Pre - Law
"The Pre-Law Advising Committee suggests that the best preparation for law school is a broad education which ensures exposure to the varieties of thought about he social, political, economic, philosophical, and cultural forces which have shaped law and the societies it governs."
Pre-Law Advising Committee
- David Sherman (Associate Professor, Philosophy): Coordinator
- James Burfeind (Professor, Sociology)
- Casey Charles (Professor, English)
- Amanda Dawsey (Assistant Professor, Economics)
- Dan Doyle (Professor, Sociology)
- Jerry Furniss (Professor, Management)
- Stephen Grimm (Assistant Professor, Philosophy)
- James Lopach (Professor, Political Science)
- Michael Mayer (Professor, History)
- Jack Morton (Professor, Management)
PREPARATION FOR LAW SCHOOL
Many students go to law school without any specific advance preparation for the study of law. Often such students complete their undergraduate work with other careers, or programs of study, in mind. The advice offered below about programs of pre-law study is not meant to discourage such students from attending law school. Indeed, many different academic disciplines, and many different life experiences, including work experience, can effectively prepare one for law school and the practice of law. What is offered here is some advice to the undergraduate student who asks, “What might I do to prepare myself for law school?”
Recommended Prelaw Curriculum
A Broad-Based Education
Law and legal institutions do not operate in a vacuum. They operate in, and thereby reflect, an historical, cultural, political, economic, sociological, and philosophical context. This means that it is difficult to understand the development of law without understanding the ways in which these contexts shape the law. Our law reflects, for example, (1) our Judeo-Christian and Western European heritage; (2) our political and economic institutions; (3) the ideals and traditions of the 18th century enlightenment; and (4) our specific history, including the histories of slavery and the treatment of native peoples. Pre-law students would thus be well served by a program of study that is strong in liberal arts courses, which provides insight into these contexts of law.
Gaining insight about the human experiences, the social institutions, and the values to which law responds means more, however, than merely gathering information. It means, in particular, learning how to think critically about the various features of our social life—to make sound judgments based on factual evidence, as well as social and moral principle. A broad-based education is one that provides this critical habit of mind. Such an education goes beyond mere description and mindless acceptance. This is the education that best equips the undergraduate pre-law student for the analytical challenges of law school.
Your Major
The particular major you select is less important than gaining a broad-based education. Students with majors as diverse as engineering, business, forestry, science, nursing, music, and art have excelled in law school. Moreover, at each college or university, some major programs are stronger and more challenging than others. For example, at one institution, a political science, biology, or accounting major may offer the most rigorous education; at another institution it may be history, philosophy, classics, or English. Thus, the major you select should depend not only on your abilities and interests but also on your institution.
Your major program, whatever it is, is important because intensive study in a challenging and inspiring major program will help you develop as a scholar. It will also lead you to appreciate the ways each major discipline informs us about ourselves and our world, while at the same time narrowing out thought by focusing on issues through the lens of particular theories. Because law, too, is a discipline of study, your study in an undergraduate major will help you appreciate both the power and limitations of thought in and about law.
Accordingly: Choose a major that you find interesting, challenging, and inspiring, but be sure to get a strong broad-based education, too.
Writing Skills
Lawyers do an enormous amount of writing. They draft correspondence, memoranda, briefs, contracts, wills, and other documents daily.
Your law school education will prepare you for practice by requiring a demanding regimen of written composition. You are encouraged to prepare for law school by electing undergraduate courses that (1) require substantial written products, (2) provide a system in which the instructor regularly reviews and returns those products with adequate comment, and (3) allow students to rewrite their written work. Moreover, foreign language study improves both your understanding of the world and your ability to read and write English.
Analytical Skills
As important for an attorney as the ability to write is the capacity to comprehend difficult texts and think critically about complicated issues. To prepare you for your law school training, you should take courses in which you must read closely and analyze difficult concepts. Courses that focus specifically on problem solving are also worthwhile. Examples include deductive and inductive logic; economics, mathematics, social science research methods, engineering, natural sciences; comparative religion; and philosophy.
Ethics
Attorneys play a powerful role in society. Not only do they operate essential legal institutions, but they also help to shape them and other institutions.
Lawyers also enjoy a special privilege: their monopoly on the practice of law. With this privilege comes substantial responsibility. How lawyers conduct themselves is important to individuals, their communities, and the legal profession. Consequently, in their personal and professional lives, lawyers must adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct. This requires both that lawyers bring a strong moral character to the study and practice of law, and that they be able to reason effectively about ethical matters. Student who are preparing for law school should thus take courses in ethics, at least one of which should focus on the great traditions of ethics in the western world, and at least one of which should focus on the special ethical problems faced by professionals.
Undergraduate Law Courses
Learning about the contexts in which the law operates is part of a broad-based education. You should therefore study subjects such as political science, philosophy, sociology, economics, management, and history.
You should also sample one or two undergraduate law courses (journalism law, business law, or the like). Taking such courses enables you to test your own interest in the legal system; then spend the rest of your time improving your writing, reading, and analytical skills, and getting a broad-based education. Purely legal training should wait until law school.
