AJMLS was founded in 1933 in Atlanta. It did not receive American Bar Association approval until 2005. In October 2017, the ABA concluded that the Law School is not in compliance with ABA Standards 301, 309, and 501/501, and in December 2018, the ABA placed the school on probation for "substantial" and "persistent" non-compliance with those standards. At its November 2019 meeting, the Council removed the Law School from probation and Atlanta's John Marshall Law School remains an approved law school. On May 15, 2020, the ABA again found the Law School to be significantly out of compliance with Standard 316, relating to bar passage. In late 2011, AJMLS opened a branch campus in Savannah, Georgia, named Savannah Law School. In March 2018, the Law School announced its branch campus in Savannah was no longer accepting applications for 2018 and offered its current students options to continue their legal education in Savannah, initiate an intra-campus transfer to the main campus in Atlanta, or seek to transfer or visit at a different institution. A class action suit on behalf of Savannah Law School students claims that the Savannah school is being closed to benefit the parent school in Atlanta. In 2017, AJMLS received attention when an alleged student was said to be a white nationalist organizer who sent a lynching threat to a Black activist in Atlanta. On May 15, 2020, the council of the American Bar Association’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar met remotely and determined this school and nine others had significant noncompliance with Standard 316. This Standard was revised in 2019 to provide that at least 75% of an accredited law school’s graduates who took a bar exam must pass one within two years of graduation. The school has been asked to submit a report by Feb. 1, 2021; and, if the council does not find the report demonstrates compliance, the school will be asked to appear before the council at its May, 2021 meeting.
Experiential Learning
The Experiential Learning program at AJMLS combines classroom theory with direct experience by offering students firsthand exposure to the practice of law. The for-credit program consists of legal clinics, intensive externships and other approved field placements. Some placements involve criminal prosecution litigation and eligible students may apply for a Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council Third Year Practice Certificate under Georgia's Third-Year Practice Act. Approved field placements fall under several categories including Bankruptcy Law, Business Law, Civil Rights Law, Court Administration, Criminal Law Honors, Environmental Law, Family Law, Federal Agencies, Health Law, Immigration Law, Judicial Clerkships, Juvenile Law, Labor Law, Mediation Law, Municipal Agencies, Out-of-State Placements, Pro Bono Organizations, Prosecutors, Public Defenders, Real Estate Law, Sports Law, State Agencies and Tax Law. In AJMLS Fulton County Family Law Externship Clinic, participants assist litigants at the Fulton County Superior Court with matters relating to family law. In the AJMLS Immigration Law Clinic, students provide assistance to immigration clients at the Catholic Charities of Atlanta Immigration Law Clinic. The Experiential Tax Law Externship gives practical tax law experience in a small firm setting.
As of April 11, 2018, the ABA Employment Statistics total employment rate for 2017 graduates is 71.11% with 43.7% obtaining employment where bar passage is required. According to the report, 15 graduates are listed as employment status unknown, 96 are known to be employed in some capacity, two are pursuing a graduate degree full-time, one is listed as unemployed with their start date deferred, 20 are unemployed and seeking employment, and one who is unemployed and not seeking employment.
Costs
The total cost of attendance at John Marshall for the 2017–2018 academic year is $70,304. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $256,530.
