Law (JD)

Law School

Program Website

Program Description

Cornell Law offers a highly rated national law curriculum leading to the three-year J.D. degree. The curriculum reflects a broad range of ideas current in American legal education.

Students can earn their J.D. degree with honors in International Law:

  • J.D. with Honors in International Legal Affairs
  • J.D./LL.M. Program with honors in International and Comparative Law

Special Academic Options

J.D./LL.B. Program with Jindal Global Law School

The Law School offers a three-year J.D./LL.B. or J.D./B.A.-LL.B. advanced standing program with Jindal Global Law School. Participants, who are nominated by Jindal Global Law School and admitted by Cornell, complete two years of advanced study at Jindal Global Law School before arriving at Cornell.

Students satisfactorily complete 62 credits at Cornell over two years.

Following completion of studies at Cornell, the participants receive a J.D. from Cornell University, in addition to a B.A./LL.B. or LL.B. degree from Jindal Global Law School.

 

J.D. - Master En Droit Degree Program

This program is offered jointly by Cornell Law School and the Université de Paris I - Panthéon-Sorbonne as a four-year joint degree program. At the completion of the program students will receive both the Master en Droit and the Juris Doctor degree. Participants will spend their first two years at Cornell Law School and their final two years at the Université de Paris I.

Applicants

  • Applicants must be completely fluent in both English and French.
  • American applicants must have the customary undergraduate training for admission to law school.
  • French applicants must have the Baccalaureate degree and at least two years of advanced study at a French institution.
  • Students may apply to the program in their initial application to the Law School or following matriculation.
  • Admitted students must have a baccalaureate or first-level Master degree before arriving at Cornell.

Degree Requirements

  • Students must satisfactorily complete 62 credits at Cornell over two years.
  • Students complete the final year of the J.D. in the coursework in Paris.
  • Students must complete the requirements for the Paris I Master degree, before earning the J.D. degree from Cornell and a Master Degree (at the M1 and/or M2 level) from the Université Paris I.

In some cases, the timing of the dual degree program may require students to receive their J.D. degree in August and sit for a U.S. bar exam in February rather than July.

 

J.D. and M.I.L.R. Degrees (Sequential Degree option)

The School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University offers a two-semester program for outstanding Law School graduates that leads to the Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (M.I.L.R.) degree. Both recent graduates and those working in the field of law may apply.

The program provides general coverage of industrial and labor relations and is suitable for those having little prior course work in the field. The M.I.L.R. program is normally completed in four semesters; however, law graduates who enter the special program can complete the program in one year.

An applicant must be a graduate of a school of law and meet the normal requirements for admission to the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. A candidate deficient in preparation in the social sciences is advised to do additional work before entry.

J.D. and M.P.A. Degrees

Cornell Law School and the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA) offer a four-year program that leads to a J.D. degree and a Master of Public Administration degree. Applicants must apply to, and be accepted by, both schools.

  • First year is spent entirely in one school.
  • Second year, entirely in the other school.
  • Third year and fourth years are spent mostly in the Law. School, but students must generally take at least one course each semester to fulfill CIPA requirements.
  • Applicants to the MPA program from the Cornell Law School may apply up to twelve (12) credits from the Law School toward their MPA degree, subject to approval of the Director of Graduate Studies of the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA).

Please consult the Cornell Law School Registrar for more information.

Taxonomy Code

Policies and Procedures

Leaves of Absence

A student must receive their J.D. within 84 months of beginning law study.

1. To apply for a leave, a student must submit a written petition to the Administrative Committee describing the reasons for the leave. In the event a student is incapacitated due to medical/psychological problems, a petition for a leave of absence may be submitted by a parent, spouse, or any other person designated by the student in advance.

In extraordinary circumstances, e.g., where the student’s conduct has been unusually disruptive to the Law School or University community or where the student’s conduct suggests that remaining in school poses a significant risk to the health or safety of the student or others in the Law School or University community or a significant risk of disruption to the Law School or University environment, the Dean, in consultation with the Administrative Committee, may require the student to take a leave of absence.

2. Leaves are typically granted for one year only. Where the leave begins during a given semester, the student would normally be expected to return at the beginning of that same semester the following year. Prior to the expiration of the leave, a student may request, in writing, a one-year extension of the leave. Only in extraordinary circumstances will a leave be extended beyond two years, and decisions to extend a leave beyond two years may be made only by the Dean in consultation with the Administrative Committee. Only in extraordinary circumstances will a student who has already taken one leave of absence be granted a second leave of absence.

3. If a leave of absence is granted, the Law School and/or the University will maintain jurisdiction over the adjudication of any Law School and/or University disciplinary action involving the student. A student may be required to participate in the adjudication of the disciplinary action while on leave.

