Creighton University School of Law
The information on this page was provided by the law school.
Official Guide to ABA-Approved JD Programs
Creighton Law
Creighton Law has a rich tradition of educating and building lawyers since 1904. Creighton has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) since 1907 and was approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) in 1924. Alumni from the law school practice in all 50 states and several foreign countries. The law school’s enrollment is about 350 students from 38 states and territories and 156 undergraduate institutions.
The Creighton University School of Law is approved by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association.
Faculty
Who you learn the law from, matters. Creighton Law has assembled a dynamic and diverse group of respected and active professionals. Our faculty comprises of professors who have earned reputations as outstanding classroom teachers bringing their expertise from diverse fields. In addition, faculty scholarship brings insight gained through the publication of leading texts, thought-provoking articles, leading newspapers, and magazines to the classroom. Additionally, we have adjunct faculty of distinguished judges and practicing attorneys teaching courses in specialty areas. Faculty offices surround the law school common area, making faculty members easily accessible to students. We maintain an open-door policy that encourages students to drop in to discuss the latest case, current events or the newest restaurant in town. When we say, “open door,” we mean it. We get to know our students in and out of the classroom because professional growth requires personal growth. Our current student-faculty ratio is 15:1.
The Creighton Law Experience
You’ll learn in small classes where individual attention is paramount. You’ll have facilities that inspire learning, such as our exceptional law library. You’ll be part of Creighton University, an institution founded in the Jesuit tradition where the whole student is valued. You’re assigned a faculty mentor who will advise you about career choices and help select appropriate classes. Our faculty do not have office hours – they are just available for the most part, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You are also assigned a second-year student mentor. They help you make the transition into law school and offer a student perspective.
The family vibe is something we foster at Creighton Law - one that is welcoming, accepting and collaborative. Family encourages the best in us and wants the best for us. And it helps us when we support other members of the family. One of our Jesuit beliefs is women and men for and with others. Through selfless action, we can all achieve more. No one gets left behind. "Our diversity goals are to bring together groups of people in every sense of the word, diverse people in terms of culture, religion, race, ethnicity, gender. We're looking for a diverse group of people because the law needs to serve everybody. So, our law school needs to look like our community.” Joshua Fershée, JD, dean and professor at Creighton Law.
The JD Program
Flexible JD Program
Creighton law students may earn their law degree in two, three, four or more years. Our traditional three-year program is full-time. A Juris Doctor degree (JD) from Creighton Law offers you a purposeful education established on academic excellence, social justice and personal growth.
With the accelerated JD program, you can earn your JD in two years. Our program is tailored for busy adult learners and recent college graduates who want to begin their law studies immediately. Participants start classes in May, completing a summer term before their classmates in the traditional JD program begin in August.
And, if you are working it into an already busy life, some students pursue a reduced schedule/part-time JD option.
Creighton offers a 3 + 3 program with our undergraduate students and students from some colleges in the region. Through it, you can earn an undergraduate degree and a law degree in six years instead of seven, saving time—and money.
Dual-Degree Programs
Law and Master of Business Administration JD/MBA
By obtaining your joint degree with Creighton Law and Creighton’s Heider College of Business, you’ll graduate prepared to tackle legal and business issues, whether you work in legal practice, business, government or in any number of other careers. You will complete both degrees in as little as three years and have many externship opportunities.
Law and Government Organization & Leadership JD/MS (GOAL)
Creighton Law offers a combined degree program to meet the growing needs of government for highly qualified lawyers. In three years, law students can earn both a Juris Doctor and a Master of Science in Government and Leadership. The program includes a D.C. - based semester with a full-time federal government externship.
Student Activities
The Student Bar Association (SBA) is the student government of the law school. The organization's purpose is to make law students aware of the obligations and opportunities existing for lawyers through SBA activities, promote a consciousness of professional responsibility, and provide a forum for student activities. The Creighton Law Review, edited and managed by students, is a scholarly legal journal circulated nationally and internationally. Creighton Law also has an online, student-managed journal, the Creighton International and Comparative Law Journal. Explore your Creighton education outside of the classroom through our student organizations. Creighton Law offers dozens, from political organizations to student associations for women and those with ethnic and cultural interests.
