EMPOWERING
WELCOME TO THE UNIVERSITY OF COLLEGE OF LAW CINCINNATI
Your grit and determination have brought you to this exciting moment, and those same qualities will guide you through law school and into a successful legal career.
At Cincinnati Law, we prioritize your success and are committed to equipping you with the essential skills and experiences needed to thrive in the legal profession. Our community thrives on inclusion and a deep sense of belonging—key elements of our legal
Engaging with diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences fosters critical thinking and leadership while strengthening the bonds that make our community unique.
Imagine yourself at Cincinnati Law, where listening with empathy and curiosity to the varied experiences of your peers will deeply enrich your journey. These interactions will enhance both your personal and professional development, preparing you to navigate a complex and polarized world. Your journey at Cincinnati Law will include challenges, but will also be rich with opportunities for discovery, growth, and achievement. We are here to support you every step of the way.
Explore our vibrant community and see how you can unlock your full potential to become the impactful lawyer and leader who elevates justice and empowers change.
HAIDER ALA HAMOUDI DEAN & NIPPERT PROFESSOR OF LAW
CORPORATE LAW CENTER
Build your expertise through dynamic learning, networking, and hands-on opportunities alongside scholars and practitioners in business and corporate law settings.
PURSUE YOUR
CENTER FOR THE GLOBAL PRACTICE OF LAW
Unlock opportunities that build the skills you need to excel in the 21st-century global legal marketplace.
CENTER FOR RACE, GENDER, & SOCIAL JUSTICE
Work to combat harassment, violence against women and economic inequalities that target our most vulnerable neighbors at Cincinnati law.
URBAN MORGAN INSTITUTE
Fight for human rights across the globe at the nations first endowed institute for international human rights at a U.S. law school.
OHIO INNOCENCE PROJECT
Join one of the National Innocence Network’s most successful branches and help improve the criminal justice system first-hand.
When I applied to law school, I applied all over,” Ashley recalls. “I was offered full rides to schools everywhere. I chose to go to UC because I loved the school that much.
-Ashley Nkadi ‘23
next lives here.
As a leading justice-centered law school, Cincinnati Law equips and empowers students to shape the[ir] future, guided by intention and driven by a passion to elevate justice.
Tapping into the expertise of our renowned faculty, we train students to actively and effectively serve their communities to ensure equity, access, and justice for all.
& curriculum Degree Programs
We focus on providing you with real-world exposure, relationships, and expertise necessary to effectively navigate any field you choose. Starting with a curriculum grounded in theory and practice, you will benefit from our unique approach of small classes led by exceptionally qualified, full-time faculty—all experts in their fields. Regular visits by prominent lawyers and judges to our campus enrich our classrooms with the experiences they bring from their courtrooms and boardrooms.
» JD
» JD/MBA
» JD/MA Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
» JD/Master of Community Planning
» JD/MA or PhD, Political Science
First Year
You will begin by building a fundamental basis of legal knowledge with the support of a small but powerful learning community. Upon entry, you will become part of a cohort of approximately 25 classmates, all of you assigned the same class schedule. This way, you will journey together, learning to think and reason collaboratively as lawyers do and understand the values and ethics of the legal profession. These shared experiences will help to strengthen and cement what you learn and where you go.
Second and Third Years
Here is where you will choose a particular pathway of professional interest —maybe Business and Entrepreneurship Law or Criminal Law—in which you will further develop legal research, writing, and advocacy skills. As only a few courses are required in your upper-level years, we will help you determine which courses will prepare you best for the bar exam and your legal career and best chart your path to become the lawyer you aspire to be.
130
SIZE
AREAS OF FOCUS
» Business and Entrepreneurship Law
» Criminal Law
» Environmental and Energy Law
» General and Small Practice
» Health Law
» Innovation, Technology and Intellectual Property Law
» International Law
» Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution
» Public Interest Law
We provide students an authentic environment with access to carefully curated experiences in-and-out of the classroom that train them to solve real problems and unleash their unlimited future.
YOU CHART YOUR PATH. WE’LL MAKE IT POSSIBLE.
centers of excellence
At the heart of who we are and what we do are our Centers and Institutes, which drive academic and scholarly innovation. These invaluable learning opportunities offer enriching programming, bring in visiting scholars, and provide opportunities to develop the law as it relates to the social justice and business issues of our time.
Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice
The mission is to bridge theory and practice to forge relationships with local, national, and global communities, preparing students to take the lead in advancing justice.
Center for Practice
Develops students’ professional skills through a robust interdisciplinary approach, drawing upon psychology, economics, communication, rhetoric, decision.
Cincinnati Center for the Global Practice of Law
Designed to encourage, facilitate, and promote international engagement in all of the College’s activities. The Center connects students to opportunities that will help them develop the competencies needed to excel in the 21st century global legal marketplace.
