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Pre-Professional Programs

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Pre-Law Program

A student who wishes to pursue a career in legal services will face three challenges: (1) should I go to law school? (2) what can I do that may help me prepare to succeed in law school? And (3) what coursework may prepare me for success as an attorney? Different choices in undergraduate experiences may help in meeting each of these challenges. Mary Baldwin College is committed to ensuring that students are prepared for the rigors of law school and have the skills needed to conduct a successful professional career.

Challenge 1: Should I go to law school?

Mary Baldwin College pre-law advisors urge undergraduate students to gain first hand experience in one or more legal environments (e.g., law firm offices; public defenders’ offices; clerk of court offices) before deciding whether or not to go to law school. Internships and summer jobs provide the best opportunity for the student to learn if the quantity and qualities of the work attorneys do meshes with their personal preferences and personal style. It is fine to talk with knowledgeable others who are attorneys, too, but our experience has shown that the best guidance comes from the student’s own practical experience in the legal profession. At a minimum, a student informally should “shadow” more than one attorney on several full work days in order to acquire a clear sense of the job. Many students have benefitted from full time employment as a paralegal after completion of their BA degree. Life is not a race: it is best to be certain of your compatibility with the goal prior to undertaking the large expense of going to law school.

Challenge 2: What can I do as an undergraduate student to prepare to succeed in law school?

In its statement on pre-legal education, the Association of American Law Schools has expressed the view that there is no "pre-law major'' nor "pre-law curriculum'' as such. Mary Baldwin pre-law advisors agree. We recommend a strong liberal arts foundation as the best undergraduate preparation for the study of law. Courses and majors that routinely require students to write essays that are evaluated on the basis of their reasoning and supporting evidence are to be preferred. 

Challenge 3: What can I do to prepare to succeed as an attorney?

Understanding people, especially understanding how to work with and motivate others, is important to success as an attorney. Courses emphasizing group psychology and social processes may address these areas. Most legal employment involves working with businesses, so understanding how businesses are organized, and how accounting is practiced, may impart needed skills. Skills in researching, in writing, and in reasoning each are important. Courses in most liberal arts disciplines may help students in these areas. Confidence in effective communication is important. All courses that develop students’ speaking abilities may be helpful, including courses in theater and communications.

No single list of courses can appropriately guide all who are considering law school. Most importantly, students should elect to pursue a major in which they can succeed: high grades are valued in the law school admissions process. Students should not shy away from courses that present demanding examinations: skill in succeeding under rigorously paced conditions will be a factor on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), in law school, and on the job as an attorney. The following list of courses reflects recent changes in the format of the LSAT and emphasizes logic, reading comprehension, and the matching of factual situations with legal concepts. Please note: The following courses are just examples of the types of courses that emphasize appropriate skills and concepts, not a checklist of courses for all students to take:

Advisors

Gordon Bowen, professor of political science; BA, San José State University; MA, PhD, University of California at Santa Barbara.

Robert Klonoski, assistant professor of business administration; BS, Fairfield University; MBA, University of Connecticut; JD, Brooklyn Law School

Sally Ludwig, assistant professor of business administration and political science; AB, Randolph-Macon Woman's College; MA, JD, The University of Virginia.

Steven Mosher, professor of health care administration and political science; BA, MA, PhD, University of South Carolina.

Laura van Assendelft, associate professor of political science; BA, The University of the South; PhD, Emory University.