Here are just a few:
The Animal Law Society
The Black Law Students Association
The Business Law Society
The Health Law Society
The Latino Law Students Association
The Sports and Entertainment Law Association
Externships
Externships offer Creighton Law students the opportunity to earn credit for unpaid work in the public sector. You’ll earn at least three credit hours. Our list of available externships is extensive. They are with county attorneys, city attorneys, public defenders, judges, nonprofit hospitals, universities and other nonprofits. They’re on campus, across the state, the country and even the world. Some require senior certification, and some have course prerequisites. The duties depend on the office involved and may include interviewing clients and witnesses, drafting and filing legal documents, conducting research, observing and participating in courtroom activities, observing and participating in alternate dispute resolution, and discussing legal issues and tactics with a supervising attorney or judge. In addition, students may represent clients before courts and administrative bodies as senior-certified law clerks when allowed by state law.
Areas of Concentration
For those looking to specialize, Creighton’s concentrations let you tailor your legal education to prepare you for the future. Take a closer look to see if a particular type of law interests you. If there’s a good fit, you gain specialized knowledge and skills from expert faculty that set you apart in a competitive world. Students may earn a certificate indicating that they focused their studies in a particular area of concentration. The area of concentration is also noted on the student’s transcript. The curriculum prepares students for the practice of law in any state.
Areas of Concentrations:
Business, Commercial and Tax Law
Criminal Law and Procedure
Energy, Environmental, and Sustainability Law
Family Law
Health Law
International and Comparative Law
Litigation
Sports Law
Study Abroad
Experiencing other cultures and other legal systems in an increasingly interconnected world is enriching. Through the study-abroad programs at Creighton Law, students may enrich their legal education—and broaden their worldview—by being immersed in a host country's culture. For example, we offer opportunities to earn credit hours by studying abroad with our Nuremberg to the Hague Germany summer program, which gives students a chance to learn firsthand about the Holocaust in Nuremberg. This Bavarian city hosted the Nazi war crimes trials after World War II. Or you can spend an entire semester in Madrid to engage in serious study of the law in Madrid at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, one of Europe's most exciting and historic cities. This experience expands students' opportunities for international and comparative law training—other programs in the Dominican Republic and a summer externship in Garmisch, Germany.
Clinics
Creighton Law operates two legal clinics within the building where you learn to serve the local community, often those that cannot afford legal services, or are underrepresented in our society.
The Juvenile Justice Clinic serves as a small firm, with student attorneys providing free legal services for youth with open cases in the Douglas County Juvenile Court. Each semester, the clinic is staffed by up to eight third-year law students certified as student attorneys under the Nebraska Supreme Court student practice rule. Each student enrolls in a semester-long class, receives intensive training to advocate for their clients and serves as lead attorneys on various cases. In addition, students are responsible for all aspects of their assigned court cases.
The Milton R. Abrahams Legal Clinic also serves as a small firm and provides third-year students the opportunity to learn the lawyering process in a way that is not offered in most law school courses. Clinic students represent low-income clients on various civil matters that vary in complexity. Students conduct interviews, prepare pleadings, conduct legal research and writing, and appear in court for hearings and trials. Clinic students are certified to practice law under the supervision of clinic faculty and licensed attorneys.
Library and Physical Facilities
Inside the Creighton Ahmanson Law Center, the Klutznick Law Library serves as the primary source of legal information for Creighton Law students, faculty, area legal communities and the general public. The Law Library offers a quiet space for study, research, and room for collaboration with classmates. The Law Library staff provides the necessary and meaningful access to information to be successful through various available resources. In addition to other legal information specialists, the Law Library employs three lawyer-librarians (JD/MLS librarians) who each deliver reference service and teach. As a result, the Law Library provides access to one of the finest legal collections in the region and an inspiring rare book collection, British legal texts and treatises from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries and the Tokyo Papers. This collection of papers from the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, originally owned by Thomas Ronald Delaney (Creighton Law '30), he donated the papers to the Creighton Law Library in August 1985.
Career Development
The Office of Career Development provides a full array of services to Creighton Law students, including individual career counseling, a law alumni network stretching from coast to coast, on-campus and off-campus interview programs, alumni networking events in a variety of cities nationwide, and a dynamic website that allows students to explore career opportunities throughout the world. Ten months after graduation, 86.5% percent of the class of 2020, whose status was known, were employed, enrolled in a full-time degree program, or not seeking employment. Of those employed, 96.3% were employed in positions requiring a Juris Doctor degree or where the Juris Doctor degree provides an advantage to employment.
Scholars Program
The Creighton Scholars Program is for academically exceptional applicants who have researched their law school options and are certain they want to attend Creighton Law.
