| Mercer University School of Law | |
| Type: | Private[1] |
| Dean: | Karen Sneddon[2] |
| City: | Macon |
| State: | Georgia |
| Country: | U.S. |
| Ranking: | 103rd (tie) (2024) |
| Bar Pass Rate: | 77.78% (Georgia bar exam, July 2022 first-time takers)[3] |
Mercer University School of Law (historically Walter F. George School of Law) is the law school of Mercer University. Founded in 1873, it is one of the oldest law schools in the United States; the first law school accredited by the bar in Georgia, and the second oldest of Mercer's 12 colleges and schools. The School of Law has approximately 440 students and is located in Macon, Georgia on its own campus one mile (1.6 km) from Mercer's main campus. The law school building, one of Macon's most recognizable sites, is a three-story partial replica of Independence Hall in Philadelphia and is located on Coleman Hill overlooking downtown Macon. According to Mercer's official 2020 ABA-required disclosures, 72% of the Class of 2020 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.[4]
Karen Sneddon began as Interim Dean on October 1, 2021 and was officially appointed to the position in May, 2023.[5] She was preceded by Cathy Cox.
Cathy Cox became dean in 2017. She was previously president of Young Harris College. Cox is an alumnus of Mercer University School of Law, a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives, served two terms as Georgia's secretary of state, 1999-2007, and is currently president of Georgia College & State University.[6]
Her predecessor was Daisy Hurst Floyd who had been reappointed as dean in 2014.[7] She assumed responsibility from Gary J. Simson, dean from 2010–14, who was elevated by Mercer to a university-wide position as senior vice provost for scholarship.[8] [9] Floyd previously served as dean from 2004–10 and is a senior member of the law school faculty.
The School of Law is named for Walter F. George, Mercer Law class of 1901, who served as United States Senator from Georgia from 1922–57 and as President pro tempore from 1955-57. Before election to the Senate, he served as a Judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals in 1917 and as a Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court from 1917-22. Mercer named its law school the Walter F. George School of Law of Mercer University in 1947. Fred M. Vinson, Chief Justice of the United States, participated in the naming ceremony.
The Walter F. George Foundation, created when the school was named, continues to fund scholarships for Mercer law students who have a demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in public service. Walter F. George Foundation Public Service Scholarships cover full tuition for three years of law school along with community service grants for first-year and second-year summer public service internships.
The School of Law celebrated its centennial in 1973 and 90th birthday of Carl Vinson. The principal event occurred on November 18, 1973; participants included Richard Nixon, President of the United States and Jimmy Carter, Governor of Georgia and future President of the United States.[10] In his speech, President Nixon announced the nation's third Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier would be named in honor of Carl Vinson, Mercer Law class of 1902. Vinson, who was present at the event, was the first member of the United States House of Representatives to serve for more than 50 years (he served 1914-65), and was the long-time chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Also present were Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird and Secretary of the Navy John Warner.
The School of Law has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1923 and has been fully accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) since 1925.[11] It is the first law school to be ABA accredited in the state of Georgia.
In the edition for 2024 of its law school rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Mercer 99th of the 196 ABA approved law schools.[12] The 2024 edition ranked Mercer's legal writing program at #21 in the nation.
The Princeton Review includes Mercer in the 2021 edition of its "Best Law Schools";[13]
The School of Law enrolls approximately 390 students and has a faculty of approximately 30 full-time professors and 30 adjunct professors. The following degrees are offered: Juris Doctor (JD), a joint Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration (JD/MBA) in conjunction with Mercer's Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics, and a Master of Laws (LLM) in Federal Criminal Practice and Procedure, which is the nation's only LLM program with this subject matter focus.[14] [15] The school publishes the Mercer Law Review, the oldest law review in Georgia (founded in 1949), and the Journal of Southern Legal History.
The School of Law's model curriculum, the Woodruff Curriculum, named for philanthropist George W. Woodruff, is viewed as a model for law schools across the United States. The curriculum, based on small classes and a practice oriented approach, focuses on legal ethics, professional responsibility, and legal writing and has been honored with the prestigious Gambrell Professionalism Award from the American Bar Association.[16]
The School of Law houses the Mercer Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism, established in 2000 and dedicated to fostering and teaching ethics and professionalism in the practice of law, and the National Criminal Defense College, a not-for-profit organization established in 1985 and devoted to improved trial advocacy and trial practice.
For the class entering in 2023, the School of Law accepted 46.98% of applicants, with 35.05% of those accepted enrolling. The average enrollee had a 155 LSAT score and 3.59 undergraduate GPA.[17]
The Furman Smith Law Library, named for Furman Smith, Mercer Law class of 1932, is the school's center of legal research. The library is used by state lawyers and judges. The library occupies over 30000square feet in a central location on the second floor of the law school building. Large windows in the library provide students with views of historic Macon from the law building's location on Coleman Hill.
In 2022, the overall bar examination passage rate for the Law School’s first-time examination takers was 77.59% (77.78% for Georgia, 75.00% for four other jurisdictions) close to the ABA first time weighted average pass rate of 77.95%. The Ultimate Bar Pass Rate, which the ABA defines as the passage rate for graduates who sat for bar examinations within two years of graduating, was 91.53% for the class of 2020.[18]
According to Mercer's official 2020 ABA-required disclosures, 72% of the Class of 2020 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.[4] Mercer's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 19.2%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2020 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[19]
The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Mercer for the 2013-2014 academic year was $57,800.[20] The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $$235,004.[21]
Mercer alumni recently headed two of Georgia's three branches of government: Nathan Deal '66, was the Governor of Georgia, 2011–2019; Hugh P. Thompson '69, was the Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, 2013–16.[22] In the Georgia General Assembly, Judson H. Hill, Sr. '86, served until 2017 as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee;[23] William T. Ligon, Jr. '86, served as Chairman of the Senate State and Local Governmental Operations Committee.[24] M. Yvette Miller '80, Sara L. Doyle '94, and Michael P. Boggs '90 are judges of the Georgia Court of Appeals.