From a legal standpoint, Louisiana might be the most unique state in the nation. Why? Every other state has an English common law system. Not so in Louisiana! Instead of common law, the state has a Spanish and French inspired civil code. As a result, law schools in Louisiana have curriculums that emphasize both civil code training and common law. This means earning your JD in the state will give you a broad legal education that’s tough to get in anywhere else in the U.S.
To see what your education options are in this unique state, we’ve reviewed some of the top law schools in Louisiana. Here’s our list of the state’s best programs.
1. Tulane University
U.S. News Top Law School Ranking: #70
Tuition: $74,756
Median Undergrad GPA of Program Entrants: 3.67
Median LSAT Score of Program Entrants: 161
Acceptance Rate: 40%
First-Time Bar Passage Rate: 77.7%
Coming in at number one on our list of law schools in Louisiana is Tulane University Law School. Founded in 1847, Tulane Law is the 12th oldest law school in the United States. Given Louisiana’s status as the only civil law jurisdiction in the nation, it probably comes as no surprise that Tulane students receive a firm grounding in not only English common law, but also the civil law systems that are prevalent in much of the non-English speaking world. This broad foundation enables Tulane students to become innovative legal thinkers, particularly when it comes to international and comparative law.
According to U.S. News and World Report, Tulane University Law School comes in at:
- #24 in International Law
- #25 in Environmental Law
- #29 in Clinical Training
- #35 in Contracts/Commercial Law and #35 in Criminal Law
- #39 in Law Schools With the Most Graduates in Public Interest Law
Curriculum and Degree Options
In their first year, Tulane students take Becoming Lawyers, Civil Procedure, Contracts, Legal Research & Writing, and Torts.
Once they complete their first-year coursework, students can earn the following dual degrees:
- JD/Master of Business Administration
- JD/Master of Accounting
- JD/Master of Health Administration
- JD/Master of Social Work
- JD/MA in Latin American Studies
Tulane students can earn concentrations in admiralty and maritime law, energy and environment, international and comparative law, and sports law.
Clinics
There are plenty of opportunities to get some experience outside of the classroom at Tulane.
Clinics at the school include:
Civil Rights & Federal Practice
Students working in this clinic can represent clients in federal court cases related to constitutional claims such as employment discrimination, fair housing, and police and official misconduct.
Criminal Justice
In this clinic, students and faculty fight to enact criminal justice reform in Louisiana.
Domestic Violence
Students in this clinic help survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
Environmental Law Clinic
Here students work with faculty to help resolve important environmental issues in Louisiana. Under faculty supervision, students represent clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts.
Juvenile Law
Students enrolled in this clinic help mitigate delinquency, abuse, and neglect cases in the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court System.
Legislative and Administrative Advocacy
In this clinic, students research and write a proposed bill or regulation on behalf of a client group. They will then present it in mock court and write a research paper on the legal issues involved in their project.
Immigrant’s Rights
Students in this clinic represent detainees, children, and migrants that are working through the U.S. immigration system.
First Amendment
In the First Amendment Clinic, students defend freedom of speech and stand up to government abuse of power.
Externships
Students enrolled in externships work with practicing attorneys under the guidance of faculty supervisors.
Student externships at Tulane Law include:
Public Sector
This year-long externship allows students to represent the government and serve the people by working in places such as the City Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Internal Revenue Service, the Coast Guard, and the Equal Opportunity Commission.
Judicial
Also a year long, students enrolled in this externship see how cases are decided at trial or appellate courts in the state of federal court systems.
Public Interest (Spring Semester)
Students enrolled in this semester-long externship advocate for clients facing deportation, domestic violence, discrimination, and incarceration. Participating institutions include Orleans Public Defender, Louisiana Legal Services, and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
In-House and Corporate Counsel (Fall or Spring Semester)
Students participating in this externship see what it’s like to be an in-house counsel in corporate and government settings like the Saints, the Pan-American Life Insurance Group, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Port of New Orleans, and LCMC Health.
Law Journals
Student-run law journals at Tulane include the Tulane Law Review, the Tulane Maritime Law Journal, the Tulane Journal of International and Comparative Law, the Tulane Environmental Law Journal, the Tulane Journal of Law and Sexuality, the Tulane Journal of Technology and International Property, the Sports Lawyers Journal, and the Tulane European and Civil Law Forum.
