Emory University School of Law
1301 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30322
(404) 727-6802
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Rankings:
TippingTheScales (2013): 28
U.S. News (2013): 23
AboveTheLaw (2013): 29
EMORY LAW STUDENTS SAY…
Academics & Programs: Emory University School of Law offers “an extremely strong brand name” that “allows for amazing networking opportunities and instant recognition.” “Emory has wonderful connections in the city of Atlanta” and “opportunities to practice law in field placements and other internships” are “diverse.” Emory students are “routinely” placed “with the Georgia Supreme Court, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals,” and “major Atlanta-based corporations.” A 3L explains, “If you are interested in intellectual property, Emory has a program that works with Georgia Tech to give you real experience.” “If you are into criminal justice, Emory works with the Georgia Innocence Projects.” The Turner Environmental Clinic and the Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic are “active and renowned.” The “joint-degree program with the theology school” is “a very unique and prolific source of scholarship on a range of issues at the nexus of law and religion.” Emory’s “Feminist and Legal Theory project” garners more raves.
Professors here are described as “world class.” “Emory Law’s faculty is one of the best kept secrets of any top thirty law school,” asserts one student. “They have a great sense of humor and seem to genuinely enjoy teaching.” “The professors go the extra mile in terms of helping students network for clerkships and jobs with top firms.” This “brilliant,” “engaging,” and “very dynamic” faculty “includes a couple of the world’s foremost human rights scholars (one of whom is the preeminent scholar in Islamic law).” Students are split on Emory’s administration. One faction says that the “friendly, approachable, and straightforward” administration is “on the ball” and “willing to listen to student concerns.” Others say that those in the administration “take themselves too seriously.”
Career prospects for Emory Law grads “abound” in Atlanta and “The Emory degree also carries significant weight outside of Atlanta, especially along the entire East Coast.” “The Emory degree has legs,” affirms a 2L. “It can take you places. I’m going to Washington, D.C., to work with a great firm. I had offers as far away as Houston, and I’m not near the top ten percent.” “I haven’t known people to have significant trouble getting jobs in the Northeast or elsewhere,” adds another 2L. Nevertheless, “many students complain” that Career Services is Emory’s “biggest weakness.”
Campus Life/Facilities: “The library is beautiful, but the classroom building needs a face-lift,” says one student. Emory’s “stale,” “bland,” facilities are “uninspiring.” “The classrooms are in dire need of some sprucing up,” speculates a 2L. “White walls and windowless classrooms give the school an institutional feel.” “It seems every year they paint the building, but students are not fooled.” “The technology sucks,” too, though the “law library is amazingly nice.” It’s “bright and open with lots of tables and study carrels.” An insider’s tip: “The trek to the undergraduate library, surprisingly, is worth it if you want quiet study.”
Students say “Emory draws an interesting mix of folks from both North and South (though not as many from the West).” “Long Island kids” and “conservative Southerners” create a “strange dichotomy” and an “extremely dynamic student body.” There are students fresh out of college and those who “took some time off and are coming in with families or significant others.” Politically, there is a “liberal bent,” but you will find “various” viewpoints. Emory’s “ambitious” students are “impossibly smart” and “focused.” Many are “outgoing” and “sociable.” Others “stay hidden behind the books the whole semester and you don’t even know they are there until they win many of the high-paying jobs.” As good as Emory is, “not everyone is thrilled” to be here. “Some think they should be elsewhere” and “have a chip on their shoulder.” But as one student explains, “Overall, the quality of students here is very high, and the reputation of the school will only continue to improve.“ Classes are small, so there is a strong sense of community.” Emory can be “moderately competitive,” though. “Some students are just downright nasty to each other,” claims a 3L. “During first year, it is a very stressful environment.” That said, most of the students are “congenial, helpful, and fun to go out with.”
Social life at Emory is just swell. There is “an amazing Barrister’s Ball” and “The Harvest Moon Ball Halloween party is a howling good time year after year.” “We have weekly ‘Bar Reviews’ around Atlanta,” explains one student. “Each Thursday we have a keg in ‘Bacardi Plaza’ (our atrium).” Atlanta is “an exciting place” and “a great city for twentysomethings.” It’s “the economic hub of the South,” but at the same time it’s “very affordable for students.” “Having moved here from New York City, I’m shocked at how much Atlanta has to offer and how easy it is to get off campus and get lost in a genuinely cool city,” declares a happy 1L.
* The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University.
