SCHOOL of LAW
Are you setting out to make a difference in the world by fighting for the oppressed, being a voice for the voiceless, and advocating justice? We want to support you in that mission. At Liberty University School of Law, we have a smaller, more intimate environment that helps you grow in your convictions while immersing you in the tenets of law. Through our uniquely tailored program, you’ll move beyond books and into courtrooms for the solid practical experience you need to make a difference right away.
At Liberty Law, we champion your success. We will equip you with the values, knowledge, and skills needed to inspire your peers, innovate your profession, and impact the world on the first day of your career.
Join us and learn how Liberty Law can help you find your passion for law and your purpose for life.
Practicing law isn’t just a career: IT’S A CALLING
Why LIBERTY LAW ?
We prepare you to become a lawyer of distinction by providing excellent skills training and promoting a culture of unparalleled integrity to ensure you are ready to lead in your community. Our program will help you:
DEVELOP A CAREER PASS THE BAR MANAGE DEBT
With our unique Lawyering Skills program, we produce practiceready graduates prepared to take on the challenges of a career from day one.
With a focus on educational excellence, 2021 graduates achieved a 96.88% ultimate bar passage rate nationwide.
With generous scholarships and low tuition, we were named a Best Value Law School for 2021 by preLaw magazine.
RATE FOR 2023 GRADUATES 91% 3RD IN THE NATION for the 2024 ABA COMPETITIONS CHAMPIONSHIP
Academics
At Liberty Law, we’re committed to making sure you have a strong academic foundation that will drive you to become a confident and compassionate lawyer. We provide a quality legal education by integrating traditional courses of law with practical skills — all in a faith-based context.
Liberty University School of Law is approved by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the ABA, 321 Clark Street, Chicago, Ill. 60654, which can be reached at (312) 988-6738
Specializations:
• Advocacy
• Appellate Advocacy
• Business Law
• Constitutional Law
• Criminal Justice
• Family and Juvenile Law
• International Law
• Law Planning
• Property Law
• Tax Law
• Trial Advocacy
• Wealth Management and Financial Planning
We teach that the Western legal tradition is firmly established upon a foundation of faith because we believe the best lawyers possess both knowledge and character. We believe the law is best learned within the context of the Christian intellectual tradition and the integration of faith and reason, with Scripture standing alongside revered documents such as the Magna Carta, the Justinian Code, and the Mayflower Compact. We value the biblical foundations on which the concept of law was built and incorporate those Christian values into our program to teach students how to integrate faith and ethics into their pursuit of justice.
A legal education at Liberty, with its emphasis on faith, learning, service, and the search for truth, brings a sense of empowerment. Our students graduate with the ability to distinguish themselves with their work ethic, compassion, and honesty.
“Liberty University School of Law takes a markedly different approach to the study of law than many other law schools. Of particular interest, we openly explore how conservative principles, capitalism, and JudeoChristian values undergird the law’s foundation and liberty itself.”
TORY L. LUCAS Professor of Law Founder & Director of the Honors Program
“My time at Liberty Law was among the most pivotal of my life. I learned there that why you practice law — your motivation — is as important as how you practice law. Law practice is fundamentally about service — helping people with their most intimate problems in their most trying times. Liberty gave me not only the practical tools to succeed as an attorney but also a grounding faith that reminds me that practical, caring service is truly a higher calling.”
TRIPP ISENHOUR
Class of 2008, Attorney & Counselor at Law at Caskie & Frost
“Liberty Law is one of the only places in the world where future legal scholars, judges, and practitioners are trained to answer the challenges of the 21st century by learning Christian legal ideas that have served as a historical foundation for the creation of just and stable legal systems.”
DR. YURI G. MANTILLA
Professor of Law
Expand your career options with an additional degree through Liberty University. With five dual degree programs to choose from, you can combine credits toward the completion of another graduate degree and earn both a Juris Doctor (J.D.) and a master’s in as little as three years.
Programs include:
• Master of Arts in History (M.A.)
• Master of Arts in Public Policy (M.A.P.P.)
• Master of Arts in Theological Studies (M.A.T.S.)
• Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)36 hour
• Master of Divinity (M.Div.) - General
“I don’t think I would be able to do what I do half as effectively if I hadn’t had the training and education that I [received] at Liberty University School of Law. … I loved studying the development of law and politics throughout Western civilization, learning from history but being practical about what’s before us and how to apply principles.”
