Law School

Overview

Cornell Law School combines inspired teaching with cutting-edge scholarship in a close-knit and collegial intellectual community.

Our faculty have long upheld the principle that law must be studied within the context of its ultimate humanity. As part of a great American research university, they recognize that this principle demands the same dedication, enthusiasm, and critical spirit that infuses all liberal study.

Our students thrive in a diverse and resource-rich atmosphere that is intellectually invigorating, professionally supportive, and forward-thinking. This is precisely why we are known for producing well-rounded lawyers and accomplished practitioners cut from a different cloth – "lawyers in the best sense."

Website: www.lawschool.cornell.edu

General Information

Administration

Jens D. Ohlin, Dean and Professor of Law
Chantal Thomas, Vice Dean and Radice Family Professor of Law
Jed Stiglitz, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law
Beth Lyon, Associate Dean for Experiential Education and Clinical Professor of Law
Ofer Leshed, Associate Dean for Administration and Finance
Akua Akyea, Associate Dean for Career Development
Aimée Houghton, Assistant Dean for Graduate Legal Studies
Fouad Saleet, Assistant Dean for External Education

About the Law School

The Law School prepares attorneys for both public and private practice. Graduates are trained to provide the highest quality professional services to their clients and to contribute to the development and reform of law and legal institutions. The curriculum is designed to prepare students for admission to the bar in all American states and territories. Students who pursue the three-year Doctor of Law degree (J.D.) must have a bachelor's degree or equivalent. Students wishing to concentrate in international law may be admitted to a program leading to the J.D. "with specialization in international legal affairs." The Law School also offers a limited number of students an opportunity to earn both a J.D. degree and an LL.M. (Master of Laws) degree in international and comparative law.

Students may pursue combined graduate degree programs with the Johnson Graduate School of Management; the Department of City and Regional Planning of the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning; the School of Industrial and Labor Relations; the graduate divisions in economics, history, and philosophy of the College of Arts and Sciences; the Université de Paris I (Pantheon Sorbonne); L'Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris; and Humboldt University.

Each year students from abroad pursue the LL.M. degree (Master of Laws) and the J.S.D. degree (Doctor of the Science of Law). Additionally, the Law School offers the Tech LL.M. degree to a limited number of students enrolled on the Cornell Tech campus (Master of Laws in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship). A small number of law graduates also may be admitted as special students, to pursue advanced legal studies without seeking a degree. Students in other graduate programs and qualified undergraduate students registered with the university are welcome in many classes with the permission of the instructor. In addition, highly qualified undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences may register in the Law School during their senior year.

For further information, refer to the Law School website, or contact the Office of the Registrar, Myron Taylor Hall.

The professional curriculum at Cornell Law School conforms to American Bar Association Standard 302 for Approval of Law Schools. We offer a rigorous program of legal education designed to prepare students, upon graduation, for admission to the bar and for effective, ethical and responsible participation in the legal profession at the highest levels. Upon completion of the program of legal education, Cornell Law School graduates will:

possess knowledge of the substantive and procedural law required for effective participation in the legal profession;
engage in legal research, analysis, and problem-solving;
communicate effectively in both oral and written form as counselors and advocates;
possess the practical skills fundamental to exceptional lawyering and client representation; and
conduct themselves with the highest moral and ethical standards.

It also offers substantial opportunities for:

live-client or other real-life practice experiences, appropriately supervised and designed to encourage reflection by students on their experiences and on the values and responsibilities of the legal profession, and the development of one's ability to assess his or her performance and level of competence;
student participation in pro bono activities; and
small group work through seminars, directed research, small classes, or collaborative work.

Special Academic Opportunities

Joint Degrees

The Law School offers the following joint degree programs with other Cornell University graduate divisions:

Juris Doctor/ Master of Business Administration (J.D./M.B.A.)
Juris Doctor/ Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (J.D./M.I.L.R)
Juris Doctor/ Master of Public Administration (J.D./M.P.A.)
Juris Doctor/ Doctor of Philosophy in Developmental Psychology (J.D./Ph.D.)
Juris Doctor/ Doctor of Philosophy in other fields of the Cornell Graduate School (J.D./Ph.D. or M.A)

Admission to these joint degree programs is obtained by applying directly to these other schools. In general, after a student completes their first year of Law School, the second year is completed entirely in the other unit, but some variations on this pattern have been permitted in individual cases. Admissions criteria may be different from Law School admissions criteria. Once a student has been admitted to both programs, it is the student's responsibility to contact the Law School Registrar's Office (160 Myron Taylor Hall, 1-604-255-7190, law.registrar@cornell.edu).

