Rutgers Law School

The JD Program

Introduction

One of the nation’s oldest research universities and a proud member of the Big Ten, Rutgers resides at the forefront of innovation in legal education. In July 2015, the ABA approved the unification of Rutgers’ two law schools to become one Rutgers Law School with locations in Camden and Newark. Based in close proximity to two of the nation’s five largest legal markets (New York and Philadelphia), while also deeply rooted in a third top-10 market (New Jersey), and with a fiercely loyal alumni network of over 20,000, Rutgers Law School provides students with the practical training and support system to succeed as a lawyer and to succeed professionally.

Even as it has become one of the 10 largest law schools in the nation and the leading public law school in the Northeast, Rutgers Law remains resolutely student-centered and welcoming, offering the curricular breath and resources of a single large school while also providing in each location the intimacy and warmth of a small close-knit community. Our expanded set of courses and experiential offerings mean more opportunities to develop as a legal thinker and professional.

The Rutgers Law learning experience is exceptionally engaging because of our signature Minority Student Program that promotes diversity in every sense of the word. An unwavering commitment to public service cultivates in our students various ways to put legal learning into action while making a profound impact on those in need. The extraordinary technological resources at Rutgers Law, like our immersive digital classrooms that instantly connect Camden and Newark and allow us to offer more specialized and team-taught classes, complement the academic breadth and traditions associated with one of the nation’s oldest universities.

Location

With campuses in two of the most vibrant legal markets in the nation—the New York City and Philadelphia metropolitan areas—Rutgers Law School gives our diverse and highly qualified student body the extraordinary opportunity to embrace the best of everything these locations have to offer.

A new law building opened in Camden in 2008 featuring innovative learning environments; the Clark Commons, a student lounge and café housed in a two-story glass bridge with an iconic art installation; and the Archer & Greiner Moot Courtroom, which is used by students and periodically by the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division. The S.I. Newhouse Center for Law and Justice houses the Newark location. Opened in 2000, it includes a center atrium that is full of natural light and provides a focal point for student gatherings. Cutting-edge technology, like immersive classrooms and student life portals, connect locations 90 miles apart.

The Rutgers Law Library supports the research needs of the students and faculty of the law school with a combined collection of over 1.2 million volumes and an extensive array of online databases. Its professional staff of librarians provides instruction and assistance via individual counseling and advanced legal research courses. The library is also known for its online repositories of New Jersey and federal law available to the public, and is a US government and New Jersey documents repository.

Faculty

A world-class faculty of over 120 superb scholars teaching more than 1,100 students, brings to Rutgers Law a broad and deep curriculum. Focused on professional excellence, the faculty’s expertise and dynamic classroom teaching give students an intimate connection with cutting-edge legal questions and the social challenges of our time in a comprehensive curriculum. Our diverse faculty are renowned worldwide for raising the bar in scholarship in such areas as constitutional law, civil rights, corporate law, criminal law, family law, health law, immigration, insurance law, intellectual property, international law, litigation, and tax law. They are joined by equally accomplished judges, law firm partners, and government practitioners who bring today’s legal practices to life in the classrooms.

Our faculty-led academic centers produce groundbreaking scholarship in a wide range of scholarly fields.  The 14 Centers are interdisciplinary, working with other faculty in the university.  They cover such topics as Corporate Law and Governance; Gender, Sexuality, Law and Policy; Government Compliance and Ethics; Immigration Law, Policy and Justice; Inequality and Metropolitan Equity; Risk and Responsibility; Security, Race and Rights; State Constitutional Studies; State Health Policy; Criminal Justice, Youth, Rights and Race; and Transnational Law among others.  A new Innocence Project will be starting in Fall 2022. 

Curriculum

The first-year curriculum includes the traditional core legal courses, designed to teach the essential conceptual, analytical, and research methods necessary to be effective lawyers in complex environments. Upper-level students build on those skills through an extensive curriculum of over 200 class, clinic, and seminar options. While legal education at Rutgers has long been and always will be synonymous with lawyering in the public interest, new certificate programs in Corporate and Business Law, Criminal Law, Immigration Law, and Family Law help students develop their special interests in these areas. These certificate programs require a concentration of carefully selected upper-level courses, including skills-based classes, supervised research projects, and practical experience in the field. The new immersive digital classroom (the Holodeck) is an extraordinary technological resource that instantly bridges the distance between the Camden and Newark campuses, and allows more specialized and team-taught classes to be offered at Rutgers Law.