KERRI
KUPEC
Class
of 2011, Legal Editor, Fox News
Former U.S. Department of Justice Director of Public Affairs and Counselor to the Attorney General
Liberty Law has earned a national reputation for academic excellence, service, and skills training. Our graduates positively impact numerous legal markets across the country. Our Honors Program enriches our legal education program, enhancing its commitment to recruiting, developing, and placing high-performing students in the field of law. Participation in the Honors Program will help you to unlock your full potential as a high-performing law student.
We know the transition into law school can be difficult. To help you succeed, we’ve developed our Systematic Approach to Integrated Legal Studies (SAILS) program. This required orientation helps you adjust to the challenges and demands of law school.
During the SAILS program, you’ll hone your legal writing and reasoning skills and prepare to actively participate in class discussions. Through the SAILS program, you’ll meet the faculty, get to know your classmates, and engage with others who will support you throughout your first year.
Academic Success
Achieve your full potential with the Academic Support Program, designed to help you with class preparation, class participation, and postclass review prior to taking law school examinations. The program offers one-on-one tutorials to help you absorb course material and apply classroom knowledge to law school examinations. You can also participate in workshops on case briefing, note-taking, time and stress management, outlining, and exam preparation.
Develop and enhance your writing techniques at the Center for Legal Writing to become a more persuasive communicator. Strong writing skills will benefit you at every turn of your academic and legal career.
At Liberty Law, we begin preparing you for the practice of law and the bar exam from day one. Our rigorous Barbri orientation program empowers you to meet the demands of the classroom. While in law school, you will have access to study and preparation resources through Barbri that get you ready for final exams. After you complete your Juris Doctor (J.D.), Liberty Law will continue with you on your journey by supporting you through Barbri bar preparation and summer check-ins with faculty and staff.
“Liberty Law gave me a strong grasp of the law, the practical knowledge to implement the law and its interpretations, and a heart for lifelong learning in the profession.”
SARAH GREEN Class of 2020, Associate at Dentons Sirote in Huntsville, Ala.
“One can be sophisticated and believe in God. Reason and intellect are not to be laid aside where matters of religion are concerned.”
JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA
Facilities That Reinforce Community
As part of Liberty University, Liberty Law is able to offer the amenities of a large campus while maintaining the intimacy of a much smaller school. To help make that sense of community a reality, we’ve created a convenient, self-contained law campus. The main building includes classrooms, courtrooms, student organization offices, and the Ehrhorn Law Library.
You won’t find this anywhere else — the nation’s only exact replica of the U.S. Supreme Court bench. This 330-seat courtroom is used for Moot Court, law school Convocations, and special law-related events
Gain practical experience through mock trials held in specialized classrooms. These courtrooms feature a six-member jury box and are used for both lectures and competitions.
A favorite study spot for students, the library features vast reference materials, including print, electronic, microform, and other nonbook titles; a wealth of research databases; and its own interlibrary loan system. You’ll find study rooms, individual student carrels, and comfortable seating areas — making the library an important student resource.
Liberty Law offers numerous study spaces for students within the law school as well as throughout campus. Study carrels are available for students who desire more private space. In addition, the law library has spaces that are designated for group discussion, quiet study, and even deep quiet for those who prefer silence.
Law school classrooms are built with the student in mind. Each classroom is designed for student and professor engagement.
Our Lawyering Skills Classroom is designed to provide students with the opportunity to engage in real-world simulations while professors assess from observation rooms.
Accessible, Experienced Faculty
We pride ourselves on the relationship we foster between faculty and students. Our professors serve students as mentors and role models. A community of scholars, our faculty are deeply committed to the search for knowledge through meaningful legal scholarship, but never at the expense of the academic success and professional development of each student. Our professors have an open-door policy and look forward to meeting with students.
Students and alumni alike testify to our faculty’s success in merging exceptional academic training with support and encouragement.
“Perhaps Liberty Law’s greatest asset is its faculty, all of whom are second to none. Each one is a true scholar in his or her field, and each is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom, always ready to share with their students.”
JOSHUA HETZLER Class of 2015, Legislative Counsel at The Family Foundation
“Liberty Law provides excellent internship, externship, and experiential learning opportunities to its students. As an alumna, I greatly benefited from opportunities that helped prepare me for my future as a criminal prosecutor, guardian ad litem, and practicing attorney in family and criminal law.”
DEBRA BEALE
Class of 2007, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law
Faculty Spotlights
R.
