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Ave Maria School of Law offers a high quality legal education with a commitment to professional excellence, rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition. Our school motto is Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason.) Inspired by Pope John Paul II’s 1998 encyclical, Fides et Ratio,  Ave Maria School of Law offers a distinctive legal education — an education characterized by the harmony of faith and reason. In fact, Ave Maria Law is the only law school in the United States to offer a concentration in Natural Law.

Pope John Paul II wrote Fides et Ratio to address the relationship between faith and reason. It was written primarily to address and defend traditional Christian philosophy. His Holiness believed that faith and reason together allow people to know and love God.

Read our full mission statement

“Our noble calling as attorneys, properly understood through the wisdom of the Catholic Church as it relates to human beings, has made all the difference for me in life. I hope that we at Ave Maria Law will instill that same sense of vocation in you. After all, why devote your life to something less than a true calling to serve others?”

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Mission Driven

Ave Maria School of Law offers a high-quality legal education with a commitment to professional excellence, rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition. Inspired by Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Fides et Ratio, Ave Maria School of Law offers a distinctive legal education — an education characterized by the harmony of faith and reason. 

Academics

We offer a rigorous and varied academic program, based on the foundation of faith and reason. Ave Maria Law requires 90 credit hours for graduation, including a core curriculum of 74 credit hours and 6 credit hours of experiential courses. In addition, we fully support our students in preparing for the bar examination by offering intensive courses that focus on test-taking abilities, advanced essay writing, and multistate bar exam questions.

Faith

Ave Maria School of Law is a Catholic law school welcoming all faiths on campus. Though the majority of students are Catholic, many religious backgrounds are represented within the school student body, faculty, staff, and alumni. The presence of faith in and out of the classroom adds a profound sense of community. 

Professional Development

The Office of Professional Development works to support, encourage, and empower our students as they begin the pursuit of their passion for the legal profession. Our departmental focus is in direct alignment with the law school’s vision and mission in fidelity to the Catholic faith to build a community, serve the common good, and educate and develop students who will become lawyers with the finest legal, ethical, and professional skills.

Are you asking

WHY AVE LAW?

Chosen as a distinguished guide by the esteemed Cardinal Newman Association, we are honored to be the only Catholic law
school awarded this prestigious recognition. Ave Law consistently ranks as The Princeton Review’s “Most Conservative Law School,” preLaw’s “Most Devout Law School,” and as one of Princeton Review’s “Best Law Schools.”
As an unabashedly Catholic, conservative, and competitive school of law, Ave Maria Law School seeks to change the culture for the good by training lawyers in the Catholic intellectual tradition.

Ave Maria School of Law

Prepares our students in Mind & Body & Spirit

BODY

The health of the body is connected to the health of the mind and soul. Ave Maria Law is blessed with a beautiful fitness complex on the school’s 12.5-acre campus. An entire Mind + Body + Spirit initiative is an important aspect of the school community.

MIND

Our Ave Law features rigorous academics, leadership training, and legal education founded on the intellectual tradition of the Catholic faith. There are many different clubs and activities to help you delve further into your passion for the law.

SPIRIT

Our faith is at the center of everything we do.
Though the majority of students are Catholic, many religious backgrounds are represented within the school adding a profound sense of faith to our community.

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Law; an ordinance of reason for the common good, made by him who has the care of the community.

Saint Thomas AquinasDominican philosopher & theologian
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You have been producing graduates who are so competent. You already have federal judges who are graduates of Ave Maria. Which means of course when you’re out talking to potential students, that’s a pretty powerful story to tell. And the odds are pretty good that Ave Maria graduates may presently be more likely to get appointed, than say Yale Law School graduates.

The Honorable Newt Gingrich50th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, author, and Fox News contributor
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The principle of democracy is a recognition of the sovereign, inalienable rights of man as a gift from God, the Source of law.

Archbishop Fulton J. SheenVenerable Servant of God
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Unless the cause of peace based on law gathers behind it the force and zeal of a religion, it hardly can hope to succeed.

Albert EinsteinNobel Laureate Physics
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All law finds its first and ultimate truth in the eternal law. Law is declared and established by reason as a participation in the providence of the living God, Creator and Redeemer of all.

Catholic ChurchCatechism of the Catholic Church
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I believe that if the judicial system of our country is not reformed and returned to the vision of our Founding Fathers, we as a country and a society will be in grave trouble.

Tom MonaghanChairman and Founder, Ave Maria School of Law
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Bear in mind that brains and learning, like muscle and physical skill, are articles of commerce. They are bought and sold.
You can hire them by the year or by the hour. The only thing in the world not for sale is character.

Antonin ScaliaAssociate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Ave Maria School of Law

at a glance

Formed by outstanding professional training and a distinctive educational philosophy, Ave Maria School of Law’s graduates are equipped for leading positions in law firms, corporate legal offices, the judiciary, and national, state, and local government. Ave Maria Law offers an outstanding legal education in fidelity to the Catholic faith. We affirm Catholic legal education’s traditional emphasis on the only secure foundation for human freedom — the natural law written on the heart of every human being. We uphold the need for society to rediscover those human and moral truths that flow from the nature of the human person and that safeguard human freedom.

134

Students entering Class of 2024

3,900,000

Granted in merit-based scholarships

3.41

Median GPA of 1L Class

61

Catholic

44

Out of state students

153

Median LSAT score for the 1L Class

1962

Grads working in Government, Business, Private Practice & Non-Profits defending the constitution and religious rights

33

From ethnically diverse backgrounds

0

Amount of tuition paid by Veterans qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

 ** Official Numbers will be released to the ABA in October 2024 **

Naples is one of the BEST places to move in the U.S.A. says Travel + Leisure magazine. 

It is reported that with more people working remotely than ever, Naples has quickly become the primary home of many urbanites relocating from cities such as Chicago and New York City. In fact, it now holds the title of the safest place to live, according to a recent U.S. News survey, and is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, attracting not just retirees but also younger couples.

Read what they are saying here.

“Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves”

St. John Paul IIENCYCLICAL LETTER FIDES ET RATIO OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF
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Mastering Legal Writing: A Crucial Skill for Law School Success and Legal Career Advancement

Legal writing is a fundamental skill in law school, crucial for students’ academic success and future legal practice. It enables clear and precise communication of complex legal concepts, essential for drafting documents such as briefs, memos, and opinions. Mastery of legal writing also ensures that students can persuasively argue their positions, a key component in litigation and negotiation. Moreover, strong legal writing skills are highly valued by employers, making them indispensable for career advancement in the legal profession.

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