Graduating student in front of building flanked by larged RWU and LAW letters on each side.

Rhode Island's Only Law School

As Rhode Island’s only law school, RWU Law offers a practice-ready legal education where purpose informs the practice of law. Here, you’ll gain unmatched access to the state’s courts, legal leaders, and communities—opportunities few schools can match.

Access. Connections. Experience. All in one place. 

Why Choose RWU Law: Hands-On, Purpose-Driven Learning 

Three law alumni - one female and two males

Direct access to leaders — Judges, legislators, top attorneys, public servants 
Exceptional hands-on learning —  Impactful and effective learning opportunities for practical experience while in law school. 
A powerful alumni network — Career support in Rhode Island and beyond.  

Our Faculty: Leaders in Law and Learning 

A law student in a pink sweater listens attentively to a professor during class, with other students working on laptops in the background.

RWU Law professors bring real-world experience from nearly every area of the law, and their scholarship appears in the nation's most respected law reviews. Their expertise is sought far beyond the classroom — quoted by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, and featured on major outlets from CNN to NPR.  Our professors have consistently been ranked within the Top 20 for Accessibility and Teaching on The Princeton Review. 

Meet our faculty Changemakers 

Program Offerings

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Where Do You Want To Go With Your Law Degree?
RWU Law delivers a personalized and marketable legal education right here in Rhode Island.

Discover Academic Programs

 

Learn Law by Doing: Real-World + Classroom

Law students having a conversation

At RWU Law, you will combine traditional classroom experience with real-world learning in clinics, pro bono work, and other experiential opportunities to deepen your legal education.  

Discover hands-on legal programs

 


 

 

National Recognition for Real-World Impact

U.S. News & World Report 2025 Best Grad Schools badge. Text below reads: #11 Most Graduates in Public Interest, RWU School of Law.
preLaw magazine badge reading: Top School for Public Service 2025–2026, with an icon of a government building and two hands shaking.
Princeton Review Law School Ranking 2025 badge. Ranked #13 for Professors in Teaching and Accessibility.

Get more info on RWU Law

 

RWU Law Alumni: #LegalChangemakers

Student Bar Association President speaking before incoming class

“Being the only law school in the state, RWU Law has a wide range of externship programs and deep connections with local law firms, courts, and universities.”

– Elisabeth D’Amelio L’24, M’24 
Dual Juris Doctor and M.A. in Cybersecurity

Read our #Changemaker stories  

Law 401 Podcast  

Two podcast hosts recording together at a studio table.

Law 401 is a Rhode Island–based, public service podcast produced by the only law school in the state, primarily for its residents.  Whether you’re a concerned citizen, community advocate, or just curious about the legal forces shaping your world, Law 401 makes complex legal topics accessible, engaging, and relevant.

Access Law 401: Legal Issues Decoded

Location Matters

Three students walking down a shell path

Beautiful coastline or dynamic city -- experience both: 

  • Seaside Bristol — a classic New England village and the perfect place to focus on your studies.
    In 2025, Bristol was named by Safewise as the safest community in RI for the 6th straight year.  
  • Urban Providence — Rhode Island’s capital and your hub for real-world legal practice. 
    Our experiential campus provides direct access to the excitement and opportunities of Providence—Rhode Island’s capital and the hub of its legal, business, and cultural communities.

Wherever you are, you’ll have insider access to opportunities that bring your legal education to life from day one.
 

Your Legal Career Starts Here in Rhode Island 

Discover the difference of a law school deeply connected to its community and state. 

Start Your Journey — Request Info

Close Course Type Descriptions

Course Types

We have classified RWU Law classes under the following headers. One of the following course types will be attached to each course which will allow students to narrow down their search while looking for classes.

Core Course

Students in the first and second year are required to take classes covering the following aspects of the law—contracts, torts, property, criminal law, civil procedure, and constitutional law, evidence, and professional responsibility.  Along with these aspects, the core curriculum will develop legal reasoning skills.

Elective

After finishing the core curriculum the remaining coursework toward the degree is completed through upper level elective courses.  Students can choose courses that peak their interests or courses that go along with the track they are following.

Seminar

Seminars are classes where teachers and small groups of students focus on a specific topic and the students complete a substantial research paper.

Clinics/Externships

Inhouse Clinics and Clinical Externships legal education is law school training in which students participate in client representation under the supervision of a practicing attorney or law professor.  RWU Law's Clinical Programs offer unique and effective learning opportunities and the opportunity for practical experience while still in law school.