EDWIN BURNETTE Jurist in Residence
PAM BELL Professor of Law
The Honorable Ed Burnette spent 23 years practicing law at Edmunds & Williams, the oldest and largest law firm in the Lynchburg area. As an active member of the Virginia State Bar, Burnette held various positions during his years of practice and served as president from 1993-94. In 2001, Burnette was appointed as a judge in the General District Court, and in 2015, he ascended to the bench of the Lynchburg Circuit Court. As Liberty Law’s first Jurist in Residence, he acts in an advisory role to both faculty and students, steadily sharing his wisdom and experience in the classrooms and programming to continue Liberty Law’s success in training the next generation of law professionals.
Professor Pamela Bell earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Stetson University and a Juris Doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law. She began a private practice career in the areas of criminal and personal injury law wherein she gained extensive experience in client representation, case presentation, case management, pleadings preparation, mediation, and all aspects of litigation and jury trials. Bell also served as a special master for the Value Adjustment Board of the Board of County Commissioners in Pinellas County, Florida, and served as a certified mediator for the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Florida for eight years. Her scholarship interests include the justifiable use of force and the Second Amendment. Bell authored Stand Your Ground Laws: Mischaracterized, Misconstrued, and Misunderstood, which was published in 2015 by the Memphis School of Law Review. She is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell and is an active member of the Florida Bar.
In her role with Liberty University School of Law, she has taught torts, evidence, and trial advocacy. She also serves as the director of the Center for Trial Advocacy, oversees the law school’s trial advocacy program, and coaches our trial team.
Preparing for Practice
Liberty Law takes you beyond textbooks with a wide variety of opportunities to get real-life training. Through our recognized practical skills program, you can get hands-on experience through publishing opportunities, externships, competitions, and more. The dedicated clinical space affords law students and professors classroom and office spaces to truly blend theory and practice.
At Liberty Law, we believe a quality legal education can only be achieved when traditional courses are integrated with a comprehensive practical skills curriculum built on the solid foundation of a Christian worldview and an understanding of the Western legal tradition. We know that while understanding the theory behind the law is critical, you also need the skills necessary to apply it effectively. We’re committed to making sure you have a strong academic foundation that will drive you to become a confident and compassionate lawyer.
A quality legal education at Liberty means integrating traditional courses of law with practical skills — all in a faith-based context. Our unique curriculum bridges the foundations of law theory with the practice.
We’ll challenge your analytical and problem-solving skills through:
• Litigation, mediation, and dispute resolution simulations
• Drafting memoranda, pleadings, contracts, legislation, and communication documents
• Taking depositions and making discovery requests
• Engaging in oral argument and client interviewing sessions
Practice locally, regionally, or nationally in a variety of legal settings with Liberty Law’s comprehensive for-credit externship programs.
Get real-world legal experience with externships and internships in:
• Law Firms
• Business Organizations
• In-house Counsel Offices
• Government Agencies
• Nonprofit and Public Interest Organizations
• Judicial Clerkships
• Prosecution Offices
• Public Defenders’ Offices
Competition Opportunities
Build a résumé that will attract future employers by developing practical skills in oral advocacy, alternative dispute resolution, client counseling, and mediation by joining our competition teams. For the third consecutive year, Liberty Law finished in the top 10 for ABA competitions.
Judges and legal employers agree that Moot Court is the best activity to prepare you for the practice of law. It’s recognized as one of the premier co-curricular activities available to all law students. Here you develop the analytical, writing, and appellate oral advocacy skills that are crucial to your legal career.
Learn to conduct effective opening statements, direct and cross-examinations, and closing arguments by competing in mock jury trials and competitions around the country. Discover how to craft an effective trial strategy and become proficient in the use of the rules of evidence by arguing both sides of an objection.
Increase your understanding of utilizing the law to counsel clients while you develop interviewing, planning, and analytical skills by acting as an attorney in a simulated law office consultation. Experience the counseling process while interviewing clients for the purpose of discovering the facts, advising them about relevant law, providing options for proceeding, and helping them make informed decisions.
Understand and utilize the mediation process to serve your clients with excellence. Prepare for real-world mediation as you learn effective problem-solving techniques in competitions where you will represent clients in a mock mediation. Liberty Law is actively involved with the annual National Representation in Mediation competition sponsored by the ABA.
