Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) welcomes 155 new students this fall who are pursuing the Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) degree.
LMU Law’s full-time J.D. Program (Class of 2027) includes 106 students from 20 different states. LMU Law’s innovative part-time/hybrid J.D. program (Class of 2028) admitted its second cohort of students, which includes 49 students from 18 different states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. LMU Law also enrolled three transfer students this fall. With the addition of these new students, LMU Law’s total enrollment in the Fall 2024 semester exceeds 400 students for the first time in the law school’s history.
The newest members of LMU Law’s full-time program participated in two days of orientation activities designed to help students understand the rigors of law school as well as meet their colleagues, while the newest members of LMU Law’s part-time/hybrid program participated in four days of integrated orientation and course instruction. Among the topics covered were academic success, study and exam strategies, curricular overview, student life and conduct, and the importance of understanding diverse perspectives to achieving success in the legal profession. Orientation was highlighted by panels of distinguished LMU Law alumni. who spoke to the new law students about their own paths from first-generation law students to successful lawyers.
“This is the largest and strongest-credentialed class in LMU Law’s 15-year history, and we are thrilled to welcome them into our community,” said Vice President and Dean Matt Lyon. “I am so grateful for the hard work of all our faculty, staff, upper-level students, and alumni, who have helped make our new students’ transition to law school as smooth as possible.”
LMU Law’s full-time program takes three years to complete, while the part-time/hybrid program takes four years. Students in the part-time/hybrid program take a reduced course load each semester and attend class year-round. The program consists of approximately two-thirds asynchronous online instruction. For the one-third of courses offered in a hybrid format, students are required to come to Knoxville to attend classes in-person 12 times over the first three years of the program. The fourth year of the part-time/hybrid program is delivered entirely online. The visits occur over long weekends, the first of which was held on August 16-19.
During the Fall 2024 admissions cycle, LMU Law received a total of 672 applications between the two programs. Many students matriculating in each program attended colleges and universities outside of Tennessee.
The first-year class in the full-time J.D. program is 68 percent female and 32 percent male, and the average age of the first-year class is 24. The first-year class in the part-time/hybrid J.D. program is 53 percent female and 47 percent male, and the average age of the first-year class is 32. Over one-quarter of the new students in the full-time J.D. Program and 45 percent of the new students in the part-time/hybrid J.D. Program are the first in their families to graduate from college.
The Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law is located in Knoxville’s Historic Old City Hall Building. LMU Law is an integral part of LMU’s value-based learning community and is dedicated to preparing the next generation of lawyers to provide sound legal service in the often-underserved region of Appalachia and beyond. For more information about LMU Law, call 865.545.5303 or visit us online at Law.LMUnet.edu.
