Regent University School of Law

Why Regent Law?

At Regent University School of Law, eternal principles of truth and justice inform the teaching, studying, and practice of law. Regent Law offers a rigorous, comprehensive, and skills-intensive legal education founded upon a biblical worldview that recognizes the legal profession as a calling to serve—not merely a job.  This perspective makes Regent Law a diverse and supportive academic community that honors the highest ethical standards.

Providing Christ-centered academic excellence since its beginning, Regent Law trains practice-ready, purpose-driven servant leaders. “Grounded in the best of the old and the new, we lay a foundation of first principles of law, the Western Legal and Common Law traditions, and American Constitutionalism, while equipping students with the contemporary knowledge base and practical skills necessary to thrive in any law-related discipline,” explains Bradley Lingo, Regent Law dean.

What further distinguishes Regent Law is the student-centric culture driven by our faculty, which Princeton Review ranked in 2023 as tied #1 in the nation for accessibility and tied #16 for teaching quality. Out of nearly 200 ABA-approved law schools, this is no small accomplishment. Our students praise their professors as authentic and approachable because their highest aim is to invest in the academic, ethical, and spiritual lives of our students. The art of teaching, Regent Law believes, is to impart deep knowledge while modeling the equally deep virtues of Christian integrity and kindheartedness.

Among our professors are graduates of Harvard, Yale, the University of Chicago, the University of Virginia, and Northwestern law schools. Our distinguished faculty also include former United States Attorney General John Ashcroft and American Center for Law and Justice Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow. “What truly sets our professors apart,” Dean Lingo has observed, “is their commitment, as Christian legal scholars, to integrate faith thoroughly in and outside the classroom and to earnestly mentor the next generation of lawyers.”

Is The Investment Worth It?

Good question. Regent Law can answer “yes” for two reasons.

First, our performance outcomes are strong.  In 2023, Regent Law ranked 16th in the nation for first-time bar passage. That same year 97% of graduates secured employment after graduation. Regent Law also ranked 35th in the nation for the number of graduates hired as judicial law clerks. At Regent Law, we are highly committed to helping you achieve your future employment goals. 

Second, we are committed to your present financial needs. Approximately 97% of students receive scholarships and grants in excess of $7 million a year. Military service members and veterans are eligible to receive a 25% tuition discount. We make every effort to find a prudent financial path for each student to achieve success.

What is our Academic Philosophy?

Law is both practical and theoretical. At Regent Law, we emphasize both. We give great weight to the practical, experiential side of legal education. Students at Regent Law are trained to be not only purpose driven but also practice ready. In addition to mentorship and internship opportunities, Regent students can receive hands-on experience at Regent’s Legal Aid Clinic, Robertson Center for Constitutional Law, Center for Ethical Formation, and Center for Global Justice. Our classroom instruction, coupled with various scholastic practica, aims to give graduates the essential skill sets necessary to practice law in its many, disparate specialties. For examples, check out Regent Law Experiential Learning.

That said, we also educate students on the theoretical aspects of our legal canon. American law was rooted in the classical liberalism of the Western intellectual tradition and carried to our shores in the form of English common-law traditions with natural-law antecedents. American constitutionalism synthesized these First Principles in a virtuous effort “to form a more perfect Union” committed to justice, tranquility, and the “Blessings of Liberty.” It is essential, we believe (as did Martin Luther King Jr.) that modern jurisprudential debates take into account the sages of the past (St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, for example, referenced in King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail) as well as the views of modern intellectuals. In short, we take history seriously. Both the present and the future depend on it.

Non-JD Programs?

Yes. In addition to offering a Juris Doctor (JD) degree, Regent Law offers a Master of Arts in Law degree designed for working professionals and graduates who seek an advanced credential that focuses on the core legal principles and systems that intersect their career field — including, for example, business, education, health care, cybersecurity, and politics. Regent also offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law. In addition, Regent Law offers an American Legal Studies Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree and a Human Rights Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree. LL.M. degrees can be pursued only by students who have already completed their Juris Doctorate. Students can participate in any of these non-JD programs either in full or in part online.

Academic Assistance

Regent Law is thoroughly committed to helping students perform to their highest capacity in law school and beyond. Regent Law’s Academic Success Program (ASP) is instrumental in achieving this goal and has helped students outperform their incoming LSAT scores with their bar pass results. Led by a member of the core Law School faculty, the ASP includes three components:

1. The Summer Program is an extended academic orientation for select entering students that provides an intensive one-week class prior to the standard academic orientation and develops critical reading, analytical, study, and test-taking skills.
2. Open to all Regent Law students, Study Skills Workshops address topics such as techniques for briefing cases, outlining courses, solving legal problems, and preparing for and taking law school examinations.
3. ASP faculty provide individual mentoring in a series of advising meetings designed to facilitate academic success.

The Law Library

Regent’s Law Library, located on the third floor of the University Library building next to Robertson Hall, offers ample seating, study spaces, and wireless access. It houses over 428,000 print volumes and numerous databases, providing access to extensive federal, state, and international legal materials. The collection excels in international human rights, public policy, religion and law, constitutional law, international law, and legal history. Regent’s law librarians, holding both Juris Doctor and Master of Library Science degrees, are dedicated to teaching effective and efficient research skills.

International Law and International Study Opportunities

For students interested in studying law in an international context, Regent Law offers opportunities in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (in partnership with Handong International Law School); Pohang, South Korea; and Madrid and Barcelona, Spain. Through Regent Law’s Center for Global Justice, students have mustered their legal skills to serve victims of human trafficking and those wrongfully imprisoned in Uganda. Regent Law students also fight for human rights in Europe through the European Center for Law and Justice.

What Does Regent Law Look Like?

Regent University’s law school building and campus are beautiful. They are situated in a pastoral setting near the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia Beach. The Law School displays Georgian architectural style using classical symmetrical designs and white columns. The campus showcases the Law School with expansive green lawns, fountains, and carefully manicured flower beds. The interior of the Law School boasts a four-story, stately atrium with natural light, and classrooms are outfitted with state-of-the-art electronic presentation equipment. We believe aesthetics are important. We hope you will visit us and see for yourself. If you would like to do so, fill out this form, email us at lawschool@regent.edu, or call us at 757.352.4584.

Spiritual Life

One of the most valuable things students walk away with at Regent Law is a refreshed and reenergized spiritual life. At Regent Law, we believe that a legal education is not just about mastering the law but also about nurturing the soul. Our spiritual life programs are woven into the fabric of our school, providing students with opportunities to grow in their faith alongside their academic journey. We offer weekly, optional chapel services and begin every class with a 10-minute devotion given by professors. Many professors also host Bible studies, prayer groups, and biblical legal discussions. Professors mentor and pray for students, helping them find their calling and succeed in any area of the law. Through these activities, we foster a supportive community that encourages spiritual growth and integrates faith with legal practice.