3+3 Pathway

The 3+3 Pathway gives Cornell University, Hobart William Smith Colleges, and St. Lawrence University undergraduates the opportunity to spend their senior year of study at Cornell Law School. Essentially, the first year of law school will satisfy the student's senior year course requirements. This accelerated program allows participants to receive their bachelor's and Juris Doctor degrees in six years.

Policies and Procedures

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a component of receipt of a Cornell Law degree, as well as academic competence. In addition, the Dean of the Cornell Law School certifies to bar examiners that a graduate possesses the good character necessary to be a member of the bar. The Law School’s Code of Academic Integrity and the Campus Code of Conduct are included in this Student Handbook and available under Policies and Requirements on the Registrar’s website.

Class Attendance

Regular and punctual class attendance, beginning on the first day of the semester, is required of all students. Faculty members monitor attendance and may enforce the rule by reporting the student to the Dean of Students; by removing a student from the course or excluding a student from an exam (after reasonable written warning); or by another mechanism announced in the course syllabus prior to the end of the add/drop period. If a student is excluded from an exam, a grade of F is entered, or in the case of a clinical course, the student may receive a lowered grade or a grade of U. Faculty members are encouraged to utilize photo seating charts which will be prepared at instructor request by administrative assistants. Students who are ill or have another valid reason for missing class are encouraged to contact the instructor directly. Students are required to notify the Dean of Students, if they miss three or more days of class.

Class Recordings

Students are not allowed to record classes using a computer or any other device without the instructor’s express permission. Recordings of classes arranged by the Law School’s IT Department will only be released to students in the event of unavoidable absences and only with the professor’s express permission. Students do not have permission to disseminate classroom recordings. The availability of classroom recordings does not alter Cornell Law School’s or the ABA’s policies.

Students seeking classroom recordings as a disability accommodation must do so by coordinating with the Dean of Students, Registrar’s Office, and Student Disability Services Office subject to approved accommodations.

Policy on Student Complaints Relating to ABA Program of Legal Education Standards

The Cornell Law School invites students to share any concerns they might have about the Law School’s program of legal education as it relates to matters that directly connect to ABA Standards. Students having such a concern should submit the concern, in writing, to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The student’s written complaint should identify the ABA accreditation standard that is at issue and must be signed by the student. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will work with the appropriate administrator to investigate the issue and if possible, to address the concern. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, as appropriate, shall keep a record of all such complaints and of follow-up action taken for eight years. The student who filed the complaint will be provided with a written update on the response within 30 days of receipt of the complaint

Incomplete Grades

An incomplete grade for a law course may be submitted by an instructor only if the student has substantial equity at a passing level in the course with respect to work completed and also has been prevented by circumstances beyond the student’s control from completing all course requirements on time. An incomplete grade must be removed by the student:

at the next regular examination in the subject (providing such examination is taken within one calendar year from the entry of the incomplete grade), or
in the case of courses in which the grade is based in whole or in part on written work, no later than the end of the semester following that in which the incomplete was entered.

Failure to remove the incomplete grade within the specified time limit will result in an automatic entry of an F on the student’s transcript.

Faculty

A

Anker, Elizabeth, Ph.D., U. of Virginia, Professor of Law and English

Atiq, Emad H., Ph. D., Princeton U., Professor of Law & Philosophy

Awrey, Dan, D.Phil., U. of Oxford, Professor of Law

B

Babcock, Sandra, J.D., Harvard U., Clinical Professor of Law

Bigoness, Celia, J.D., Yale Law School, Clinical Professor of Law and Director, Blassberg-Rice Center for Entrepreneurship Law

Bauman, Dena, J.D., Yale Law School, Director, Externships & Pro Bono Scholars Program and Lecturer of Law

Blume, John H., J.D., Yale Law School, Samuel F. Leibowitz Professor of Trial Techniques and Director, Cornell Death Penalty Project

Brundige, Elizabeth, J.D., Yale Law School, Clinical Professor of Law

C

Chang, Yun-chien, J.S.D., NYU Law School, Jack G. Clarke Professor in East Asian Law and Director, Clarke Program in East Asian Law and Culture

