Regent University Law School
Regent University Law School is a private law school located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is part of Regent University, a Christian institution of higher education founded in 1978. The law school was established in 1986 and is fully accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), offering Juris Doctor (J.D.) degrees as well as graduate law programs including Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees in various specializations. It's one of Virginia's law schools with a curriculum that emphasizes legal theory, professional responsibility, and practical skills training, and it weaves Christian values throughout its academic programming. The school serves students from Virginia and across the United States, maintaining both full-time and part-time enrollment options to fit different student circumstances and career goals.[1]
History
Founded in 1986. That's when Regent University Law School began as part of the university's larger academic expansion. Dr. Marion G. "Pat" Robertson, a religious broadcaster and public figure, established the university itself with one core mission: blending Christian principles with professional education across multiple disciplines. The law school's founders saw a gap in legal education grounded in Judeo-Christian values and constitutional principles, and they set out to fill it. From the start, it positioned itself differently than most American law schools of that era by combining rigorous legal training with ethics rooted in religious tradition rather than secular frameworks.
Full ABA accreditation came in 1996. That changed everything. Suddenly, graduates could sit for bar examinations in all fifty states, which didn't happen overnight. The accreditation process required substantial curriculum development, recruiting strong faculty, and meeting rigorous ABA standards. After that milestone, the school expanded its faculty, improved its library resources, and created additional degree programs for different student populations. The law school's evolved over subsequent decades, adapting to contemporary practice areas like cybersecurity law, health law, and immigration law while keeping its foundational commitment to ethics and values-based legal education intact.[2]
Education
Three years for full-time students. Part-time students extend that to four years. The J.D. curriculum covers fundamental legal subjects including civil procedure, contracts, torts, criminal law, constitutional law, and property law, along with mandatory professional responsibility training emphasizing ethical practice. Beyond core requirements, students can focus on specialized areas like business law, family law, environmental law, and intellectual property law while preparing for bar examinations and building practical legal skills through simulations, clinical work, and experiential learning.
Students gain real-world experience through the school's clinics and experiential programs. A legal clinic serves low-income individuals and families in the Hampton Roads region, where students work directly with clients under faculty supervision and provide actual legal services to the community. The school maintains internship programs with local courts, governmental agencies, and law firms throughout Virginia and beyond, giving students broad exposure to different practice settings. Graduate programs include specialized LL.M. degrees for both law graduates seeking advanced study and non-lawyers pursuing legal knowledge in specific areas. Recent investments in technology have expanded significantly, adding legal research databases, virtual law offices, and online courses to serve students with different accessibility needs and work commitments.[3]
Notable People
Regent University Law School has graduated individuals who've pursued careers in judicial service, government, private practice, and public interest law throughout Virginia and nationally. Alumni serve in various state and federal courts, work as attorneys in major law firms and corporate legal departments, and practice in solo and small-firm settings across multiple practice areas. Some graduates have joined law school faculties, contributing scholarly work to legal literature and advancing legal education themselves. The faculty brings experienced practitioners and scholars with backgrounds spanning private practice, government service, and judicial clerkships, offering practical expertise and diverse perspectives to students.
Faculty scholars have published extensively in constitutional law, environmental law, family law, and professional responsibility, shaping legal discourse through law review articles, books, and expert commentary. Visiting scholars and adjunct faculty from local courts and practicing law firms supplement the permanent faculty, ensuring students encounter cutting-edge legal developments and current practice perspectives. Faculty members also serve on various state and local commissions addressing legal and policy matters, keeping the school connected to broader legal and civic communities throughout the Hampton Roads region and Virginia.
Notable Facilities and Resources
The law school's housed in Regent University's Virginia Beach campus with classroom spaces equipped with modern instructional technology, multiple computer laboratories, and collaborative learning areas supporting contemporary legal education. Its law library maintains extensive collections including comprehensive coverage of federal and state case reports, statutes, legal treatises, and specialized resources in areas emphasized in the curriculum. Digital resources provide access to major legal research platforms such as Westlaw and Lexis, plus specialized databases for practitioners and researchers in particular practice areas. The facility includes student organization spaces, a moot court room equipped for appellate advocacy simulation, and administrative offices supporting admissions, career services, and academic advising.
Being in Virginia Beach offers significant advantages for students. The Hampton Roads region includes federal and state courthouses, government agency headquarters, and substantial private legal practice communities, creating networking and employment opportunities for current students and recent graduates. Proximity to these institutions means real-world legal practice is practically at students' doorsteps. The university's broader campus community fosters interdisciplinary learning, as law students interact with students and faculty from business, government, and divinity programs, enriching the educational experience through diverse perspectives and collaborative projects that transcend traditional law school boundaries.