The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law is the law school of the Catholic University of America, a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States.

More than 370 Juris Doctor students attend the school. Incoming classes are typically composed of about 125 students, including day and evening programs. According to Columbus School of Law's ABA-required disclosures, 72.5% of 2023 graduates obtained full-time, long-term employment requiring bar passage (i.e., as attorneys) within ten months after graduation.

History

Catholic University of America began offering instruction in law in 1895, as part of its decision to open "faculties for the laity." and accredited by the American Bar Association since 1925. Its first African-American student was enrolled in 1902; its first female student in 1922.

Rankings

In the 2025 "Best Law Schools" edition of U.S. News & World Report, the Columbus School of Law is ranked 71st out of 197 schools.

Student body

Of Columbus School of Law's 2024 newly enrolled first year students, 102 (81%) attend full-time and 24 (19%) attend part-time. The school has a moot court program with teams practicing in international law, communications law, labor law, constitutional law, securities law, national security, and a trials competition. The moot court team holds an annual inter-school competition between first year students ("1Ls") called SoapBox.

Costs

For 2024, annual tuition and fees were $60,392 for full-time J.D. students and $2,982 per credit for part-time J.D. students. The annual estimated cost for J.D. students living off campus, which cost includes tuition, fees, and living expenses, was $91,934 for full-time students and an additional $31,542 for part-time students.

Employment outcomes

Within nine months of graduation, 59% of 2021 graduates obtained full-time, long-term employment requiring bar passage (i.e., as attorneys); 23% obtained employment in full-time, long-term positions where having a J.D. was preferred; 2% obtained employment in other full-time, long-term professional positions; and the remaining 16% either obtained short-term positions or part-time positions, did not obtain employment, or did not report their employment status.

Academics

Curriculum

thumb|235x235px|Columbus School of Law

Catholic University's J.D. program can be completed over three years of full-time day study or four years of part-time evening study. The first-year curriculum is prescribed for all students. The day-division curriculum consists of seven required courses totaling 29 credit hours. Evening-division students are required to complete the same basic courses within the first two years of their law school career. Revised for 2013, the curriculum is designed to strengthen first-year doctrinal courses, to support the development of practice-area concentrations, and to emphasize training that will help graduates transition to the real world of practice.

The upper-division curriculum comprises several requirements, courses that are strongly recommended, and elective options. Students must complete a minimum of 84 credits to earn the J.D. degree. Required upper division courses include Constitutional Law II, Professional Responsibility, Professional Skills, and Upper-Level Writing.

Degrees offered

In addition to the J.D. program, the school offers LL.M. programs in Law & Technology, Securities Law, and Comparative and International Law.

The school also offers an LL.M. program in American law with the Faculty of Law and Administration of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland. It allows Jagiellonian law students and students enrolled in the CUA-JU LL.M. program to study the essential substantive and procedural elements of the legal system of the United States.

The school offers a M.L.S. degree program, which enhances the ability of professionals to work with lawyers and legal issues, to gain a deeper knowledge of a particular legal field, and to understand laws and regulations. Students can choose to concentrate in the fields of Compliance and Corporate Responsibility, Employment and Human Resources, or Intellectual Property. Alternatively, students may choose a General U.S. Law option, which provides a broad overview of the law and legal practice.

Faculty

In 2024, the law school Catholic Law had 110 faculty members, including 36 full-time faculty members and 74 part-time faculty members. In addition, the school offers the Criminal Prosecution Clinic, the Immigration Litigation Clinic, the Innocence Project Clinic and Clemency Project, the Virginia Criminal Defense Clinic, and an SEC Student Observer Program.

The Columbus School of Law has an extensive legal externship program through which about 200 upper-class students per year earn course credits during the fall, spring, and summer semesters by working in nonprofit organizations; federal, state, and local government agencies; Congress; and for judges, law firms, trade associations, and corporations in the D.C. area.

Publications

The Columbus School of Law has two student-edited law journals:

  • Catholic University Law Review
  • Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

Campus

The Columbus School of Law is located on the campus of the Catholic University of America, and law students have access to many of the same services and facilities as undergraduate students. Completed in 1994, the law school building contains the classrooms, offices, law library, and courtrooms. The building is located in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and is a five-minute walk from the Brookland-CUA metro station.

Notable alumni

Congress

  • Bob Casey Jr. (JD, 1988), former U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania
  • Tom Harkin (JD, 1972), former U.S. Senator for Iowa
  • Naomi C. Earp, former U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission member
  • Daniel M. Gallagher (JD, 1998), formerly one of the commissioners of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
  • Kathy Hochul (JD, 1984), Governor of New York
  • Charles A. Pomeroy (LL.B, 1936), deceased former justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court
  • John A. Sabatini (1975), state senator in Rhode Island
  • William J. Shea (LL.B, 1925), deceased former Connecticut Supreme Court justice

Business

  • Michael Bidwill (JD, 1990), Arizona Cardinals owner and president