Clermont, Kevin M., J.D., Harvard Law School., Robert D. Ziff Professor of Law

Cornell, Angela B., J.D., U. of Washington School of Law, Clinical Professor of Law

D

D'Amore, Matthew, J.D., Yale Law School, Professor of the Practice and Director, Law, Technology & Entrepreneurship Program Cornell Tech

Dinner, Deborah, Ph.D., Yale U., Dorothea S. Clarke Professor of Law

Dorf, Michael C., J.D., Harvard Law School, Robert S. Stevens Professor of Law

E

Eaglin, Jessica, J.D., Duke Law School, Professor of Law

F

Freed, Lara G., J.D., Harvard U., Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering)

G

Gardner, Maggie, J.D., Harvard Law School, Professor of Law

Garvey, Stephen P., J.D., Yale Law School, A. Robert Noll Professor of Law

Giovanopoulou, Afroditi, J.S.D., Harvard Law School, Assistant Professor of Law

Goldberg, Rachel T., J.D., NYU Law School, Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering)

Green, Robert A., J.D., Georgetown U. Law Center, Professor of Law

Grimmelmann, James, J.D. Yale Law School, Tessler Family Professor of Digital and Information Law, Cornell Tech

H

Hans, Gautam, J.D., U. of Michigan Law School, Clinical Professor of Law

Hans, Valerie P., Ph.D., U. of Toronto (Canada), Charles F. Rechlin Professor of Law

Hay, George A., Ph.D., Northwestern U., Charles Frank Reavis Sr. Professor of Law

Heise, Michael, Ph.D., Northwestern U., William G. McRoberts Professor in the Empirical Study of Law

Hockett, Robert C, J.S.D., Yale U., Edward Cornell Professor of Law

Hovenkamp, Erik, Ph.D., Northwestern University

J

Jacobson, William A., J.D., Harvard U., Clinical Professor and Director of the Securities Law Clinic

Johnson, Sheri L., J.D., Yale U., James and Mark Flanagan Professor of Law

K

Kelley-Widmer, Jaclyn, J.D., U. of Michigan Law School, Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering)

Kysel, Ian, J.D., Georgetown U. Law Center, Associate Clinical Professor of Law

L

Lasser, Mitchel, Ph.D., Yale U., Jack G. Clarke Professor of Law

Liivak, Oskar, Ph.D., Cornell U., C.S. Wong Professor of Law

Lyon, Beth, Georgetown U. Law Center, J.D., Associate Dean for Experiential Education, Clinical Professor of Law, and Clinical Program Director

M

Marmor, Andrei, D. Phil, U. of Oxford, Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Philosophy and Law

McKee, Estelle M. J.D., Columbia Law School, Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering)

N

Nayyer, Kim, LL.B., York U. Osgoode Hall Law School, Edward Cornell Law Librarian, Associate Dean for Library Services, and Professor of the Practice

Ndulo, Muna B., D. Phil., U. of Oxford, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of International & Comparative Law; Elizabeth and Arthur Reich Director, Leo and Arvilla Berger International Legal Studies Program

O

Ohlin, Jens, Ph.D., Columbia U., Allan R. Tessler Dean and Professor of Law

P

Pasquale, Frank, J.D., Yale Law School, Professor of Law, Cornell Tech

Pao, Roger, J.D., Harvard Law School, Academic Director, Master of Science of in Legal Studies (MSLS) Program and Lecturer of Law

R

Rachlinski, Jeffrey J., Ph.D., Stanford U., Henry Allen Mark Professor of Law

Rahman, K. Sabeel, J.D., Harvard Law School, Professor of Law

Reiss, David, J.D., NYU School of Law, Clinical Professor of Law, Cornell Tech

Richardson, Brian, Ph.D., U. of Cambridge, Associate Professor of Law

Robinson, Katrina, J.D., U. of Virginia, Associate Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering)

S

Schwab, Stewart J., Ph.D., U. of Michigan, Jonathan and Ruby Zhu Professor of Law

Sherwin, Emily L., J.D., Boston U. School of Law, Frank B. Ingersoll Professor of Law

Siliciano, John A., J.D., Columbia Law School, Professor of Law

Stanley, Kristen, J.D., Cornell Law School, Associate Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering)

Stiglitz, Jed, Ph.D., Stanford U., Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Richard and Lois Cole Professor of Law