Corporate Law Center
The mission is to bridge theory and practice to forge relationships with local, national, and global communities, preparing students to take the lead in advancing justice.
Ohio Innocence Project
Part of the Lois and Richard Rosenthal Institute for Justice, OIP championed a law that finally became a bill in 2010, setting rules for lineups and keeping DNA material. Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland called it one of the most important pieces of criminal justice legisla tion in Ohio in a century, positioning the OIP as the national model for reforms to reduce and prevent wrongful convictions.
Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights
Established in 1979 and the publishing body of the prestigious Human Rights Quarterly, UMI was the first endowed center at an American law school dedicated to international human rights studies and is the oldest international human rights program in the U.S.
“No matter what I do, I wanna impact positive change. It wouldn’t be me if I weren’t operating with all cylinders firing all the time to help people. Because I’ve seen what it’s like for people to be oppressed or hurt or injured by these systems.
Brendan Mathews, JD & PHD ‘23 Bardstown, KY | UK Undergrad
A CITY ON TOP
» #1 Best city in the nation for college grads
-SmartAsset, 21’
» #2 Best reginal Airport in North America
- SkyTrax, 22’
» #3 US Metro for sustainability
- Site Selection Magazine, 22’
» #4 City for best parks in the country
- The trust for public land, 22’
Consistently ranked on many top-10 and best-of lists for living and visiting, the Cincinnati area boasts a vibrant, architecturally, and historically resonant backdrop for arts, sports, cuisine, music, and cultural festivals. Resplendent in its beautiful hills, rivers, and nationally renowned city parks— with one of the oldest zoos in the country just blocks from our campus—Cincinnati ranks as one of “America’s Best Bargain Cities.” As you take advantage of being in the only law school in a great networking city of 800 law firms, join us in living and studying in our diverse and exciting river city!
Consistently ranked on many top-10 and best-of lists for living and visiting, the Cincinnati area boasts a vibrant, architecturally, and historically resonant backdrop for arts, sports, cuisine, music, and cultural festivals. Resplendent in its beautiful hills, rivers, and nationally renowned city parks— with one of the oldest zoos in the country just blocks from our campus—Cincinnati ranks as one of “America’s Best Bargain Cities.” As you take advantage of being in the only law school in a great networking city of 800 law firms, join us in living and studying in our diverse and exciting river city!
800+ LAW FIRMS | 1 LAW SCHOOL
Art & Culture: Aronoff Center for the Arts, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati Playhouse, Cincinnati Observatory, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Krohn Conservatory, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Taft Museum of Art, Know Theater of Cincinnati
Festivals: Art in the Park, BLINK, Bunbury Music Festival, Cincin-Cinco, Festival of Lights, Flying Pig Marathon, Juneteenth, Oktoberfest, Opening Day Parade, Paddlefest, Riverfest, Soul Fest, Taste of Cincinnati
Professional Sports: Bengals (football), Cyclones (ice hockey), Reds (baseball), Revolution (ultimate disc), Rollergirls (roller derby), FC Cincinnati (soccer)
the complete professional
At Cincinnati Law, we are committed to developing the complete professional. We believe success extends beyond the courtroom and careers. Our holistic approach focuses on academic excellence, leadership, financial fitness, wellness, and professional growth. Through this comprehensive support, we prepare students to not only excel as lawyers but to thrive as dynamic, well-rounded leaders in all aspects of their lives.
CLINICS
Cincinnati Law's clinics pack a powerful experiential punch. Whether you want to prepare for a Silicon-Valley style start-up life as an entrepreneur at one of the country's top tech accelerators or advocate for survivors of all ages who are facing dire life challenges, we provide opportunities to help you learn and grow through experience.
» Domestic Violence and Civil Protection Order Clinic
» Entrepreneurship & Community Development Clinic
» Indigent Defense Clinic
» Legal Access Clinic
» Ohio Innocence Project
» Patent and Trademark Clinic
» Sixth Circuit Clinic
Placement for Clinics & Externships
EXTERNSHIPS
Try an area of practice on for size at a company, law firm, non-profit, or judicial chamber. You will earn academic credit while improving your skills in our unparalleled externship program.
Legal Externships Program
Through the Center for Professional Development, you will gain course credit working in your area of interest with a practicing attorney who provides guidance and performance feedback. You will earn a two-hour non-classroom credit and a one-hour graded classroom credit.
The Kroger Company / Kentucky Dept. of Public Advocacy / Office of the Cincinnati City Solicitor / Ohio Justice and Policy Center / Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern Dist. of Ohio / Fifth Third Bancorp / Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center / ProSeniors / National Labor Relations Board / Housing Opportunities Made Equal / Catholic Charities of Southwestern Ohio / Su Casa Hispanic Center / U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax / Trade Bureau / Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Hamilton County Business Center
Another great summer opportunity is helping local business start-ups at the Hamilton County Business Center, one of Ohio’s oldest and most successful business incubators.