Student Organizations
Finally, it’s important to network and meet like-minded people while you’re in law school! There are over thirty law school organizations at Tulane, including (the):
- Business Law Society
- Civil Law Society
- Criminal Law Society
- Environmental Law Summit
- Human Rights Law Society
- Law and Philosophy Society
- Maritime Law Society
- Moot Court
- Older, Wiser Law Students (OWLS)
- Student Bar Association
Summary
Program entrants have a median undergraduate GPA of 3.67, so Tulane isn’t easy to get into. That said, the school’s median LSAT score for new students is 161, which is within reach for many applicants. Tulane could be a great school to consider if you’re interested in international law, environmental law, contracts/commercial law, criminal law, or want to go into public interest law when you graduate.
2. Louisiana State University Baton Rouge (Hebert)
U.S. News Top Law School Ranking: #85
Tuition: $23,665 (in-state) $39,105 (out-of-state)
Median Undergrad GPA of Program Entrants: 3.74
Median LSAT Score of Program Entrants: 157
Acceptance Rate: 38.6%
First-Time Bar Passage Rate: 84.9%
Next on our list of law schools in Louisiana is the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Located in Baton Rouge, LSU law takes a bijural approach to legal education in which students are given a firm grounding in both Anglo-American common law as well as French and Spanish civil traditions. This allows LSU law students to learn both legal systems and graduate with a skill set that grants them access to national and global markets.
According to U.S. News and World Report, Louisiana State University (LSU) Law Hebert comes in at:
- #16 in Legal Writing
- #45 in Environmental Law
- #47 in Trial Advocacy
- #75 in Contracts/Commercial Law
- #92 in Health Care Law
Curriculum and Degree Options
In their first year, LSU Law students take Contracts, Torts, Federal Civil Procedure, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and Legal Writing and Research. Other first-year classes include Obligations, Civil Law Property, and Legal Traditions, a class that compares the traditions and methodologies of the common law and civil law legal systems.
Students can earn the following dual degrees:
- JD/Master of Business Administration
- JD/Master of Mass Communication
- JD/Master of Public Administration
- JD/MS in Finance
- JD/Master of Social Work
LSU also offers certificates in energy law and policy as well as estate planning and taxation.
Clinics
Through the Law Center, students can earn course credit while practicing under faculty supervision. All LSU Law students have to earn a total of six course credits through the Law Center’s experiential learning programs before graduation.
Clinics at LSU Law include (the):
Immigration Clinic
In this clinic, students represent clients before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, as well as before immigration courts in Orleans and Oakdale. Under faculty supervision, they gain experience with client interviews and counseling, factual investigation, trial preparation, advocacy, and persuasive writing.
Youth Defense Clinic
Students enrolled in this clinic represent local youth in juvenile court delinquency proceedings. They make frequent court appearances, engage in client interviewing and counseling, trial preparation, and factual investigations.
Civil Mediation Clinic
In this clinic, students are trained in dispute resolution theory and practice through observations, class discussions, and simulations. After the completion of their training, students will mediate real cases with disputants at the Baton Rouge City Court.
Patrol and Reentry Clinic
Most of the prisoners students work with in this clinic have served over 25 years of a life sentence for crimes they committed in their youth. Students help them secure early release through the parole process, during which they gain a lot of client contact and have a chance to develop client counseling and interviewing skills.
Prosecution Clinic
Students enrolled in this clinic serve as special assistant district attorneys and assist in the screening of both felony and misdemeanor files. They also engage in pre-trial activities like witness interviews, victim contact, defense negotiation, grand jury preparation, and motion review. Court appearances are limited to misdemeanor cases such as DWI, thefts, battery, and possession of CDS/paraphernalia.
Law Journals
Law journals at LSU include the LSU Law Journal for Social Justice and Policy, the Louisiana Law Review, the Journal of Civil Law Studies, and the LSU Journal of Energy Law and Resources.
Student Organizations
Finally, LSU Law has over 20 student organizations you can join! These include (the):
- American Constitution Society
- Cajun Law Association (CLAW)
- Cannabis Law Society
- Civilian Legal Society
- Entertainment and Media Law Society
- International Law Society
- Journal of Civil Law Studies
- Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Public Interest Law Society
- Student Veterans Association
Summary
The median undergrad GPA of program entrants is 3.74, which is slightly higher than the median GPA of new Tulane students. However, the median LSAT score for program entrants is 157, which is attainable for many applicants. This school is one to keep in mind if you’re interested in legal writing, environmental law, or trial advocacy. And want a strong grounding in both common and civil legal systems.
3. Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
U.S. News Top Law School Ranking: #135
Tuition: $56,894
Median Undergrad GPA of Program Entrants: 3.47
Median LSAT Score of Program Entrants: 154
Acceptance Rate: 50.9%
First-Time Bar Passage Rate: 69%
Coming in at #3 on our list of law schools in Louisiana is the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. Founded in 1914, this Jesuit institution has both common law and civil law curricula, so graduates are ready to practice locally, nationally, and around the world. The school also has full-time, part-time, and evening programs to accommodate students with a wide range of scheduling needs.
