To:
All Students

From:
Markeisha J. Miner, Dean of Students
Chantal Thomas, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Radice Family Professor of Law

Re:
Law School Code of Academic Integrity
Standards for Professional Conduct Within the Cornell Law School
Cornell University Campus Code of Conduct

 Whether you are a new or returning student, we welcome you (back) to Cornell Law School. Now that the semester is underway, we hope that the beginning or resumption of your legal studies has been rewarding in spite of these challenging times. The ongoing public health crisis is an important reminder of just how special our close-knit and caring community is. Critical to our sense of community is a set of shared standards and expectations. Accordingly, the new academic year also presents both an opportunity and an obligation for us to provide this notice that, in addition to the current campus public health rules (Student Public Health Requirements | COVID-19 Response | Cornell University) as well as the policies in the Student Handbook (https://community.lawschool.cornell.edu/student-life/student-handbook/), there are three separate codes governing the behavior of all members of the Cornell Law School community: 1) the Law School Code of Academic Integrity; 2) the Standards for Professional Conduct Within the Cornell Law School; and 3) the Cornell University Campus Code of Conduct. 

The Law School Code of Academic Integrity (“Honor Code”) requires all students to be scrupulously honest regarding all academic work, including course work, exams, papers, law review, and journal submissions. The Honor Code requires law students to follow all exam instructions including precise time limits. The Code also requires all students to be entirely accurate and candid in communications with employers. When convictions occur, notice of details (including sanctions) is posted on the bulletin board across from the Registrar’s Office. A copy of the code can be found online at https://support.law.cornell.edu/students/forms/law_school_code_of_academic_integrity.pdf or on page 50 of the Cornell Law School Student Handbook. 

The Standards for Professional Conduct Within the Cornell Law School is a strong statement adopted by our faculty describing our community expectations of professionalism and civility in the law school. A copy of these Standards for Professional Conduct can be found online at https://support.law.cornell.edu/students/forms/Standards_for_Professional_Conduct.pdf or on page 49 of the Cornell Law School Student Handbook. 

The Cornell University Campus Code of Conduct governs all non-academic behavior which occurs on the Cornell campus. In addition to sanctions against many types of illegal behavior, there are also code provisions prohibiting misrepresentations to university officials, as well as sanctions for violating various university rules, both on and off campus. A copy of the Cornell Campus Code of Conduct can be found online at https://www.dfa.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/policy/CCC.pdf. 

If you feel that you or a fellow student may be the victim of a code violation, we urge you to see one of us as soon as practicable after the incident. 

Fortunately, few law students ever need to become intimately familiar with the details of any of our codes either because they are a victim of a code violation or because they are accused of violating one of these codes. However, at this juncture, you should realize that these codes do exist and govern your behavior. Even though they reflect common sense and simple decency, we advise you to carefully review them and familiarize yourself with their provisions. Sanctions under both the Honor Code and the Campus Code of Conduct may range from a verbal reprimand to expulsion from the University. You should also be aware that violations of these codes may be considered during bar exam character and fitness certification process.