academic growth and professional success are not only fostered through interactive classroom teaching, but also through individual advisement and group workshops. The Office of Academic Achievement (OAA) is dedicated to preparing students to succeed in the classroom, on exams, and ultimately, the bar exam. The OAA works to sharpen academic skills such as critical reading, critical thinking, logic and analysis, and writing. One of the many ways the OAA helps students broaden their understanding of the doctrinal material and achieve academic goals is through the Professional and Academic Success Seminar. First-year students participate in a once-a-week seminar during their first semester to identify and strengthen weaknesses in areas closely related to finding success in law school, on the bar exam, and in practice.
Pro Bono and Externship Programs. The Office of Pro Bono Outreach and Externships provides opportunities for students to develop their legal and professional skills while working in the legal community. Pro Bono Outreach honors the law school's mission of graduating students with a strong social conscience and commitment to improving the legal community. From first-year orientation to graduation, students are given a variety of volunteer opportunities and are honored for their efforts to reach back as they move up. The externship program allows students to earn academic credit while working in legal offices under the supervision of practicing attorneys or judges. Placements include the US Attorney's Office, the Georgia Innocence Project, the Office of Homeland Security, and local prosecutors, public defenders, and judges. The Micronesian externship provides students with the opportunity to work in judicial chambers and a government office in Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, the Federated State of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.
The Office of Career Development (OCD) offers individualized, professional advice to students about their personal career goals and tailors strategies to assist students in reaching those goals. In addition to providing résumé and interview workshops to facilitate job searches, the OCD also participates in the Georgia Law School Consortium to plan job fairs and other state-wide recruiting efforts, such as judicial clerkships; placement with prosecutors, public interest agencies, and public defenders; and minority recruiting. As a member of the National Association of Law Placement, AJMLS offers its students the opportunity to attend regional hiring consortia that attract private and government recruiters throughout the Southeast.
The Admissions Committee is dedicated to finding a well-rounded and diverse group of students. In addition to the candidate's academic record and standardized test results, the Admissions Committee will examine with particular care those factors that indicate a high probability for success in law study. Such factors include life experiences, personal or family hardships overcome, demonstrated personal and professional achievements, ability to overcome life's obstacles, the capacity for rigorous intellectual study, the self-discipline demanded by the profession, and a commitment to be of service to the profession and society as a whole.
New Savannah Law School Set to Begin Classes August 2012. The American Bar Association's Council on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has acquiesced in AJMLS's application to open a branch campus in Savannah, Georgia, for fall 2012. Named the Savannah Law School, the new campus will provide traditional and nontraditional students an opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to enter the profession well-equipped and ready to practice law. Prospective students can apply on their smartphone/tablet at m.savannahlawschool.org or on the Internet at www.savannahlawschool.org/apply. The SLS Office of Admissions can be reached via e-mail at admissions@savannahlawschool.org or by calling 912.346.1657.
This grid includes only applicants who earned 120–180 LSAT scores under standard administrations.
| GPA | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| LSAT score 155–180 | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Possible | Unlikely |
| LSAT score 150–154 | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Possible | Possible | Possible | Unlikely |
| LSAT score 145–149 | Possible | Possible | Possible | Possible | Possible | Possible | Unlikely | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| LSAT score 120–144 | Unlikely | Unlikely | Unlikely | Unlikely | Unlikely | Unlikely | Unlikely | Unlikely | Unlikely |
Good = Good Possibility
Possible = Possible
Unlikely = Unlikely