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A small law school community
IN ITHACA NEW YORK98.2%
Employed 10 months after graduation
215
K
Median private-sector salary
94.9
%
bar pass rate
As a Cornell Law student, you‘ll stand out in the employment marketplace and benefit from one of the best career placement rates in the country.
News
Cornell Law School
Cornell Law School Breaks Through Barriers to Public Service Law Careers
Beginning in June 2024, Cornell Law will increase the salary cap eligible for full reimbursement for federal loans from $80,000 to $120,000 for graduates in public service jobs.
USA Today
Nelson Tebbe Talks About the New Louisiana Law on the Ten Commandments in the Classroom, and the Likelihood of a Majority of the Supreme Court Rejecting It
Wired
James Grimmelmann Talks About the AI-powered Search Startup, Perplexity
Newsday
Stephen Yale-Loehr Talks About the Importance of Lawyers in Immigration Cases
Reuters
Alexandra Lahav Talks About a Potential Appeal from Trump’s Case
Bloomberg Law
W. Bradley Wendel Comments on J&J’s Talc Litigation
“Being a lawyer in the best sense means when something good happens to you or when something benefits you, you want to pass that good onto others and you want to share with others.”
Lisa Vigilante '25
FORUM Spring 2024
Check out the latest edition of Cornell Law Forum magazine! We explore the evolution of trial advocacy at Cornell Law, where a legacy of excellence and innovative teaching methods prepare students for real-world legal challenges. Explore the program that's shaping tomorrow's legal champions.
Experiential Learning
Experiential learning at Cornell Law School is a central part of our educational model. A robust set of clinical courses helps students move beyond the classroom into the world of practice; the Lawyering Program focuses on teaching the real-life skills employed by practicing attorneys, and externships around the country and across the globe put classroom learning into practice.
In honor of Pride month, today we celebrate Cornell Law School alumnus Shannon Minter `93, who is a leading civil rights attorney and the legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights! Click the link in our bio for recent news on Shannon Minter! 🏳️🌈 #pride #pridemonth #lgbtqia
Jun 25
In honor of Pride month, today we celebrate Cornell Law School alumna Sharice Davids `10! Davids made history when she became one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress and the first openly gay representative from Kansas. Click the link in our bio for recent news on Sharice Davids!🏳️🌈 #pride #pridemonth #lgbtqia
Jun 18
In honor of Pride Month, we want to recognize all the great work being done in the LGBT Practicum, who back in February, led two days of LGBT law clinics at the Q Center in Syracuse. Practicum students worked in teams of two to conduct information gathering dialogs with clients and documenting their legal needs. Students then helped clients complete all the necessary paperwork — including petitions, complaints, orders, certifications, and more — and in some cases filed it that same day. Learn more about the LGBT Practicum at the link in our bio! Student participants included Tristan Jahn, Jason Godelman, Tyler Felts, Giana Wang, Scarlett Zhou, Chloe Huang, Sean Lee, and David Browne. #LGBTLaw #LGBTQ+ #pride #pridemonth #CornellLawClinics
Jun 12
From a very young age, Lisa Vigilante was taught the importance of giving back. When Vigilante was a sophomore at Cornell University, she took a labor law class with Professor Kate Griffith, where she realized “giving back” might actually be her calling.
She became a 3+3 student, which is where an undergraduate student is given the chance to study as a 1L at Cornell Law School during what would have been their senior year, allowing them to receive their bachelor’s and Juris Doctor degrees in six years, rather than seven.
Now headed into her 3L year this upcoming fall semester, Vigilante is one of fourteen students in the 3+3 program at the Law School currently, which is less than 10 percent of the Class of 2025. Entrance into this program is no small achievement, but for the students who do enter, it can be the reward of a lifetime! Click the link in our bio to learn more about the 3+3 program and Vigilante`s journey at Cornell Law!
May 22
Cornell Law School is dramatically increasing its support for graduates pursuing public service careers, setting a new standard among the nation’s top law schools. Beginning in June 2024, Cornell Law will increase the salary cap eligible for full reimbursement for federal loans from $80,000 to $120,000 for graduates in public service jobs. Further, Cornell Law will also offer partial reimbursements for those with salaries between $120,000 and $150,000. Depending on the circumstances, the plan may eliminate the entirety of law school debt for some graduates. Click the link in our bio for more information!
May 16
Raised in Oklahoma, and a citizen of the Muscogee Creek Nation, Carolyn Click, J.D. `24, always wanted to go the distance and shatter the stereotypes that many Indigenous people face. Graduating this year, Click feels a responsibility after law school to not only advance herself, but her community as well! She has been awarded the honor of being a J.D. Degree Marshall at Cornell University’s main graduation ceremony in late May—blowing the doors wide open for more students like herself to contribute to the ever-growing Indigenous legacy here at Cornell!
With second deposits due today for the entering Class of 2027, we hope that this story will inspire you to come make your mark here at Cornell Law School, just as Carolyn has. We hope that you will join us as we strive for all of our students to become lawyers in the best sense! Click the link in our bio to read more about Carolyn`s story.
May 15
"The advanced Campus Mediation Practicum has given me the opportunity to strengthen my mediation skills in a professional context and challenged me to reconsider my perspective about the purpose and impact of conflict resolution. Through the practicum, I have mentored students across various departments, actively participated in Cornell University`s broader conflict resolution apparatus, and trained to become certified as a court-appointed mediator in the state of Montana. The teaching and learning opportunities as a mentor have inspired me to set the professional example I hope to encounter in the legal workplace and beyond."
Grace Traore `24 highlights the impact that experiential learning has had on her career. Check out the link in our bio to learn more about the Campus Mediation Practicum.
May 14