According to U.S. News and World Report, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law comes in at:
- #30 in Law Schools With the Most Graduates in a Federal Clerkship
- #38 in Part-Time Law
- #59 in Environmental Law
- #66 in Clinical Training, #66 in Legal Writing
- #84 in International Law
Curriculum and Degree Options
The full-time JD program has two curricular tracks:
The civil law track is for students who plan to practice in Louisiana (or other civil law or mixed jurisdictions) after graduation.
And the common law track is for students who plan to practice in another state or common law jurisdiction after graduation.
Students can also pursue the following joint degrees at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law:
- JD/Master of Business Administration
- JD/Master of Laws with Customized Study Concentration
- JD/Master of Laws with Health Law and Administration Concentration
- JD/Master of Laws with Environmental Law Concentration
- JD/Master of Laws with Immigration and Citizenship Law Concentration
Loyola students can also specialize in the following areas:
- Environmental Law
- Health Law
- Immigration and Citizenship Law
- International Legal Studies
- Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship
- Maritime Law
- Social Justice
- Taxation Law
Clinics
Through the Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic, students are able to get hands-on legal experience while working under the supervision of Loyola faculty.
The clinic has eight sections students can work in.
These include:
Child Welfare and Domestic Violence
Students in this clinic assist clients with custodial placement, protective orders, child custody, child support, divorce, criminal proceeding advocacy, protection of public benefits, and housing.
Civil Litigation
Here, students represent children in cases such as intra-family and private adoption, avowal and disavowal of paternity, successions, name change, continuing tutorship, contested custody cases, limited interdictions, and Power of Attorney and Wills.
Criminal Defense
Students enrolled in this section litigate misdemeanor and felony criminal matters in state court under faculty supervision.
Criminal Appeals
In this section, students represent indigent inmates convicted of felonies. They file briefs, engage in oral arguments, and post-argument briefings in appellate court on behalf of their clients.
Disability Justice
Students in this clinic fight for the civil rights of indigent children and adults with disabilities in Louisiana. Their work is especially geared towards helping clients from marginalized communities. Students learn the laws, procedures, and practical lawyering skills needed to advocate for the rights of disabled persons.
Family
Students enrolled in this section represent clients (children, absent defendants, and proposed interdicts) by court appointment. They also represent indigent clients in custody, divorce, interdiction, continuing tutorship, paternity, and estate planning cases. Students gain experience with client interviewing, discovery, conducting investigations, doing research, developing case theories, and preparing memorandums.
Immigration
In this section, students represent clients before the U.S. Department of Justice Immigration Courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, federal courts, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. They also engage with local communities through the “Know Your Rights” campaign, an immigration legal orientation program.
Youth Defense
Students enrolled in this section defend youth accused of misdemeanor and felony-grade offenses in juvenile court delinquency proceedings. They learn the substantive law, procedure, and advocacy skills needed to defend young clients in court.
Law Journals
Law Journals at the University of New Orleans Loyola College of Law include the Loyola Law Review, the Journal of Public Interest Law, and the Maritime Law Journal.
Student Organizations
Finally, the school has more than 20 student organizations you can join to meet like-minded people and do some networking.
These include (the):
- Cannabis Law Student Association
- Catholic Law Student Society
- Environmental Law Society
- Evening Law Students Association
- Federalist Society
- International Law Society
- Maritime Law Society
- Society of Law and Technology
- Sports and Entertainment Law Society
- Student Bar Association
Summary
The median undergrad GPA of program entrants last year was 3.47 and their median LSAT score was 154 (which is only slightly higher than the national average). These are achievable metrics for many applicants, so keep the school in mind, especially if you’d like to attend part time or get a federal clerkship upon graduation. Like the other law schools in Louisiana, it has common and civil law curricula, which is very rare in the U.S.
4. Southern University Law Center
U.S. News Top Law School Ranking: #175-194
Tuition: $18,832 (in-state) $34,332 (out-of-state)
Median Undergrad GPA of Program Entrants: 3.15
Median LSAT Score of Program Entrants: 147
Acceptance Rate: 56.6%
First-Time Bar Passage Rate: 60.3%
Rounding off our list of law schools in Louisiana is the Southern University Law Center. This school was created in 1946 to provide legal education for African Americans, who at the time were refused admittance to LSU. During the “separate but equal” era of the segregated South, a number of important civil rights leaders such as Jesse N. Stone Jr. graduated from the school. Today, it’s one of the most racially diverse law schools in the United States. And like the other Louisiana law schools on our list, its students are trained in both common and civil law.
