Atlanta's John Marshall Law School is based in downtown Atlanta, with full-time and part-time day and evening JD options. Its strengths include criminal practice, public defense, and experiential training.
This guide walks you through how to get into Atlanta's John Marshall Law.
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1. Atlanta's John Marshall Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
Atlanta's John Marshall Law Class of 2029:
- LSAT: 75th: 155 | Median: 153 | 25th: 151
- GPA: 75th: 3.53 | Median: 3.20 | 25th: 2.79
Atlanta's John Marshall Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 155 | Median: 152 | 25th: 150
- GPA: 75th: 3.49 | Median: 3.13 | 25th: 2.78
The entering class grew from 138 in fall 2025 to 145 in fall 2026. The LSAT median increased one point, and the GPA median rose by 0.07. The latest class includes 96 full-time and 49 part-time students. These are combined-division statistics.
Aim to be at or above at least one median to be competitive. Above both puts you in a stronger position. Below both medians, this is a prayer, not a reach.
For context on how medians affect your strategy, see How to Build a Smart Law School List.
2. Atlanta's John Marshall Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (required)
Submit a two- to three-page personal statement.
For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.
For more on making your whole application work together, see my Cohesive Narrative Guide.
Addenda and Character & Fitness (if applicable)
Atlanta's John Marshall also requires court-issued documentation resolving pending criminal matters before the application can be reviewed.
I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.
3. Atlanta's John Marshall Law Resume Requirements
A one-page resume is required. Include education, employment, service, and leadership with clear dates and responsibilities. For a career change, make the progression legible rather than crowding the page with every task you have performed.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. Atlanta's John Marshall Law Letters of Recommendation
Two letters of recommendation are required. Family members' letters do not count. Submit through LSAC or follow the school's direct-mail requirements, which include letterhead and an original signature; emailed letters are not accepted.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. Atlanta's John Marshall Law Interview Process
Evaluative interviews are not part of the normal admissions procedure, but the committee may request one from an individual candidate. Prepare to discuss your academic record, reasons for law, and choice of program if selected.
6. Atlanta's John Marshall Law Deadlines and Decision Options
Testing Policy
The LSAT is required, with scores no more than five years old when the committee considers the application. JD-Next may supplement an LSAT score; it is not a replacement for the required test.
Application Dates and Fees
- Applications Open: September 1, 2026, for fall 2027 entry.
- Application Deadline: July 20, 2027; the file must be complete.
- Last Accepted LSAT: June administration for fall entry.
- Application Fee: No fee for first-year JD applications.
- Seat Deposit: $500, nonrefundable, due on the date in the admission letter.
Program Formats
First-year students enter in fall. The full-time day JD takes three years. Part-time day and evening programs take four years and include required summer study. Evening classes generally meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings.
A bachelor's degree must be completed before matriculation. Final official transcripts are due October 15; failure to provide them results in automatic withdrawal from classes. Applicants with pending criminal charges, incarceration, probation, or parole need court-issued proof that open matters are resolved and court requirements satisfied before the application is complete and reviewable. Address this documentation early rather than assuming an explanatory paragraph is sufficient.
7. Atlanta's John Marshall Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Cost of Attendance
The 2026-27 nine-month budget for first-year students lists tuition and fees of $53,986 full-time or $33,244 part-time. Total attendance costs are $90,930 and $66,602, respectively. Those fall/spring budgets exclude summer 2027, an important distinction for part-time students with required summer coursework.
Scholarships and Need-Based Aid
The Ann Kimsey Scholarship requires a 2.50 GPA at the end of each semester and summer session. A limited first-year bounce-back provision permits restoration after a first-fall loss if the cumulative GPA recovers in spring; later losses are not recoverable under that provision. The Dean's Fellowship Scholarship and John Marshall Scholarship instead require satisfactory academic standing, defined as a cumulative 2.00 GPA.
Take that difference seriously. Of students entering with conditional scholarships in 2024-25, 33.6% had their awards reduced or eliminated. A conditional award is not the same financial proposition as an award maintained through ordinary good standing.
The school also offers need- and service-based awards. Part-time Ann Kimsey and John Marshall awards are divided across fall, spring, and summer, with the summer amount affected by enrollment. Read the award terms before comparing net prices.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. Atlanta's John Marshall Law JD and Certificate Pathways
The Criminal Justice Certificate Program is a co-enrollment option within the 88-credit JD, not a second graduate degree. Students complete seven designated courses, 300 hours of approved criminal-law fieldwork, and the Criminal Justice Workshop during the final two semesters.
The certificate combines doctrine with pretrial and trial advocacy and cannot be completed entirely in evening classes. Enrollment in outside academic coursework requires advance written permission from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Only graduate-level outside coursework is eligible for academic credit toward the JD.
