Why Mercer?

Mercer University's School of Law ranks among the nation's best in standard measures of quality: bar passage rates, job-placement records, student/teacher ratio, and success in student competitions. In addition to these numbers, Mercer's faculty and staff hold themselves to a separate standard—We believe that the measures of Mercer must be the measures of a good lawyer, including:

A solid intellectual foundation; Lawyers don't have all the answers, but good lawyers have the resources to find them, if they exist. The American Bar Association honored Mercer's Woodruff Curriculum for its "depth and excellence." The Curriculum's power comes from going beyond teaching the traditional case analysis and reasoning to focus on practical skills that are the essence of the lawyer's craft— common-law, statutory, and Constitutional analysis.

Practical skill—Good lawyers argue their cases with confidence and flair, write with precision and power, and perform meticulously thorough research. At Mercer our writing program spans the entire curriculum. Our moot court teams regularly take national honors in competitions that range from family law to worker's compensation. Practicum experiences in government and non-profit agencies further expand your understanding of the legal community.

We devote the sixth semester to developing advanced skills to make sure Mercer graduates have the lawyering skills to make real contributions as soon as they pass the bar. In addition to the required Beyond Law School, you will produce an additional substantial written product in the seminar of your choice, and dive deeper into a favorite area such as Labor Arbitration, Alternative Dispute Resolution, or Tax Research in an advanced skills course during sixth semester.

Ethical commitment —Good lawyers hold themselves to the highest standards of conduct. In addition to your required ethics course you'll find tough questions of professional responsibility integrated into every law course.

Collegial behavior—Good lawyers learn from each other and know when to call for help. Mercer's class sizes are among the smallest in the nation, which encourages true discussion even in first-year courses. Professors and staff members set examples of community involvement. Yes, there is competition at Mercer—but within an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual respect. Does this sound like the kind of environment you'd like to be a part of?

Our Mission Statement

The educational program of the Mercer University School of Law is based on a broadly shared commitment within the Law School community to preparing Mercer's students for the high-quality, general practice of law, and to doing so in a day-to-day learning environment that is at once both strongly supportive and consistently professional. We seek to produce genuinely good lawyers-in an ethical sense as well as a pragmatic sense-who are well-equipped to begin their careers in the general practice of law in smaller and middle-size law firms. To a pervasive degree, the faculty and staff members of the Mercer Law School view the development of such lawyers to be the institution's primary and fundamental mission. We believe that the same educational process which produces these lawyers also will produce lawyers who are capable of achieving excellence in a large-firm practice as well as understanding the value and rewards of government service and other forms of public service.

We recognize our duties as members of the Law School community to engage in scholarly research and in public service endeavors, while according great emphasis to the teaching and mentoring of our students both inside and outside the classroom. We reaffirm our commitment to expend our resources and professional energy in a manner calculated to produce the most positive results for our students.