J.D. Program

The Juris Doctor Program strives to prepare students to be superb lawyers who combine the highest analytical ability with ethical sensitivity. The Georgetown Law faculty laid out its aspirations for Georgetown Law graduates in the 1999-2004 Long Range Plan:

First, as lawyers, they should be capable of addressing imaginatively and constructively novel problems arising from new institutional arrangements and technologies, based on familiarity with the theoretic foundations of legal materials. Second, as leaders in their profession, they should enjoy and have the capacity to assess, criticize, and reform laws and institutions. Third, as citizens with the capacity to lead public debate, they should pursue social justice with wisdom, knowledge and integrity.

The diverse interests of our extraordinary faculty and the rich curriculum they offer uniquely equip Georgetown Law for this ambitious task.

In addition to a wide variety of courses in more than 27 traditional legal fields, the Georgetown Law curriculum provides numerous experiential learning opportunities in courses and clinics for students to develop the practical skills that the modern legal practice demands. Georgetown Law's extensive international law curriculum and numerous multidisciplinary courses and programs also enable students to prepare themselves for a profession that is increasingly global and interdisciplinary.

Students may pursue their legal education through the Full-Time Program or a Part-Time Program curriculum (see the comparison chart below). Full-time faculty teach in both divisions and the same standards of performance are required of full-time and part-time students. Georgetown Law also draws on the rich community of practitioners in Washington D.C. to teach courses and help bridge the gap between legal theory and practice.

A number of joint degrees are also offered, through which students may combine their legal education with a degree in business, public health, public policy, government, philosophy, or one of many offered by the School of Foreign Service.