With no established law school in Northern Louisiana, the demand for one to be built has increased due to limited education opportunities. Northwestern State University of Louisiana has plans to establish a law school on campus to offer students of Northern Louisiana a chance at furthering their education in law.

In the state of Louisiana, there are four established law schools—Paul M. Herbert Law Center, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, Southern University Law Center and Tulane University School of Law.

James T. Genovese, president of NSU, stated that over time, he decided to get involved with the idea of establishing a law school at NSU because he wants to see Northern Louisiana progress. “I’ve been involved with it for well over 18 months now. I want to see North Louisiana as developed as South Louisiana is,” he said.

Geographically, the students of Northern Louisiana are heavily restricted when it comes to education access. Genovese pointed out that it is nearly impossible for students to attend law school within their budget or without having to travel to southern cities such as Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

“The kids north of I-10 are very restricted to go to law school. We are denying all of the students north of I-10 the opportunity to go to law school, and that is a crying shame,” Genovese stated.

In Baton Rouge, Paul M. Herbert Law Center of Louisiana State University has the highest bar passage rate in the state, with 89 percent of its students passing their first time taking the bar exam. The total enrollment at LSU Law stands strong at 656 students, 231 of which are first-year students. According to LSU Law’s website, the average yearly cost of attendance is $51,850.90 for Louisiana residents and $67,290.90 for non-Louisiana residents.

Loyola University New Orleans College of Law has a total J.D. student enrollment of 639, 108 of which are first-generation college students. Estimated cost of attendance is $56,894.00 for full-time students and $43,148.00 for part-time students, according to Loyola’s website.

NSU is already prepared and equipped to establish a law school on campus. “We’ve got the land, the building and the personnel to do it. We’re properly and appropriately situated in North Louisiana to give these kids the opportunity to go to law school,” Genovese said.

Genovese described the process in establishing a law school on NSU’s campus as one that has many steps, one of them being completing an application for approval. There are many factors and statistics that are included within the application.

“The application tells everything from the number of students you’re going to have in the first year, the classes that you need, the teachers that you need, the facility that you need and the expenses involved,” he stated.

Genovese is confident that he can run a successful law school at NSU because of his extensive history of working in law and being a judge. “I know what it takes to run a law school. I want to see it happen, not for me, but for North Louisiana,” he added.

Genovese said that NSU has the approval from senators, representatives, judges and district attorneys throughout Northern Louisiana. The Board of Regents has not responded with their approval yet, which has caused a delay in establishing the long-awaited law school. At this time, there is not an estimated timeline for the establishment of the law school.

Kay Padilla recently graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a political science degree in December 2025 and looks to attend law school in the next two to four years. She said that the addition of another in-state school would alleviate some pressure on law schools and students alike.

“I think having another Louisiana law school would be a great idea. We need more in-state law schools. Especially for lower income individuals looking for non-private school tuition prices. My options are really only LSU or Southern, which are great schools but the number of new grads exceeds the number of available spots,” she said. “Loyola and Tulane are also options but for a higher price.”

As the prospective law school waits for approval, NSU students are still able to gain experience and skills through the Pre-Law and Paralegal Studies program. The program prepares students to transition into the legal field by offering hands-on experience. All courses are taught by attorneys and prepare students for real-world professional opportunities.

Rebecca Riall, Pre-Law and Paralegal Studies coordinator, described her roles at NSU. “I teach some of the pre-law and paralegal studies courses. I’m also the coordinator for the program and the pre-law advisor. If a student is interested in law school, I’m happy to talk to them about law school admissions and help them get started with the law school search,” she said.

She stated that having a law school at NSU would help the students and help add prestige to the region. “Not only would it help the students looking for an education here in Louisiana at NSU, but it would help the city and the parish. It would bring more people in and we’ll strive, and I think it would give Northwestern something else to distinguish it,” Riall added.

Genovese is choosing not to quit because the students of Northern Louisiana and NSU are important to him. “I want to see this happen. We can do it better and cheaper here, and give them that education. We need to have a law school in North Louisiana that can accommodate students north of I-10,” he said.