According to U.S. News and World Report, the Southern University Law Center (SULC) comes in at:
- #71-78 in Part-Time Law
- #127 in Legal Writing
- #148 in International Law
- #154 in Contracts/Commercial Law
- #156 in Business/Corporate Law
Curriculum and Degree Options
In their first year, students at the Southern University Law Center take Basic Civil Procedure, Torts I, Obligations I, Contracts I, Family Law, Legal Analysis and Writing I, and Lawyering Process I.
There are two dual degree options available at the Southern University Law Center, the JD/Master of Business Administration and the JD/Master of Public Administration.
Students can also get certificates in public law and tax law.
Clinics
Students can participate in a number of clinics to get some practical experience under faculty supervision.
These include:
Bankruptcy
In this clinic, students provide bankruptcy legal services to communities that have historically underserved. Students interview, counsel, and represent clients in consumer bankruptcy cases.
Civil, Family, and Administrative Law
This clinic was designed to expose students to the everyday practice of the law. Students learn how to do client interviews, legal drafting and correspondence of pleadings, oral argument, legal analysis and writing, research, and case and trial preparation. They also gain experience working in civil and administrative courts.
Criminal
This clinic essentially serves as the public defender’s office. Under faculty supervision, students represent clients who have been charged with misdemeanors and felonies in the Nineteenth Judicial Courts. They are exposed to the criminal trial process from start to finish.
Disaster Law, Poverty, and Successions
This clinic is designed to help clients register with FEMA, file with government aid groups, file insurance claims, and a variety of other tasks related to disaster relief. Students interview clients and inform them of their rights.
Divorce and Domestic Violence
Students in this clinic handle divorces arising from Louisiana Civil Code (those occurring as a result of adultery, felony convictions, and domestic violence). They partake in the legal drafting of pleadings, correspondence, and the whole trial process. They also help victims of family abuse in city and district court proceedings.
Elder and Estate Planning
In this clinic, students work with faculty to gain an understanding of legal topics that directly affect the elderly. These include wills, consumer fraud, housing, neglect, and abuse. Students represent elderly clients (primarily in civil matters) in district court and administrative hearings.
Juvenile Law
Students enrolled in this clinic represent children aged 10-21 who could be held criminally culpable. They represent clients in reviews, misdemeanors, felonies, detention hearings, adjudications, and final dispositions.
Low-Income Taxpayer
This clinic is designed to help low-income tax payers work through issues related to the earned-income tax credit, tax payer rights, worker classification, innocent spouse claims, and collection alternatives. Students enrolled in the clinic may represent their clients before agencies such as the IRS and in administrative court hearings.
Mediation
Students enrolled in the mediation clinic offer free conflict resolution services to individuals, agencies, and organizations. They are involved in mediation in areas such as small claims matters, landlord/tenant disputes, foreclosures, consumer issues, agricultural cases, family law, and worker’s comp.
Real Estate & Housing
In this clinic, students are exposed to housing-related legal issues. They learn about the real estate transaction process, how to identify parties in the transaction, do real estate title work, conduct title examinations, identify property issues, and other legal real estate tasks.
Technology and Entrepreneurship
Students working in this clinic provide free services related to patent and trademark issues. They also help form corporations, advise on how to obtain licenses, work on nondisclosure agreements, and help small businesses obtain resources.
Law Journals
The Southern University Law Center has several student-run journals, including the Southern University Law Review, the Journal of International Law, Business, and Policy, the Journal of Race, Gender, and Poverty, and the Journal of Intellectual Property, Technology, and Law.
Student Organizations
Finally, the Southern University Law Center has over 20 student organizations you can join! These include (the):
- Business and Entrepreneurship Leadership Association
- Criminal Law Society
- Evening Law Student Association
- Health Law Society
- International Law Student Association
- Louisiana Association For Justice
- Maritime Law Society
- Public Interest Law Society
- Real Estate Law Society
- Thurgood Marshall Club
Summary
The median undergrad GPA and LSAT scores of program entrants are 3.15 and 147, respectively. The school also has an acceptance rate of over 50%. Based on these numbers, the Southern University Law Center is easier to get into than the other law schools in Louisiana that made our list. It’s also a good school to keep in mind if you’re looking to be part of a diverse student body, pay very low in-state tuition, and get trained in both common and civil law.
How do I get into a law school in Louisiana?
Whether you’re applying to the best law schools in Louisiana or another part of the country, the process is the same. The first step in the law school admissions timeline is to take the LSAT. Although there are no required LSAT scores for law school, all of them have median LSAT scores that give you a pretty good indication of how you compare to their previous incoming class. Remember, law schools want to attract the best of the best, so make sure you give yourself the ultimate shot by getting a high LSAT score.
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