It is a binding program; applicants are free to apply to other schools, but if admitted under the Creighton Scholars Program they must immediately withdraw all other applications to other schools and not initiate any new applications.
Applicants interested in the Creighton Scholars Program should have a superior academic record (both LSAT and GPA) and demonstrated leadership potential and/or significant volunteer and extracurricular experiences.
Dean's Fellowship Program
Creighton Law Dean’s Fellows Program is designed for outstanding law school candidates and is based in the Jesuit, Catholic traditions of Creighton University. This selective program is for top students who will work closely with the dean of the law school and members of the dean’s leadership team, building connections with faculty, staff, alumni, and students. They will work to develop leadership skills through discussion, debate, and experiences in the classroom, on campus, and in the community. Dean’s Fellows are passionate, engaged, and seek to promote justice in our community and throughout the world.
Student Life
Omaha
Creighton Law has many things to offer you, and one of our best features is our location. Omaha is a big city with a college-town atmosphere. It provides tremendous cultural, recreational, and entertainment opportunities and world-class restaurants. In addition, it's known for live music and big-time sporting events like the College World Series, Olympic Swim Trials, and, of course, outstanding Big East basketball, soccer and volleyball!
Omaha is home to one of the country's wealthiest persons, Warren Buffett, but is below the national average for cost of living.
Housing
We're here to make you feel at home.
No doubt about it: being a law student is challenging. That’s why it’s imperative that you choose a law school in a location that doesn’t add to your stress. When you attend Creighton Law, you’ll be living in Omaha—an ideal place to call home, during law school and after. Housing here is affordable with home prices well below the national average. Need a roommate or recommendations from current students? We have all those details and our Office of Admissions will help you every step of the way!
Alumni Network
A significant measure of a university’s success is the performance of its alumni – especially in the practice of law. Creighton Law has a long history of successful graduates and a network that spans generations. You would be joining a group that supports your professional aspirations and encourages personal growth. Notable alumni of Creighton Law include United States Congressmen, Cabinet Members, District Court Judges, State Supreme Court Justices, State Attorneys General, State Representatives, Secretary of the Navy, Governors, Business and Non-Profit Leaders.
Career Placement and Bar Passage
Tuition and Aid
| Expense | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tuition |
$48,946.00
|
| Expected Cost of Attendance |
$79,476.00
|
* Tuition is estimated based on 16 credit hours per semester. Tuition above includes fees.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
Creighton Law offers two types of financial aid: merit-based scholarships and federal government loans. Students seeking financial aid and scholarships must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Creighton University participates in the US Department of Education’s Direct Loan Program. All first-year scholarships have merit requirements, including, but not limited to, LSAT score and undergraduate grade-point average. Admitted applicants with an LSAT score and undergraduate grade-point average above Creighton’s medians for the previous year will receive strong consideration for scholarship assistance. Applicants who qualify for a scholarship will be notified at the time of acceptance.
Admission Decisions: Beyond the Numbers
Admissions Requirements and Process
Regular Admission – Full-time, Part-Time or Accelerated JD Program
To be considered timely and eligible for scholarships, an applicant for regular admission must:
- Take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) no later than March for AJD applicants and June for traditional applicants.
- Register with the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS). This includes applicants presenting foreign credentials.
- Complete the Law School Admission Council Electronic Application.
- Submit to LSAC your complete application* and $50 application fee by March 31, for scholarship consideration.
See also more details for the part-time JD option and the accelerated JD program.
Early Admission (Non-binding)
For applicants who want to start planning for law school early, applying under Early Admissions will guarantee a decision within 14 business days of the completed application. Applicants to the Early Admission program will have a decision (admit, deny or hold) within 14 business days of the completed application. Applications put on hold will move into the regular admissions process.
To be considered timely, an applicant for Early Admission (non-binding) must:
- Take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) no later than September.
- Register with the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS). This includes applicants presenting foreign credentials.
- Complete the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) Electronic Application.
- The Early Admission option expires on November 30.
*In order for an application to be complete, it must include:
- All transcripts
- LSAT scores(s) from LSAC
- Your personal statement - no more than two double-spaced, typed pages
- Your resume- no more than three pages
- Detailed explanations to affirmative answers to any Character & Fitness questions
- Your electronic signature or certification on the completed application
- Two Letters of Recommendation
- Supplemental statements (optional)
Documents and application fees should be submitted through LSAC. In order to matriculate with us, you will need your bachelor’s degree prior to the start of classes.
Admitted Applicant Profile
