Mississippi College School of Law

Introduction to MC Law School

Mississippi College School of Law (MC Law) provides a superior legal education in an environment that promotes intellectual growth, practical learning, professional responsibility, and service. Now in its 43rd year of operation, MC Law has over 5,000 alumni practicing as lawyers, judges, public servants, and elected officials in 46 states and overseas. MC Law has been nationally recognized as a top law school for advocacy, postgraduate employment, and bar preparation.

MC Law is located in downtown Jackson, Mississippi—the political, cultural, and commercial center of Mississippi. In 2016, Forbes magazine named Jackson as one of the “Top 10 Up and Coming Cities” for recent college graduates. Jackson is a city famous for its music, including gospel, blues, and R&B. Jackson is home to the world-famous Malaco Records and hosts the Crossroads Film Festival, the prestigious USA International Ballet Competition, and one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the United States. Jackson is home to several world-class museums within walking distance of MC Law, including a new Civil Rights Museum that opened in 2017. As a result of $1.6 billion in recent development, downtown Jackson boasts many opportunities to work, live, and relax.

Campus Facilities and Library

MC Law’s modern campus includes an administrative building, a state-of-the-art classroom building, a spacious student center, and an Advocacy Center with an electronic courtroom. Our law library has a collection of more than 360,000 volumes and is committed to acquiring materials for both the immediate and long-term needs of the law school. A safe and convenient student parking lot adjoins the law school. Within walking distance of the law school, you will find the state legislature, state and federal administrative agencies, state and federal courts, and the private offices of major law firms and businesses.

MC Law is part of Mississippi College, a university located in nearby Clinton, Mississippi, that has a liberal arts undergraduate program and over 50 graduate programs, including a JD/MBA program. Mississippi College is the oldest undergraduate institution in Mississippi and the first in Mississippi to grant a degree to a woman. MC Law is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools, the International Association of Law Schools, and the American Society of Comparative Law. Graduates of MC Law are eligible to take the bar examination in all 50 states, and MC Law has a special civil law curriculum specific to students who wish to take the Louisiana Bar Examination.

Curriculum and Course Offerings

Our curriculum integrates the theoretical aspects of the law with practical, hands-on training. Teaching is our strength. MC Law is known for the extraordinary level of interaction between our faculty members and students. Because of our strategic location, federal and state judges and some of the best legal practitioners teach as adjunct professors, bringing real-world instruction and advice into our classrooms.

The law school operates on a semester basis. Summer and intersession terms are available to second- and third-year students. MC Law offers a traditional three-year JD, an accelerated two-year JD at a substantially discounted rate, a five-year Executive JD, JD/MBA program, and JD/MPA dual degrees. We offer advanced LLM degrees in Traditional Studies, International and European Studies, Advocacy, and an LLM in American Legal Studies for foreign lawyers.

First-year students can begin in one of our popular “summer start” programs or in the fall semester. First-year students are divided into two class sections, and all first-year law students take 30 credits of fundamental doctrinal courses and legal writing and research skills.

MC Law emphasizes both theoretical learning and bar exam preparation throughout all three years of our curriculum. Additionally, all MC Law students receive a bar review course with BarBri Bar Review after graduation.

Skills Training

MC Law focuses on four main areas of skills training: advocacy, a national externship program, clinics, and simulation courses taught by local experts in the field.

Through MC Law’s advocacy program, students are given opportunities to develop their lawyering skills in pre-trial, trial, appellate, transactional drafting, and alternative dispute resolution settings. MC Law students participate in on-campus competitions, as well as regional and national competitions. Because of its consistent excellence in regional and national moot court competitions, Mississippi College School of Law has been nationally recognized for its outstanding Moot Court program.