4. In certain circumstances, the Committee may attach written conditions to the leave. For example, where a leave of absence is requested for health reasons, the leave may be conditioned on counseling or health treatment while on leave of absence or other requirements appropriate to the conditions giving rise to the leave.

5. Before the end of the semester in which the leave is scheduled to expire, the student must notify the Administrative Committee that they expect to return to school at the beginning of the following semester. Included in the notification must be a statement that the student has not been charged with any crime during the period of the leave or, if a student has been charged with a crime, the full details of the incident(s) leading to the charge. If conditions have been attached to the leave, the student must demonstrate that such conditions have been satisfied.

6. As a general matter, a student will not be permitted to resume his or her studies unless the Administrative Committee is satisfied that the student has the ability to complete law school and the judgment and integrity to function as a member of the profession. For example, in the event that the leave of absence was granted due to health reasons, the Administrative Committee must be satisfied that the problems which precipitated the leave are resolved and that the student is able to handle all of the physical or emotional stress, as applicable, of attending law school, and that there is no significant risk of danger to the student or others or of disruption to the Law School or University environment. The Committee may require the student to make available relevant health records, to permit the Committee to communicate directly with the student’s physicians or counselors, and, in appropriate circumstances, to undergo additional health evaluation.

7. Reentry may be conditional. For example, a student may be required to engage in regular and ongoing medical, psychiatric or psychological treatment when specifically related to the conditions giving rise to the leave if the Committee believes that, without such ongoing treatment, the individual will not be able to function effectively as a student or will pose a significant risk to the health or safety of himself or others or a significant risk of disruption to the Law School or University environment.

8. If the Administrative Committee determines that the student will not be permitted to return to the Law School, that decision may be appealed to the Dean of the Law School. The Dean’s decision will be final.

9. The Law School may modify its leave policy in light of experience and consistent with the law.

10. To request a health leave please email or make an appointment here or by email with the Health Leaves Coordinator, who will work with you to facilitate consultations between you, your healthcare provider, Student Disability Services, and the Law School before granting a Health Leave of Absence. You can review the current Cornell University Health Leave of Absence policy

J.D. Academic Deficiency

A J.D. student who receives a grade of D+ or below in a first-year course will be regarded as having an academic deficiency in that course that must be remedied. The student must either repeat the course or take an upper-class course or courses to be designated by the Dean of Students in order to remedy this gap in the student’s legal education.

A J.D. student will be placed on informal academic probation if, at the close of the first year of law study or the end of any subsequent term, the student’s semester merit point ratio is less than the bottom 5% of the class. Informal probation is neither reported on the student’s transcript nor to employers but rather requires that the student meet with the Dean of Students to approve the student’s course selection and planning to achieve the faculty-adopted learning outcomes.

The faculty Administrative Committee will consider whether a J.D. student should be dropped for scholastic deficiency: a. if at the close of the first year of law study or at the end of any subsequent term (not including the student’s final term), the student’s cumulative merit point ratio is less than 2.8 or b. if in the judgment of the Administrative Committee of the faculty, the student’s work at any time is markedly unsatisfactory. Work is considered markedly unsatisfactory if, in each of two successive terms, the merit point ratio for the work of each term (considered separately) is lower than 2.8.

J.D. Class Rank

As a matter of faculty policy Cornell Law School does not release the academic rankings of our students. Interested individuals, including employers, have access to the top 10% approximate cumulative grade point cut for the most recent semester of completion for the J.D. students. In addition, at the completion of the second semester and every semester thereafter the top 5% approximate cumulative grade point average is also available. In general, J.D. students are not ranked. However, the top five students in each class are ranked and are notified of their rank. Current information is available on the Law School Registrar’s website.

Transferring to J.D. Program from an ABA – Approved Law School

Students transferring into Cornell Law School from another ABA-approved law school may receive up to 32 credit hours toward the 84 credit hours required for a J.D. degree. The amount of credit is determined by the Registrar upon enrollment after reviewing the particular courses taken by the transfer student and will not be reassessed at a later time.

Transferring to J.D. Program from Cornell Law School’s General LL.M. Program

Candidates for the LL.M. degree who wish to transfer to the J.D. program must submit a transfer application no later than April 1. The transfer procedures and requirements will, in general, be the same as those applicable to J.D. students at other law schools who seek to transfer into the Cornell J.D. program (including the requirement of an acceptable admissions test). However, at least one letter of recommendation should be from a Cornell Law faculty member who has taught the student. Only LL.M. students who have elected to be graded on the J.D. scale and curve will be considered for transfer to the J.D. class. Cornell LL.M. students who are accepted into the J.D. program as transfers are eligible to receive up to 24 law credits obtained in pursuit of the LL.M. degree toward the J.D. degree requirements and must complete an additional four semesters at Cornell enrolled in J.D. courses.

Cornell LL.M. students who transfer into the J.D. program are ineligible to receive the pending LL.M. degree.