Judicial Externships Get an insider’s view of the judicial process and learn how courts function by working with judges, helping them prepare memoranda on cases, review files, draft opinions, and potentially attending trials, hearings, and conferences. You might work in one of these state or federal courts:
U.S. Bankruptcy Court / U.S. District Court / United States Administrative Courts / Hamilton County Domestic Relations Court / Hamilton County Juvenile Court / Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas
Volunteer Opportunities The Greater Cincinnati area has benefitted greatly from thousands of hours of law-related service by our students, filling a crucial humanitarian void and strengthening local organizations like:
Children’s Law Center / Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center / Citizen Foster Care Review Board / Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) / Immigrant Community Legal Advocacy Project / Immigrant and Refugee Law Center / Ohio Justice & Policy Center / ProKids / Rape Crisis and Abuse Center / Tenant Information Project / Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) / Volunteer Lawyers Project
STUDENT LIFE
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS FOR LAW STUDENTS
Competition Teams―You can hone litigation skills that you will use throughout your career on these three intercollegiate competitive teams.
» Moot Court / Trial Practice Competition Team / Moot International Arbitration Team
Student Journals―Develop critical writing skills on journals that impact important areas of law domestically and across the globe.
» University of Cincinnati Law Review / Human Rights Quarterly / Immigration and Human Rights / Law Review / Intellectual Property and Computer Law Journal
Student organizations are essential to a successful legal education, and they play a major role in shaping the social, cultural, and intellectual environment at Cincinnati Law. These organizations sponsor workshops, panels, and networking opportunities.
Adventure JDs
Alternative Dispute Resolution Club
American Constitution Society
Asian Pacific American Law Student Association
Bearcats for Immigration Law and Policy
Black Law Students Association
Business Law Society
Christian Legal Society
Criminal Law Society
Disability Rights, Education, Advocacy, and Mentoring
Environmental Law Club
Federal Bar Association
First Generation Law Students
Health and Public Health Law Society
If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice
International Law Society
Jewish Law Students Association
Juvenile and Family Law Club
Labor and Employment Law Club
Latina/o Law Student Association
Muslim Lawyers Association
Out and Allies
Phi Alpha Delta at the University of Cincinnati
Public Interest Law Society
Saint Thomas More Catholic Society
School of Law Board Game Society
Sports and Entertainment Law Club
Student Bar Association
The Federalist Society at University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati Rod and Gun Club
UC Law National Lawyer’s Guild
UCincyIP
Women in Law at the University of Cincinnati
CAREER development
COLLECTIVE PRACTICAL & COUNSELING EXPERIENCE
We create the pieces—you put them together. No two careers are alike, but it all starts with you. We create a portfolio of experiences to help you develop a competitive résumé. No connection is too big or too small for us to make. From meeting with professionals who practice at leading law firms, Fortune 500 companies, or nationally known organizations to attending civic and bar-related activities, the Center for Professional Development (CPD) puts you shoulder-to-shoulder with professionals who routinely employ and mentor our students.
In addition, the CPD conducts weekly events to offer interactive support and career-planning advice:
Practice Previews
Explore different job settings to see where your path might go
Breakfast Club
Meet legal pros and College alumni for insight into different fields of practice
Catalyst Program
Set up mentorships with practicing attorneys in Cincinnati and other locales, including Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, New York, and Washington D.C., with more added each year
2 to 25 Fair
Get familiar with the hiring practices of specific private organizations
Coffee Hour and a Half
Monthly informal networking opportunity with attorneys from law firms, legal employers, and law organizations
Summer Success Program
Start your summer strong with insight from local attorneys on how to be a stellar summer associate or law
Professional Planning Meetings
Yearly meetings with a CPD counselor to discuss your professional development plan
First Look
Exclusively for 1Ls, this comprehensive on-campus career fair includes more than 50 employers from the public and private sectors
CPD To Go
A pop-up style career development station in the student lounge, for quick bite-sized career advice on the go
CPD in the City
A downtown Cincinnati office space for Cincinnati Law students to schedule career planning meetings throughout the summer
Accreditation
The College is a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools, organized in 1900 and composed of the leading law schools of the United States. Members must maintain prescribed standards in regard to entrance requirements, faculty, library and curriculum.
The American Bar Association has designated the College of Law of the University of Cincinnati an approved school.
Notice of Non-Discrimination
The University of Cincinnati does not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, age, sexual orientation, veteran status or gender identity and expression in its programs and activities. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the university’s non-discrimination policies:
Section 504, ADA, Age Act Coordinator 340 University Hall, 51 Goodman Drive Cincinnati, OH 45221-0039
513-556-6381; HRONESTP@ucmail.uc.edu
Title IX Coordinator 3115 Edwards 1, 45 Corry Blvd. Cincinnati, OH 45221
513-556-3349; title9@ucmail.uc.edu
Visit Us
Schedule your in-person or virtual visit today at law.uc.edu/visit.