Loyola University New Orleans - School of Law

The College of Law at Loyola University New Orleans has over 100 years of history in training practice-ready lawyers under the Jesuit tradition, which “places an emphasis on public service.” All students take part in one year of the school's Lawyering curriculum, learning legal core skills through a “broad array of class options” within the collaborative surroundings of a small class setting. They then build upon those skills through experiential learning, in which they have “a lot of opportunities to apply the learned tools,” whether that's by working with actual clients as Student Practitioners via the school's Law Clinic, learning client interviews, investigating scenarios, making informal and formal discoveries, drafting and filing pleadings, and researching legal cases. Further opportunities are available through the Environmental Law & Policy Lab (in which the school serves as an advocate for the Gulf), the Entrepreneurship Project (in which students assist local start-ups with legal needs), and the Human Rights Advocacy Project (where students help non-profits with research, write legal memoranda, and act as advocates). The “ample opportunities for externships, including federal judicial externships,” are also popular ways to earn credit (both academic and reputation-wise), with students going to more than 100 distinct placements with legal employers in recent years. Additionally, Loyola has “a plethora of opportunities to work for pay, volunteer, research, and travel abroad,” including programs in Austria, Greece, Panama, and China. Students are also a part of moot court, trial advocacy teams, and 20 active student organizations.

Loyola professors “are unbelievably qualified and knowledgeable in their respective fields” while remaining “diverse in educational and practice backgrounds.” One student shares, “We have some serious big-wigs in their fields teaching us” who “incorporate differing viewpoints in each class discussion.” They “really do see students as future colleagues” and “do not mind if students pop in during office hours to ask questions about class material or to seek advice regarding a task given at their job, internship, or clinic.” In fact, the entire school is said to have “such a nurturing environment.” The courses “are a mix of Socratic method, lecture, and student participation, and this unique curricula results in “Civil Law students and Common Law students intermingling, [which] makes for an interesting dynamic where a lot of information can be shared throughout the classes.” Moreover, the law library “is very extensive” and features librarians who are not only “some of the nicest people” but are also “very insightful and always willing to help.” In addition to career development and placement, a “really good bar prep program,” upperclassmen mentorship, and counseling, there are also a “number of successful and proud Loyola alumni who never hesitate to give back to their alma mater and offer guidance.” The administration “interacts with students regularly” and “makes sure that each remedy they offer is tailored to the specific student who sought the assistance.”

The campus has a “great location in uptown New Orleans,” which provides “a very rich cultural experience: museums, zoos, and parks galore.” These “are wonderful [ways] to spend time and even [to] study in.” But there is one thing students herald above all others: “The food is amazing here. That alone is a wonderful experience.” Plus, “everyone is very social at Loyola,” so there are plenty of dining partners. That might be because Loyola itself “pushes an atmosphere of inclusiveness.” So, while “there is always an on-campus event that caters to ‘practicing' law,” students here “are not cutthroat when it comes to sharing resources or discussing various hypotheticals.” As one attendee describes, “Everyone is competing to reach their own maximum level of success, not to prevent someone else from reaching theirs.” Additionally, “there's a constant sense of working together rather than working against one another.” Overall, the school cultivates a communal atmosphere that takes pride in “fostering intellectual conversations and ideas, both in and out of class.”