Dual-degree programs are available with the Rutgers Graduate Schools of Business, Arts and Sciences, Division of Global Affairs, Criminal Justice, Public Affairs and Administration, Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, School of Social Work, Biomedical and Health Sciences, and the Graduate School in Camden.

An accredited semester of study abroad at Leiden University in the Netherlands is available for students interested in an intensive program in international law, European Union law, comparative law, legal history, and law and international economics.

Students and Student Life

Rutgers enrolls students of extraordinary academic and professional promise who enrich the community with their intellectual strength and significant life and work experience. Many students have earned advanced degrees while others provide a global perspective to the classroom.

Diversity of views enlivens the classroom and creates an inclusive environment. Our Minority Student Program, founded in 1968, reflects the faculty’s long-standing commitment to preserve the diversity of the law school and to advance diversity in the legal profession. Our more than 50 student-run organizations reflect myriad interests, political positions, and backgrounds. Student publications include the Rutgers Law Review, Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal, Women’s Rights Law Reporter, Rutgers Journal of Law and Religion, Journal of Law and Public Policy, Rutgers Race and the Law Review, and the Rutgers Law Record.

Clinics, Externships, and Public Service

The law school’s clinics, externships, and pro bono programs, long part of the legal pedagogy and public service at Rutgers, are the most prominent manifestations of the Law School as a civically engaged anchor institution in its host communities of Camden and Newark, both of which are at pivotal moments in their histories.

The clinical program provides students with hands-on legal experience in real cases involving underrepresented clients, communities, or causes in Camden and Newark, as well as other New Jersey, Philadelphia, and New York communities. Guided by talented and accomplished faculty with expertise in litigation, legislation, mediation, or transactional practice, Rutgers’ nearly 20 clinics are noted for their diversity, breadth, and comprehensive experiences, as well as for their involvement in cases and projects of social and community impact. Clinical students provide corporate, transactional, and intellectual property services to nonprofits and start-up, for-profit businesses; litigate important constitutional and human rights issues; provide representation to low-income children and their families; represent immigrants seeking various forms of relief from removal; assist low-income clients on tax matters; and participate in a wide range of community education and advocacy efforts.

An outstanding externship program offers second- and third-year students the opportunity to work with federal and state judges, public agencies, and public interest organizations. Other public service opportunities are available through the Eric Neisser Public Interest Program and the Maida Public Interest Scholars Program, which will fund up to 40 students to work for public interest legal organizations, providing pro bono legal services to our most vulnerable citizens.

Admission

The faculty believes diverse perspectives and backgrounds are essential to a complete understanding of the law and its relation to contemporary society. The law school seeks and attracts a talented student body with a breadth of experience and provides unparalleled opportunities for those who have been historically excluded from the legal profession.

The Committee on Admissions considers each applicant’s file individually and recognizes that nonnumerical indicators, including educational and employment experiences, community service, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and extraordinary family circumstances, as well as numerical indicators (LSAT and UGPA), are all predictors of success.

A single application allows applicants to express a preference for either campus location or neither. This choice is not binding and will have no bearing on the admission decision.

Housing

On-campus housing is available on both campuses. Two blocks from the law school in Camden, 330 Cooper Street, a 12-story residential community for graduate students with panoramic views of Philadelphia and the Delaware River, opened in 2012. Fall 2015 saw the opening of Ruth Bader Ginsberg Graduate Resident Hall, located 15 Washington Street, an iconic Newark skyscraper. The building, which was the home of the Newark law school until 2000, was totally renovated and refurbished as a center for graduate housing with furnished apartments in various configurations. It was named in honor of the late Justice Ginsberg who was a professor at the law school.  Both buildings provide residents with digital cable, Wi-Fi connections, and various amenities.

Career Development

The Center for Career Development (CCD) has offices in both Camden and Newark. It is comprised of a professional staff of attorney counselors to help you achieve your professional goals while you’re in law school and after you graduate. The 20,000+ Rutgers Law alumni network enthusiastically mentors current students, hiring them for summer jobs, externships, associate positions, and clerkships. Services provided to students include skills training programs, panels and workshops, assistance in arranging employer interviews, and a web-based job bank. The CCD also works closely with prospective employers to maximize their contacts with Rutgers Law School students.