Louisiana State University Law Center

Louisiana State University Law Center
Name	Louisiana State University Law Center
Established	1906
Type	Public
Parent	Louisiana State University
City	Baton Rouge
State	Louisiana
Country	United States
Dean	Paul M. Hebert (historic namesake)

Louisiana State University Law Center Louisiana State University Law Center is a public law school located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, affiliated with Louisiana State University. The Law Center offers Juris Doctor and advanced law degrees and participates in state and national legal networks including the American Bar Association, the Association of American Law Schools, and regional bar organizations. Its curriculum emphasizes civil law, federal practice, and comparative legal study shaped by Louisiana's unique legal heritage and proximity to state institutions.

History

Founded in 1906, the Law Center developed amid early 20th-century reforms linked to state higher education expansion and Southern legal modernization. Over decades the institution interacted with figures and institutions such as the Louisiana Legislature, the Louisiana Supreme Court, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, and regional law firms; alumni and faculty have served on the Louisiana State Senate, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court as litigants or counsel. The Law Center adapted through eras marked by the Civil Rights Movement, desegregation cases involving the United States Department of Justice, and shifts driven by national accreditation from the American Bar Association and membership in the Association of American Law Schools. Historic faculty and visiting scholars have included judges from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, advocates before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and authors of treatises cited by the Louisiana Supreme Court.

Campus and Facilities

The Law Center occupies buildings adjacent to academic and governmental institutions such as the Louisiana State University campus, the Louisiana State Capitol, the Louisiana Supreme Court building in New Orleans (for archiving and externships), and the LSU campus libraries including the Hill Memorial Library. Facilities include a law library with collections used for scholarship cited in briefs before the United States Supreme Court, moot courtrooms modeled after federal courthouses, clinical offices used during externships with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana, and collaborative spaces for centers that partner with entities such as the Federal Public Defender's Office. The campus supports interaction with regional cultural institutions like the Historic Capitol, City-Parish courthouses, and advocacy centers in Baton Rouge.

Academics and Programs

The Law Center offers a Juris Doctor program, Master of Laws concentrations, and certificate programs in areas reflected in state practice: Civil Law, Comparative Law, Energy Law, Maritime Law, and Administrative Law. Coursework interfaces with professional bodies including the American Bar Association, the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws for drafting projects, and specialized associations such as the American Association of Law Libraries for research training. Students engage in doctrinal courses, transactional clinics, appellate advocacy programs that prepare participants for competitions like the National Moot Court Tournament and the ABA Client Counseling Competition, and externships with federal agencies including the United States Environmental Protection Agency and state regulatory commissions.

Admissions and Student Profile

Admissions selectivity aligns with benchmarks used by the American Bar Association and the Association of American Law Schools. Applicants submit credentials such as LSAT or GRE scores, undergraduate records from institutions like Louisiana State University, Tulane University, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and regional colleges, and obtain financial aid through state scholarship programs and national scholarships including awards from the American Bar Foundation. The student body includes J.D. candidates from diverse backgrounds, graduate students pursuing LL.M. study, and visiting scholars who participate in research projects with faculty who publish in law reviews cited by courts including the Louisiana Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Clinical Programs and Centers

Clinical offerings include a Civil Practice Clinic, Criminal Defense Clinic, Juvenile and Family Law Clinic, and transactional clinics that partner with local legal aid organizations, the Baton Rouge Bar Association, the Capital Area Legal Services, the Federal Public Defender, and the Louisiana Public Defender Board. Centers and institutes focus on Energy Law, Coastal and Environmental Law, Maritime Law, and Civil Law Studies; they host symposia with participants from the United States Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Gulf Coast legal community, and visiting scholars from European civil law universities. These clinics and centers support litigation, legislative drafting projects for the Louisiana Legislature, and appellate advocacy before courts including the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

Alumni and faculty have held prominent roles across judicial, executive, and legislative branches: judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, justices of the Louisiana Supreme Court, attorneys general for the State of Louisiana, members of the United States House of Representatives, and mayors of Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Notable names include federal judges, state governors, and counsel to governors and members of the Louisiana State Legislature; faculty have included scholars who published in leading journals and litigated before the United States Supreme Court, as well as visiting professors from Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Columbia Law School, and Tulane Law School.

Rankings and Employment Outcomes

Rankings from national publications and professional organizations have placed the Law Center variably among regional law schools; employment outcomes track graduates entering private practice at firm names active in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, judicial clerkships with the United States District Courts and the United States Courts of Appeals, positions with the Louisiana Attorney General's Office, and roles in federal agencies including the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency. Career services report placement in litigation, transactional practice, public interest, and academia, with bar passage rates compared against the Louisiana State Bar Examination averages and placement in appellate and trial-level positions.

Category:Law schools in Louisiana