Overview

A Wake Forest School of Law curriculum is one that intentionally pairs academic rigor with service and first-hand experience. Our students thrive in a collegial learning environment that blends advanced legal theory from the classroom with professional opportunities in and beyond the local community.

With traditional and online classrooms that are small by design, learning the law at Wake Forest is distinctly personal and encourages student-faculty collaboration. Our long-held devotion to educating the whole person serves as a foundation to our core mission of developing successful citizen lawyers and advocates of the rule of law.

Registrar's Office

The Registrar's Office maintains the academic records of law students and alumni. Find resources detailing course registration, the exam process, bar exam certifications, and more.

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Degree Programs

Wake Forest School of Law degree programs offer a rigorous yet personable and approachable academic experience for future attorneys, international lawyers, and experienced professionals.

Juris Doctor (JD)

Our JD program is built on a comprehensive legal curriculum that purposely offers both traditional and unique courses of study. Because of the scope of our offerings, Wake Forest JD students not only develop a strong legal foundation, but they also have the ability to study topics that are most important to them and their future careers.

Experiencing the law at work is a fundamental characteristic of a Wake Forest education and it is one that begins during the very first semester of law school with pro bono service. Clinics, law journals, numerous student organizations, and externships options throughout the country allows each and every JD student the opportunity to integrate meaningful hands-on experiences into the classroom curriculum.

Wake Forest classes are intentionally small and designed to cultivate a collegially competitive environment where faculty can challenge each student in a personalized and approachable way.

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For International Attorneys

Master of Studies in Law (MSL)

Our fully online MSL degree is a part-time program that is crafted for the experienced professional who wants to advance their career by developing their legal knowledge of the workplace. Because our classes are taught by industry legal experts, each class offers expertise that students can immediately deliver and apply to their own companies and organizations.

With three start dates every year, our curriculum is designed for students who need to work at their own pace and according to their own schedule.

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Master of Laws (LLM)

Our LLM program is designed for international attorneys who want to advance their careers through intensive legal study in the U.S. Our classes remain small by design and incorporate JD students so that each of our international students can improve their legal English proficiency through discussions that happen in and outside the traditional classroom.

In addition to offering a general course of study, Wake Forest Law also provides LLM students the opportunity to pursue degree specializations and even the option to craft their own specialty when courses offered during their year of study align with a preferred specialty.

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Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD)

Our SJD degree is a highly selective, non-course directed program that allows students to conduct scholarly research for the purpose of producing a publishable dissertation that uniquely contributes to a specific area of law. This program is available to international LLM degree-holders who want to pursue academic or high-ranking careers in countries outside the U.S.

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Certificate and Non-Degree Programs

Wake Forest School of Law offers intensive yet abbreviated learning paths for working professionals, international researchers, and foreign-trained attorneys who want to improve their legal English proficiency.

Graduate Certificates

This fully-online program offers a shorter learning path for working professionals who want to develop their legal knowledge. Academic credit is transferable to any master’s degree program offered by Wake Forest Law.

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Visiting International Researcher

This program provides international lawyers and legal scholars access to numberous resources and the opportunity to pursue legal studies and research at Wake Forest Law for up to one academic year.

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Undergraduate Pre-Law Program

This 4-week program is designed to provide undergraduate students with a realistic view of what life as a law student is like as well as insights into the career opportunities for lawyers.

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Courses

Wake Forest School of Law offers a comprehensive curriculum that incorporates a variety of courses in many areas of legal theory and practice. Our course listing will give you a sense of the traditional and unique academic experiences that each student can incorporate in their legal education.

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Experiential Learning

Experiencing the law at work is a fundamental characteristic of a Wake Forest education. Clinics, numerous student organizations, pro bono work, law journals, and externships throughout the country allow students to integrate meaningful hands-on experiences into the classroom curriculum.

Because Wake Forest Law is home to a North Carolina Business Court, students can even witness appellate and business court proceedings while only steps away from the classroom.

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Faculty

Our courses are taught by world-renowned faculty who are leading experts and experienced practitioners of the law who value the connection between teaching and legal scholarship. Wake Forest Law has more than 100 resident and extended faculty members that teach in a way that is deeply personal, approachable, and applicable to the professional experiences that happen outside the classroom.

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Law Library

The Professional Center Library supports the research and instruction needs of Wake Forest Law faculty and students. As a selective U.S. Federal Depository Library, the library houses an extensive collection of materials including U.S. Government documents. In addition, the library offers dedicated study spaces for law school students.

A team of experts are available to help students learn and develop new research strategies needed for complex legal study. Students will also learn how to access and use many of the information resources they will encounter in the legal profession.

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Summer Programs

Our summer programs offer residential and online courses for rising second-year and third-year JD students studying at Wake Forest or another accredited law school. Wake Forest Law also delivers a 4-week pre-law program exclusively designed for undergraduate students interested in law school and the legal profession.

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Study Abroad

Wake Forest School of Law offers for-credit study abroad opportunities in London, Venice, and Vienna. Each program provides a comparative view of U.S. law with that of the host country.

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