College of Law

The College's liberal arts orientation helps foster a strong sense of community in its students. This sentiment translates into student pride in the College of Law as an institution and a mutually held pride in one another. The liberal arts orientation also places great value on the insights of other disciplines that can be brought to bear upon the study of law. It is important to the faculty to integrate insights from such diverse disciplines as history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, economics, and finance.

Florida State offers law students a wealth of law-related employment opportunities. Located in Tallahassee, a city with more than 450 law firms and numerous government agencies, the College of Law is just steps away from the state capitol, the Florida Supreme Court, the First District Court of Appeal, and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

The College of Law receives more than 414 applications for every seat in its entering class. The College values students from a wide variety of backgrounds. Currently, the talented and diverse student body represents 36 states, 10 countries, and 172 colleges and universities. Florida State University's College of Law has been repeatedly recognized by Hispanic Business magazine as one of the nation's "Top Ten Law Schools for Hispanics."

The College of Law offers two unique programs to undergraduates who want to continue on to law school. The Summer for Undergraduates Program is the largest of its kind and has become a national model for other law schools. Sixty undergraduate college students are chosen to participate in this month-long program, which exposes students to the law school experience. During the program, undergraduates attend daily classes taught by law school professors and writing instructors. Lectures familiarize students with the functions of the American legal system and the process by which conflicts are resolved. Writing workshops help students develop their writing and communication skills. In addition to classes, the program provides guest lecturers from the legal community and includes observation of courtroom proceedings and visits to local law firms. The College of Law provides room and board, course materials, and a $500 stipend to all participants. Students are responsible for their travel to and from Tallahassee. For more information on this program, please contact the Office of Student Affairs at (850) 644-7338 or saffairs@law.fsu.edu. The College of Law also offers an honors program to FSU undergraduates. Each year, a number of honors program undergraduate students is invited to become members of the FSU Honors Legal Scholars Program. This competitive program provides FSU honors students the opportunity to become members of the law school community as undergraduate students. As a member of the Honors Legal Scholars Program, students have a unique opportunity to meet and interact with FSU law faculty and administrators, observe law classes, attend law school events and lectures, and gain valuable information and insight into law school and the legal profession. Upon completion of their bachelors degrees, these scholars will receive automatic admission to the FSU College of Law provided that they complete and submit an FSU law school application; have an LSAT score of 161 or higher and an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.6; and have a record that reflects the fitness of character to study law. For more information on the honors program, please contact the Admissions Office at (850) 644-3787 or at admissions@law.fsu.edu.

Students from all majors have completed programs in law school. Undergraduate students considering law school are encouraged to visit the College of Law. Tours of the College and class visitations may be arranged through the Admissions Office. For more Information please call (850) 644-3787 or email admissions@law.fsu.edu.

The College of Law offers a rich and diverse three-year curriculum for the Juris Doctor degree. It begins with traditional courses and expands to include the latest in theoretical and interdisciplinary analyses. The first-year curriculum is rigorous, traditional, and prescribed. It provides a foundation in history, doctrine, process, and analysis. The second- and third-year curriculum is deliberately structured to provide students with the opportunity to obtain a broad, interdisciplinary exposure to various areas of law.

The College of Law has five co-curricular academic organizations, including three student-edited journals and trial and appellate advocacy teams. The journals include the Florida State University Law Review, the Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law and the Journal of Transnational Law & Policy. The College of Law's advocacy teams are competitive regionally and nationally.

To be considered for admissions the following August, applicants are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible, and no later than April 1st to be considered. The College of Law enrolls only one class in the fall of each year. Factors considered by the admissions committee include numerical credentials (LSAT and GPA), exceptional personal talents, interesting or demanding work or service experience, leadership potential, rigorousness of the undergraduate course of study, maturity, a history of overcoming economic or other social hardships, ability to communicate effectively, and other factors. Decisions on applicant files are made as early as November.

Admission to the College of Law is a competitive process. For more information about the admissions process, please call (850) 644-3787 or visit the Web site http://www.law.fsu.edu/prospective_students/index.html. All registrants are required to have a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university prior to commencing law study. Every prospective law student must take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) given by the Law School Admissions Services. For more information about the LSAT, please visit the Web site http://www.lsac.org. Registration with the Law School Data Assembly Service is also required.

The College of Law has especially strong programs in three areas: environmental law, international law, and business, with certificate programs in environmental law and in international law. The law school's programs in environmental law and tax law are recognized as some of the best in the country. The law school also has one of the strongest criminal law programs in the region. For more information on these programs, please visit http://www.law.fsu.edu/academic_programs/index.html.

The College of Law offers seven joint-degree programs in cooperation with other colleges, schools, and departments at Florida State. The joint degrees bring together law with business, economics, information studies, international affairs, public administration, social work, and urban and regional planning.

The law school also offers an LLM program for foreign lawyers, which provides foreign graduate students trained in law with the opportunity to develop an understanding of the American legal system and the role of law in the United States.

The College of Law has one of the most extensive externship programs in the United States. The clinical externship program places students in more than 80 offices throughout Florida and elsewhere. Students may even select international externships with the International Bar Association in London, the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and the Special Court in Sierra Leone.

The law school's Public Interest Law Center provides on-campus clinical legal training for second- and third-year students. Students are certified by the Florida Supreme Court to practice law as interns and, under the supervision of licensed attorneys, are responsible for all facets of cases to which they are assigned.

The College of Law also sponsors a summer program at Oxford University in England. As the oldest ongoing program in Oxford sponsored by a U.S. law school, it provides students with a unique opportunity to study comparative law and the history of the common law and its institutions in their original setting. For information write to: Director, The Florida State University Summer Program in Law at Oxford, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1600; call (850) 644-4578; or visit http://www.law.fsu.edu/academic_programs/international_law/oxford/.