William & Mary School of Law

What William & Mary School of Law does

William & Mary School of Law is the nation's first law school, established in 1779 in Williamsburg, Virginia, and operating as a constituent school of the public College of William & Mary. Its core academic product is the three-year residential Juris Doctor (J.D.) program, anchored by a mandatory Legal Practice Program and supplemented by six experiential clinical programs (Appellate & Supreme Court Clinic, Domestic Violence Clinic, Immigration Clinic, Innocence Project Clinic, Veterans Benefits Clinic, and Special Education Advocacy Clinic) that collectively deliver more than 14,000 hours of community service annually. The school operates approximately twelve to thirteen faculty-led research centers spanning areas such as energy law, the Bill of Rights, court technology, and digital democracy, supported by the Wolf Law Library's access to Bloomberg Law, HeinOnline, LexisNexis, and Westlaw.

Beyond the residential J.D., the school offers a one-year LL.M. in American Legal Studies for foreign-educated lawyers and an expanding online and executive education portfolio that includes an Online MLS, an Online LL.M., and the Compliance and Risk Management Certificate of Completion — a non-credit, CLE/ CEU-accredited program priced at $1,275 per course or $3,250 for the three-course bundle. The school also runs an International Scholar-in-Residence Program at $3,850 per semester or $6,600 per academic year.

Revenue is generated primarily through tuition (in-state JD: $39,754; out-of-state JD: $66,046) plus university fees, executive education pricing, and visiting scholar fees, with additional support from state appropriations, alumni donations, and endowment income managed through the College of William & Mary Foundation. The go-to-market model is sales-led, relying on LSAC forums in major U.S. cities (Washington DC, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Boston), virtual digital forums, campus tours, one-on-one admissions sessions, and multi-channel social media engagement. The school is ranked #34 by U.S. News & World Report, #14 for ultimate bar passage rate, #18 for federal clerkship placements, and reports a 96.5% overall employment rate for the Class of 2025.

Name

William & Mary School of Law

Legal name

William & Mary Law School

Website

https://law.wm.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1779

Operating status

Operating

Short description

William & Mary School of Law is the nation's first law school (founded 1779), offering residential J.D. and LL.M. degrees, online and executive education programs, and twelve-plus research centers. It serves JD students, foreign-educated lawyers, compliance professionals, and visiting international scholars from its Williamsburg, Virginia campus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

ABA-Accredited JD-Granting Law Schools (EDAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

LLM & Post-JD Graduate Law Programs (EDAHAIAC), Online / Hybrid Law Schools & Programs (EDAHAIAE), Law School Continuing Legal Education (CLE) & Executive Programs (EDAHAIAH)

Keywords

• Legal education
• Juris doctor program
• Professional development
• Legal studies
• Executive education

Headquarters

HQ city

Williamsburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: The primary revenue stream is tuition charged to students. In-state students pay $39,754 annually while out-of-state students pay $66,046. Additional revenue comes from University fees ($7,368-$7,939), course fees, and summer school tuition at credit hour rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

William & Mary School of Law, founded in 1779 as the nation's first law school, delivers graduate-level legal education through its J.D. and LL.M. programs, plus online and executive education offerings including a Compliance and Risk Management Certificate. The school combines traditional doctrinal coursework with extensive experiential clinical programs and operates specialized research centers in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Product overview

William & Mary Law School is the nation's first law school, established in 1779, offering a portfolio of residential and online degree programs and professional education offerings. The core product portfolio includes the three-year Juris Doctor (J.D.) residential degree program as the primary offering, supplemented by a one-year LL.M. in American Legal Studies for international lawyers, and a suite of online and executive education programs including non-degree courses, an online MLS, and an online LL.M. Key sub-products include the Compliance and Risk Management Certificate of Completion (a non-credit online program with CLE and CEU accreditation), the mandatory Legal Practice Program for skills training, six experiential clinical programs collectively providing over 14,000 hours of community service annually, twelve faculty-led research centers spanning areas such as court technology, energy law, and digital democracy, and the Wolf Law Library providing access to major legal research databases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Citizen Lawyer: The school's educational philosophy and model preparing graduates for public-spirited legal service and community leadership.

Products and services

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) Program
• LL.M. in American Legal Studies
• Online & Executive Education
• Compliance and Risk Management Certificate
• Experiential Clinical Programs
• Legal Practice Program
• Visiting Scholar Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 96.5% Overall Employment Rate for Class of 2025 (including pursuit of further education)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• University of Richmond School of Law: Another Virginia-based ABA-accredited law school with similar ranking tier and residential JD focus. Directly comparable as a regional public/private competitor competing for similar Virginia applicant pools.
• University of Virginia School of Law: Top-tier (T14) Virginia-based public law school. While ranked significantly higher than William & Mary, it is the dominant in-state public competitor for the same applicant pool and state funding.
• George Mason University (Antonin Scalia Law School): Virginia-based public law school with similar public-university affiliation and applicant demographics. Direct competitor for Virginia residents and state funding within the same Commonwealth system.
• Washington and Lee University School of Law: Virginia-based law school with strong regional brand and similar small-program characteristics. Comparable in size and applicant profile, though privately endowed with higher national ranking.
• American University Washington College of Law: Mid-Atlantic law school with similar ranking tier (#34-40 range historically) and comparable employment outcomes metrics. Competes for similar applicant demographic seeking DC-area legal careers.
• University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law: Mid-Atlantic public law school with similar ranking tier and public-university affiliation. Comparable in tuition structure and regional applicant pool competition.
• Regent University School of Law: Virginia-based law school with notable online and distance-learning JD programs. Competitor specifically in the online and executive education segments where William & Mary is building its portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Georgetown University Law Center: T14-tier law school with extensive online and executive education programs. Larger and more established player in the same overall legal education market with significantly broader program offerings.
• Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law: Top-tier law school that has pioneered online JD and executive education offerings. Sets the standard for hybrid legal education that William & Mary's online programs must compete against.

Emerging players

• Syracuse University College of Law: Mid-tier law school with a leading online JD program and similar JD/online LLM structure. Emerging player in the online legal education segment overlapping with William & Mary's newer digital offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WMLawSchool
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLco0fbHQ9cVVBZOb8BWDk6VNvDoJLSF36
• Facebookfacebook.com/wmlawschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/college-of-william-and-mary
• Instagraminstagram.com/wmlawschool

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about William & Mary School of Law