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The J.D. Experience

  1. Admissions
  2. J.D. Admissions
  3. The J.D. Experience

For more than 160 years, the unique confluence of our unparalleled location, intellectual vitality, and innovative spirit has prepared Columbia graduates to guide society forward.

The world looks to Columbia Law. Be ready when the world looks to you.

To study at Columbia Law School is to immerse yourself in an intellectually stimulating environment with all the benefits of a great university.

Your classes will be taught by professors who are leading authorities in their fields of study. You will develop practical lawyering skills by participating in clinics, externships, simulations, and policy labs. You will find opportunities to collaborate with scholars and practitioners to tackle real-world challenges through advocacy, data science, and litigation. You will learn to think critically and responsibly about the law and its impact on individual lives, judicial institutions, and global affairs.

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Columbia Law Experience

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Program and Curriculum

Columbia Law School offers innovative courses in both emerging and traditional areas of law. The faculty continually develop new seminars and workshops to address urgent legal issues and to prepare students for the complexities of lawyering in an increasingly globalized world.

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Research and Scholarship

Work with faculty in the classroom and in centers and programs, student journals, and other opportunities on research that advances the understanding and application of law in the United States and around the world.

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Areas of Study

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Public Interest/Public Service

We believe that every legal professional has a responsibility to serve, whether through human rights or social justice advocacy, a career in government or at a nonprofit, or pro bono lawyering at a private firm. No matter what your area of interest, find ways to incorporate public interest and public service into your academic program and career.

Get Involved
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Columbia University

Access the vast curricular and extracurricular resources of a historic Ivy League university and study side by side with students and scholars from around the world. Students can take up to 12 credits across the university and enroll in dual and joint degree programs at Columbia or with external partners.  

Discover Dual and Joint Degrees
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Careers

More than 97 percent of 2019 graduates were employed 10 months after graduation. Whether you envision yourself at a law firm, a district attorney’s office, a startup, or an international NGO, your Columbia degree positions you for success. Guidance and resources tailored to every sector of the law are available through the Office of Private Sector Careers, the Office of Public Interest/Public Service Law and Careers, the Office of Judicial Careers, and the Careers in Law Teaching Program.

Find Career Resources
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Campus and City Life

When you come to Columbia Law School, you become a New Yorker. You will find your home in the world’s most diverse and vibrant city—the crossroads of culture, finance, advocacy, media, and law. Columbia Law also guarantees housing when you choose to live on campus for your entire three years.

Get to Know the Community
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Student Life

Your remarkable classmates will inspire you with their fierce intelligence and determination to make a difference. With more than 85 student organizations to choose from, you will find shared interests and develop relationships with allies, mentors, and lifelong friends.

Explore Life at Columbia Law
Udoka Okafor

Udoka Okafor ’20

“At Columbia Law School, students do substantive legal work in classes, clinics, and externships where our studies are applied to real-world issues. It's exciting to see that the work I do has an impact.”

Austin Collier smiles outside Jerome Greene Hall.

Austin E. Collier ’21

“The Law School allows me to explore what Columbia and New York City have to offer outside of the traditional law school classroom through the greater university and experiential learning programs.” 

Suz Kroeber smiles while sitting on a bench on Revson Plaza.

Suz Kroeber ’21

“Columbia has perhaps the most generous LRAP program, and that alone is going to allow me to do  what I am passionate about: Go straight into public service.”

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