Liberty is recognized as a powerhouse in negotiations, having placed 5th in a World Negotiation competition and winning tournaments, including the International Transatlantic Negotiation Competition, National Basketball Negotiation Competition, National Entertainment Law Competition, and National Environmental Law Competition. Liberty has also won the ABA Regional Competition numerous times and 2 School of Law students won the ABA 2024 Negotiation National Championship. Liberty has developed its own negotiation system, which it teaches to all of its students, and sends 8 pairs of student teams to competitions each year.
Clinical Opportunities
Add real-life experience to your résumé with the Constitutional Litigation Clinic, where you can represent actual clients and share the responsibility of managing a case under the direct supervision of constitutional litigation attorneys. You’ll learn civil procedure, evidence, substantive constitutional law, law office management, ethics, and professional responsibility.
Work with prosecuting attorneys in the Bedford and Lynchburg, Va., Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Offices. You’ll develop case strategy, conduct legal research, write motions and briefs, interview witnesses, and give oral arguments under the direct supervision of a former criminal prosecutor and a local commonwealth’s attorney.
Help real clients solve intellectual property problems by assisting startup businesses, veteran-owned businesses, and Christian ministries with trademark, copyright, and trade secret issues. Intellectual Property (IP) students also have the opportunity to counsel on product naming, brand identification, protecting creative works (literature, music, movies, artwork, and software), and protecting client lists and other confidential information. The IP clinic is also certified by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for trademark practice.
“The Intellectual Property Clinic provides students with a unique opportunity to work with real clients on a variety of trademark and copyright matters. The clinic’s main focus is providing advice, counseling, and representation of businesses and nonprofits before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in trademark matters. The clinic is certified by a special program of the USPTO, giving our students the limited right to practice before the USPTO under the supervision of a licensed attorney.”
ANDREW P. CONNORS, ESQ. Director of the Intellectual Property Clinic Residential Adjunct Faculty
“My participation in the clinic prepared me well for my practice in law. As a third-year student, I represented clients in serious and stressful situations and worked with opposing counsel, co-counsel, and court personnel on actual cases. I highly recommend participation in one of Liberty Law School’s clinics to every student.”
SAMANTHA NICODEMUS
Class of 2020, Brooklyn Defender Services employee
We’re committed to helping you achieve your goals and fulfill your calling, which is why the Center for Career & Professional Development exists — to equip students and alumni with the tools essential for career development. Our program is designed to help you explore potential areas of employment, discover your practice area preferences and obtain positions in those areas, and cultivate a lifelong commitment to professionalism and community service.
Services include:
• Individual counseling sessions
• Interviewing techniques and strategies
• Information regarding job fairs and networking strategies
• Mock interviews
• Résumé and cover letter preparation, review, and evaluation
• Information on law firms, corporations, clerkships, government agencies, and other employers
• Software for posting of internships, externships, and postgraduate employment
• Liberty Law Fellowship Program to provide monetary subsidy for summer internships and externships
• Hosting interactive panel discussions with attorneys working in various areas of the law
Commitment to Affordable Education
At Liberty Law, we believe your investment in a quality legal education will last a lifetime — but that your student debt shouldn’t. We’re committed to making your Liberty Law education affordable — our generous, merit-based scholarship program assures that every admitted student is awarded a scholarship.
• Scholarships are awarded up to full tuition.
• Scholarship awards are renewable for subsequent terms based on continued eligibility.
• Law students can submit the FAFSA and qualify for Grad Plus loans.
SCHOLARSHIPS
To qualify for a full or partial scholarship award, you must be accepted into the School of Law, meet scholarship criteria, submit your confirmation deposit, and enroll in our J.D. program.
As a scholarship recipient, you must accept any institutional aid and private grants for which you are eligible. Institutional and private grants, when combined with scholarships, cannot exceed tuition. If an excess occurs, your scholarship will be reduced.
Commitment to Keeping Debt Low
According to Law School Transparency, Liberty Law has one of the lowest student debt rates among private law schools. We are dedicated to helping our students graduate with as little debt as possible so they can practice law in any area God has called them to serve.
STEPS TO CONFIRM YOUR ACCEPTANCE
VISIT US!
At our Admitted Students Weekend, you can:
• Attend class
• Meet faculty and staff
• Talk with current students
• Tour the law school
To show how much we value you, we are covering all of your travel and lodging expenses.
Individual visits
If you can’t attend one of our events, we’d still love to show you around. Please feel free to make an appointment for a private visit by calling (434) 592-5300.
To learn more about Liberty University’s mission to Train Champions for Christ, visit Liberty.edu