The Georgia State University College of Law is an urban law school located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1982, it is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.
In addition to the Juris Doctor degree, the college offers joint degree programs with other colleges at Georgia State University.
The college offers a full-time and a part-time program. The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Georgia State for the 2015-2016 academic year is $32,958 for residents and $52,556 for non-residents.
History
As far back as the early 1970s, Georgia legislators and academic leaders debated establishing a new law school. The Georgia State University College of Law finally was sanctioned by the state’s Board of Regents in 1981 and Ben F. Johnson became its first dean.
The college enrolled 200 students in its inaugural year, taught by six professors. Most students were part-time, and many took classes at night, because they had full-time jobs during the day. The college’s first seven graduates were hooded in December 1984.
By the end of its first decade, full-time faculty had grown to 31, nearly half of whom were women.
Rankings
Georgia State College of Law is ranked as the 56th best law school by U.S. News & World Report, an improvement from 64th in 2014. The College of Law also boasts a strong Health Law program (ranked 3rd nationally) and a large part-time program (ranked 14th nationally). The school is ranked 33rd by Above The Law using metrics that focus more on student outcomes rather than inputs. Additionally, GSU has been named by Princeton Review as a top national law school.
Tuition
As of 2015, the annual full-time tuition for the Georgia State University College of Law is $14,808 for Georgia residents and $34,416 for out of state students.
The total cost of attendance (indicating tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Georgia State for the 2015-2016 academic year is $32,958 for residents and $52,556 for non-residents. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $121,502 for Georgia residents and $189,213 for non-residents.
Admissions
In 2016, incoming Georgia State law students had a median GPA of 3.41 and a median LSAT score of 158.
Clinical programs
The school has a number of legal clinics, such as the Phillip C. Cook Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, which serves low-income taxpayers.
Study abroad
The school operates the Summer Academy in International Commercial Arbitration, a five-week, six-credit hour study abroad program based in Linz, Austria. the Buenos Aires Summer Program in Argentina (jointly sponsored with the Florida International University College of Law); and the Summer Legal and Policy Study in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Employment
According to Georgia State's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 59.5% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation. Georgia State's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 17.4%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2013 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.
Notable alumni
- Cynthia J. Becker, J.D. 1987 - Judge, DeKalb County Superior Court.
- Christopher Brasher, J.D. 1991 - Judge, Fulton County Superior Court.
- Stan Case, J.D. 1996 - News anchor of CNN Radio (1985-2011)
- Charles Chesbro, J.D. 1987 - Judge, Cobb County Magistrate Court
- Cynthia Coffman, J.D. 1991 - Attorney General of Colorado
- Jimmy Faircloth, J.D. 1990 - Lawyer in Alexandria-Pineville, Louisiana, former executive counsel to Governor Bobby Jindal
- Louis Feingold, J.D. 1986 - Judge, Cobb County Magistrate Court
- Rich Golick, J.D. 1997 - Current member of the Georgia House of Representatives (40th District)
- Bill Hamrick, J.D. 1991 - Superior Court Judge, Coweta Judicial Circuit; former Georgia State Senator
- Neil Kinkopf - Professor of Law; Special Assistant in the Office of Legal Affairs during the Clinton Administration; Counsel to Senator Joe Biden during Clinton Impeachment; Domestic Policy Specialist for Clinton-Gore 1992 campaign.
- Paul A. Lombardo, Professor of Law - Senior Advisor to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues
- Matt Ramsey, J.D. 2005 - Current member of the Georgia House of Representatives (72nd District)
- Vic Reynolds, J.D. 1986 - District Attorney, Cobb Judicial Circuit.
- Glenn Richardson, J.D. 1984 - Former Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives (2005-2010)
- Jonathan Todres - Associate Professor of Law; Chair of the American Association of Law Schools Children and the Law Section; Child Rights Advisor to The United States section of ECPAT; NGO delegate to the United Nations, giving testimony on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- Steve Thompson - Current member of the Georgia Senate (5th District)
- Thomas W. Thrash, Professor of Law (1986-1997) - Judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- Steve Tumlin, J.D. 1988 - Mayor of Marietta, Georgia
See also
- Georgia State University Law Review
References
External links
- College of Law
- Academic Programs and Centers
- Georgia State University