Law

Preamble

Like many liberal arts colleges, Whitman has no separate Pre-Law major. Lawyers need to possess excellent writing, reading, critical thinking and analytical skills, as well as a basic understanding of the human experience. Common undergraduate majors for future Whitman lawyers include economics, English, history, philosophy, and sociology, but law schools look with equal favor on students who have excelled in other rigorous liberal arts majors.

Advisors and combined program

The Pre-Law Advisors at Whitman can offer direction and advice to students about their plans for law school. Professor Patrick Frierson (frierspr@whitman.edu) and Assistant Dean Noah Leavitt (leavitns@whitman.edu) are the current Advisors. Whitman also offers a combined program with Columbia University that allows students to complete a bachelor’s degree and law degree after six years instead of the usual seven. Additional information can be found in the online version of the Whitman College Course Catalog.

Resources

The Student Engagement Center has a number of books available in its library that provide information about law schools and careers in law. Also, students can contact alumni who can offer information regarding the practice of law through the Career Consultant Network at the Student Engagement Center. Also available in our Center is the LSAT/LSDAS Registration and Information Book which contains all the information needed to register for and take the LSAT. Please visit our office to pick up a copy.

Whitman College will held our annual Law School Panel on October 11, 2012 in Reid Campus Center G2 from 11:00am - 12:00pm. Law school representatives discussed the application process, financial aid, and the LSAT. Stay tuned for updates on next year's event in Fall 2013.

Useful Links

• The Law School Admission Council - A nonprofit corporation whose goal is to provide the highest quality admission-related services for legal education institutions and their applicants throughout the world.

• Kaplan’s Guide to Law School Admissions and the LSAT - Provides information on LSAT tutoring, online courses, and summer prep programs.

• Yahoo: Law Schools - A collection of links to law schools, departments, and programs throughout the world.

• US News and World Report Law School Rankings - Surveyed 184 accredited programs to get the information used in the ranking of top law schools.

• Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools - Provides data collected from all American Bar Association-Approved and Law School Admission Council-member law schools.

• ABA Pre-Law site - Provides law school accreditation, continuing legal education, information about the law, and programs to assist lawyers and judges in their work.

• ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund - Provides students with financial assistance to attend law school.

• Internet Legal Research Group rankings - Index to law school rankings.

• Boston Law School Locator - Lists the 25th to 75th percentile LSAT scores and GPA ranges of first year classes at accredited law schools.

• LSAT Exam Practice Tests

• LSAT Test Questions

• Law School Comparison -Compares law schools based on various criteria

• Washington State Bar Association - Helpful information about applying for law schools from the Washington State Bar Association.