Juris Doctor

The Juris Doctor is conferred upon the successful completion of the three-year, full-time legal study program at Georgia Law. On average, greater than 95 percent of the members of each entering class graduate. The J.D. graduate must complete the 1L Curriculum, earn a minimum of 88 semester credit hours, satisfy our upper-level writing requirements, and complete the required course in The Law and Ethics of Lawyering, as well as a Practical Skills offering. Because obtaining a legal education is a challenging and time-consuming task, you should be prepared to devote substantially all working hours during the academic year to law study. The University of Georgia does not offer a part-time law program. Therefore, first-year students are urged to refrain from taking jobs when classes are in session, and no law student is allowed to work in a paid position that requires more than 20 hours per week during the academic year. Despite the rigorous demands of legal education, many law students want to further expand their educational horizons by gaining specialized training in other fields while earning their law degrees. The University of Georgia offers three ways to do this: elective credit, dual degree programs, and concurrent enrollment.

Graduates of the University of Georgia School of Law are prepared for success -- in courtrooms, boardrooms, or whatever other settings they choose. Opportunities abound for not only the traditional practice of law but for other endeavors requiring the benefits of insight and preparation provided by studying at a law school widely acknowledged as one of the best in the nation.

The quality of instruction distinguishes the University of Georgia School of Law from other outstanding law programs. A number of our faculty have been recognized for their teaching excellence by their peers in the academic community and the broader legal arena. Also, the credentials of the entering students each year are among the highest in the nation. Aided by an outstanding setting for the instruction and study of law, the classroom and extracurricular interaction you will have with your well-qualified classmates and our distinguished faculty will ensure the legal education you receive at UGA School of Law is second to none.