T

Tebbe, Nelson, Ph.D., U. of Chicago, Jane M.G. Foster Professor of Law

Thomas, Chantal, J.D., Harvard Law School, Vice Dean and Radice Family Professor of Law

U

Underhill, Kristen, D.Phil., U. of Oxford, Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Professor of Law

Underkuffler, Laura, J.S.M., Yale U., J. DuPratt White Professor of Law

W

Wendel, W. Bradley, J.S.D., Columbia U., Edwin H. Woodruff Professor of Law

Weyble, Chenay, J.D., U. of South Carolina School of Law, Senior Lecturer of Law and Director of Academic Support

Weyble, Keir, J.D. U. of South Carolina School of Law, Clinical Professor of Law and Director of Death Penalty Litigation

Whelan, Michelle A., J.D., U. of Florida Levin College of Law, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering)

Whitehead, Charles K., J.D., Columbia Law School, Myron C. Taylor Alumni Professor of Business Law

Whorton, Amanda, Wake Forest U. School of Law, Lecturer of Law

Wilking, Eleanor, Ph.D., U. of Michigan, Associate Professor of Law, Gearns-Russo Family Faculty Fellow

Williams, Carlton, U. of Wisconsin Law School, Associate Clinical Professor of Law

Y

Yona, Leehi, J.D., Standford Law School, Assistant Professor of Law

Clinical Faculty

Babcock, Sandra, J.D., Harvard U., Clinical Professor of Law

Bigoness, Celia, J.D., Yale Law School, Clinical Professor of Law

Brundige, Elizabeth, J.D., Yale Law School, Clinical Professor of Law

Cornell, Angela B., J.D., U. of Washington School of Law, Clinical Professor of Law

Hans, Gautam, J.D., U. of Michigan Law School, Clinical Professor of Law

Jacobson, William A., J.D., Harvard Law School, Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Securities Law Clinic

Kysel, Ian, J.D., Georgetown U. Law Center, Associate Clinical Professor of Law

Lyon, Beth, Georgetown U. Law Center, J.D., Associate Dean for Experiential Education, Clinical Professor of Law, and Clinical Program Director

Reiss, David, J.D., NYU School of Law, Clinical Professor of Law, Cornell Tech

Weyble, Keir, J.D. U. of South Carolina School of Law, Clinical Professor of Law and Director of Death Penalty Litigation

Williams, Carlton, U. of Wisconsin Law School, Associate Clinical Professor of Law

Lawyering Program Faculty

Freed, Lara G., J.D., Harvard U., Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering)

Goldberg, Rachel T., J.D., NYU Law School, Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering)

Kelley-Widmer, Jaclyn, J.D., U. of Michigan Law School, Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering)

McKee, Estelle M. J.D., Columbia Law School, Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering)

Robinson, Katrina, J.D., U. of Virginia, Associate Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering)

Stanley, Kristen, J.D., Cornell Law School, Associate Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering)

Whelan, Michelle A., J.D., U. of Florida Levin College of Law, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering)

Members of Other Faculties Associated with the Law School

Griffith, Kate, J.D., NYU Law School, Associate Member of the Law Faculty and Jean Mckelvey-Alice Grant Professor, School of Industrial & Labor Relations

Kreps, Sarah, Ph.D., Georgetown U., Associate Member of the Law Faculty and John L. Wetherill Professor, Department of Government

Levy, Karen, Ph.D., Princeton U., Associate Member of the Law Faculty and Associate Professor, Department of Information Science

Nissenbaum, Helen, Ph.D., Stanford U., Associate Member of the Law Faculty and Professor, Cornell Tech

Racabi, Gali, J.S.D., Harvard Law School, Associate Member of the Law Faculty and Assistant Professor, School of Industrial & Labor Relations

Salerno, Jessica, Ph.D., U. of Illinois, Associate Member of the Law Faculty and Associate Professor, Department of Psychology

Tarrow, Sid, Ph.D. U. of California, Associate Member of the Law Faculty and Maxwell M. Upson Professor Emeritus, Department of Government

Wells, Martin T., Ph.D., U. of California, Charles A. Alexander Professor of Statistical Sciences and Elected Member of the Law Faculty

Zhang, Yiran, J.S.D., Harvard Law School, Associate Member of the Law Faculty and Assistant Professor, School of Industrial & Labor Relations

Visiting Faculty

Chutkow, Dawn, J.D., U. of Chicago Law School, Visiting Professor of Law

Huyghue, Michael, J.D., U. of Michigan Law School, Visiting Professor of the Practice