9. Atlanta's John Marshall Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
Atlanta's John Marshall Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):
- Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 72.3%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 5.0%
- Federal clerkships: 0.0%
- Public service (including government): 19.8%
Georgia accounted for the overwhelming majority of employed graduates, with small firms the largest law-firm category. Government and public-interest work provide additional paths, while national large-firm recruiting is a much smaller part of the outcome picture. Build your enrollment decision around the Georgia work you would realistically pursue, not around an assumed BigLaw salary that makes a large debt look easier to repay.
10. Atlanta's John Marshall Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Criminal Practice: The Criminal Justice Certificate Program, directed by Jonathan Rapping, combines criminal procedure, evidence, lawyering, and advocacy with substantial fieldwork. Its required workshop adds structured reflection on practice during the final year, rather than leaving the specialization at a collection of electives.
Public Defense and Civil Justice: The Criminal and Civil Justice Institute connects the school with Gideon's Promise and The Barristers Society. Its law-partner model brings students into mentoring, internship, and externship relationships focused on representation of underserved clients in criminal and civil matters.
Business and Employment Law: Jeffrey A. Van Detta's teaching spans International Business Transactions, Employment Discrimination Law, and related subjects. His background in transnational employment practice gives this area a concrete faculty anchor for students interested in the legal needs of businesses and their workers.
Intellectual Property: M. Scott Boone teaches Patent Law, Copyright Law, Trademark Law, and Internet Law alongside Property and Professional Responsibility. That course range supports study of how businesses and creators protect and use intangible assets, without requiring an applicant to arrive committed to one specialty.
11. Atlanta's John Marshall Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
Externships and simulation courses are central to Atlanta's John Marshall's practical training.
- Learning from Practice: First-time externs pair supervised legal work with a seminar and reflection on professional development.
- Advanced Legal Externships: Returning externs continue fieldwork with additional assignments designed to deepen what they learn from practice.
- Criminal Justice Field Experience: Certificate candidates complete approved criminal-law work that connects client representation with the classroom sequence.
- Criminal Pretrial Advocacy and Criminal Trial Advocacy: Students develop the litigation skills required by the certificate curriculum.
- Criminal and Civil Justice Institute: Gideon's Promise and The Barristers Society connect students with lawyers offering mentoring and practical opportunities.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
Externships can involve law firms, courts, government, corporate legal departments, or nonprofit organizations. Students secure a placement and obtain program approval. The program uses 47 work hours per field credit. Paid externships are permitted beginning in fall 2026, with compensation determined by the placement.
The Office of Career Services and Pro Bono Programs encourages volunteer legal service and supports students pursuing opportunities independently. Externship eligibility requires 30 completed credits, including the first-year curriculum, and good standing. The externship handbook requires a 2.30 GPA for the summer between 1L and 2L; the department FAQ lists 2.0 for 2Ls and beyond. The total credit cap is six below a 2.50 GPA and nine at or above it.
12. Atlanta's John Marshall Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Jonathan Rapping: Professor of Law and Director of the Criminal Justice Certificate Program. A public-defense educator and founder of Gideon's Promise, he received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2014.
- Jeffrey A. Van Detta: John E. Ryan Professor of International Business and Workplace Law. His fields include international business and employment law; he previously practiced for 12 years at Kilpatrick Stockton in Atlanta.
- Alison Prout: Associate Professor of Law teaching Evidence, White Collar Crime, and Rule of Law. A former federal prosecutor in the Northern District of Georgia, she served as the office's training chief.
- Mecca Anderson: Director of Externship Programs and Associate Professor of Legal Practice. Her litigation background includes service as chief of staff to Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Carol W. Hunstein.
Journals
- John Marshall Law Journal: Publishes articles, student work, and legislative summaries, with a particular connection to Georgia law and an associated symposium.
13. Atlanta's John Marshall Law Culture and Student Life
The downtown Peachtree Center location and three JD schedules shape a community that includes students entering directly from college and those balancing established careers. The fall 2026 class had an average age of 28, rising to 32 among part-time students. The Student Bar Association and Law Journal offer ways to participate beyond class.
Atlanta supplies the principal professional setting: local firms, public agencies, and courts. Mentoring and externship relationships matter in a school whose employment pattern is concentrated in Georgia. Build those relationships around the practice you want to explore and a schedule you can sustain.
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Related Reading
→ How to Build a Smart Law School List
→ Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?
→ How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships
→ 6 Proven Steps to Get Off a Law School Waitlist
→ How to Get Into Law School Below Both Medians
→ What Holistic Law School Admissions Really Means
→ Blog Directory
Note: While I try to keep this guide up to date, always verify deadlines, requirements, and policies at the Atlanta's John Marshall Law website before applying.
Think you spotted an outdated requirement or something that doesn't look right? Email moshe@sharperstatements.com with the school and a link to the current information.