Through MC Law’s national externship program, students apply classroom learning to real-world legal issues by working with practicing attorneys and judges in the metro-Jackson area or anywhere in the United States. Through our eight clinics, MC Law students provide direct representation to clients in specific practice areas:

• Adoption Legal Clinic
• Advanced Child Advocacy Clinic
• Child Welfare and Family Justice Clinic
• Guardian ad Litem Clinic
• HIV and the Law Clinic
• Immigration Clinic
• Mission First Legal Aid Clinic
• Youth Court Clinic

Certificate Programs

MC Law students may choose to specialize through one of our eight certificate programs. All certificate programs enable students to follow a specialized course of study, working closely with faculty with expertise in the respective fields. The Solo and Small Law Practice Certificate was recognized with an ABA award in 2014. The Civil Law Studies Certificate prepares students to take the bar examination in Louisiana.

• Criminal Practice Certificate
• Business and Commercial Law Certificate
• Health Law Certificate
• Family and Juvenile Law Certificate
• International and Comparative Law Certificate
• Civil Litigation Certificate
• Civil Law Studies Certificate
• Solo and Small Law Practice Certificate

International Focus

MC Law offers five study-abroad programs for JD students who wish to add a global focus to their legal education.

• Havana, Cuba (spring break)
• Merida, Mexico (winter break)
• Beijing, China and Seoul, South Korea (summer term)
• Berlin, Germany (summer term)
• Lille, France (summer term)

Students may study at our partner law school in Lille, France, earn an LLM in International and European Law, and even take the bar examination in France, allowing them to practice in all 27 European Union member states.

Diverse Learning Environment

MC Law is dedicated to maintaining a supportive learning environment for a diverse student body. Over 40 percent of our students come from outside Mississippi. Over 20 percent of our JD students are members of a minority group, and the law school offers a variety of scholarships and other programming to support minority students. Through our LLM Program in American Legal Studies, foreign-trained lawyers also attend classes with our JD students.

Career Services

MC Law is among in the top one third of all law schools for postgraduate legal placement. Our Career Services Office assists in job placement and career development. In addition to the traditional on-campus interviews, the law school participates in regional interviews and offers a series of workshops throughout the year. Students are encouraged to work in local or national public interest or government agencies through the MC Law/Federal Work-Study Public Interest program. Graduates are employed by major law firms, corporations, and government agencies throughout the United States, with a primary focus in the Southeast. Students have received clerkships with the United States Court of Appeals, United States District Courts, and the appellate and trial courts of various states. A number of graduates serve as JAG officers in the military services.

Student Activities

The Mississippi College Law Review is a legal journal edited and published by law students who are selected after the first year on the basis of grades and the ability to conduct creative scholarly research and writing. The Mississippi College Moot Court Board is composed of second- and third-year students who excel in oral and written advocacy. Moot Court Board membership is selected through a writing competition followed by an advocacy competition at the beginning of the second year. Membership on the Law Review and Moot Court Board is recognized as both an honor and a unique educational experience.

The Law Student Bar Association is actively involved in fostering a culture of professionalism and collegiality on campus through a series of events each semester. We have many active student organizations. The Black Law Students Association is an active contributor to student life and reaches out to the local community. Other student activities include two national legal fraternity chapters, Phi Alpha Delta and Phi Delta Phi; student chapters of the Mississippi Association for Justice and the Defense Lawyers Association; the Women’s Student Bar Association; the Federal Bar Association; the Environmental Law Association; the Oil and Gas Lawyers Association; the Christian Legal Society; the Military Justice Society; the Sports and Entertainment Law Society; and the Public Interest Law Group.

Admission Procedures

MC Law uses a “whole person” concept for applicants. We consider undergraduate GPA, LSAT score, and personal or academic achievements and honors. Every accepted student is automatically considered for merit-based scholarships, the total of which exceeds $4 million. MC Law makes admission decisions on a rolling basis to permit early notification. Decisions are made without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, orientation, age, military service, or national origin. Tuition is locked in so that a student pays the same tuition throughout law school with no subsequent increase. We have no application fee, and students of diverse backgrounds and circumstances are encouraged to apply.