Kong, Hoi, J.S.D., Columbia Law School, Visiting Professor of Law

McLernon, Sean, J.D., Georgetown U. Law Center, Visiting Assistant Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering)

McNamara, Chan Tov, J.D., Cornell Law School, Visiting Assistant Professor of Law

Taylor, Winnie, U. at Buffalo School of Law, Visiting Professor of Law

Adjunct Faculty Members

Alonso, Dan, J.D. NYU School of Law

Aherne, Elizabeth, J.D., Georgetown U. Law Center

Arafa, Mohamed, J.S.D., Indiana U.

Berger, Andrew, J.D., Cornell Law School

Bernardo, Nathalia, J.D., Boston College Law School

Brougher, Joanna, J.D., Boston College Law School

Brown, Seana, J.D. Fordham U. School of Law

Catalano, Benjamin, St. John’s U. School of Law

Callery, Joseph, J.D., U. at Buffalo School of Law

Chatrchyan, Allison, Ph.D., U of Maryland

Clark, Victoria, J.D., U. of Michigan Law School

Cooper, Shane, J.D., Cornell Law School

Cox, Brian, J.D., U. of North Carolina Law School

Eagen, Ellen, J.D., Cornell Law School

Eisen, LizabethAnn, J.D., U. of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Elsaman, Radwa, J.S.D., Washington College of Law

Emmenegger, Susan, Ph.D., U. of Fribourg

Facciponti, Joseph, J.D., Cornell Law School

Gagan, Kevin, J.D., Cornell Law School

Germano, Judith, JD, St. John’s U. School of Law

Greene, Mark, J.D., U. of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Grossman, Kevin, J.D., U. at Buffalo School of Law

Gutman, Olga, J.D., Cornell Law School

Hahn, Andrew, J.D., Cornell Law School

Hardwick, James, J.D., Santa Clara U. School of Law

Hay, John, J.D., George Washington University

Heath, Joseph, J.D., U. at Buffalo School of Law

Heiden, Thomas, J.D., Cornell Law School

Jamart, Anne-Claire, J.S.D., Cornell Law School

John, Richard, J.D., Notre Dame Law School

Johnson, Randel, J.D. U. of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law

Kennedy, Leonard, J.D., Cornell Law School

Kihira, Takayuki, LL.M., Cornell Law School

Lasdon, Doug, J.D., Cornell Law School

Leib, Howard, J.D., Columbia Law School

Levy, Stephane, LLB, McGill U.

Livingston, Mallory, J.D., Syracuse U. College of Law

Lutes, Mark, J.D., Georgetown U. Law Center

Madigan, Kathryn Grant, J.D., Albany Law School

Manahan, Thomas, J.D. Seton Hall Law School

Mangual, Daniel, J.D., UNC School of Law

McArdle, Edward, J.D., Albany Law School

Miller, Jill, J.D., Cornell Law School

Mizutani, Julia, J.D., Georgetown University Law Center

Mulcahy, Kevin, J.D., Duke Law School

Niebel, William, J.D., U. of South Dakota Law School

Pluta, Julia, J.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Pucciarelli, Joseph, J.D., Cornell Law School

Qiao, Noah, J.D., Cornell Law School

Rechtschaffen, Scott, J.D., Cornell Law School

Rosensaft, Menachem Z., J.D., Columbia Law School

Ross, Sacha, J.D., Cornell Law School

Russell, Anna, J.D., U. of San Diego

Salisbury, Lance, J.D., Cornell Law School

Sarachan, Robert, J.D., Indiana U. Maurer School of Law

Scholtz, Nina, J.D., UC Berkeley School of Law

Schonfeld, Mark, J.D., Harvard Law School

Silberstein, Eli, Rabbinic Degree, Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch

Sliger, Michael, J.D., Cornell Law School

Sullivan, Kathleen, J.D., New England Law School

Sutton, December, J.D., John Marshall Law School

Underberg, Mark, J.D., Cornell Law School

Weiss, David J.D., Vanderbilt U. Law School

Wertheimer, Robert J., J.D., Columbia Law School

Wistrich, Andrew, J.D., U. of Chicago Law School

Wood, Jonathan, J.D., Brooklyn Law School

Ziyaeva, Diora, J.D., Harvard Law School

Zulauf, Urs, Ph.D., U. of Bern