About the J.D. Program at W&L

The First Year

"MENTAL BOOT CAMP" is a term that has been used--partly in jest, partly not--to describe the first year of law school at W&L. It's not that everyone is trying to make life difficult for first-year law students, by imposing on them some sort of rite of passage. It's just that the law is different. There is nothing black-and-white about it. Often "facts" aren't even facts in a legal sense. That takes some getting used to. Success depends less on how much you absorb than on how well you learn to use it. Learning becomes a much more active endeavor, compared with even the most demanding of undergraduate educations.

At the same time, there is no arm's-length teaching at W&L. You will be expected to do a lot of writing and a lot of rewriting even in the first year, but not without feedback from full-time, tenure-track professors, all in connection with substantive courses. All first year courses are required, to give you a broad perspective of legal issues: American Public Law Process, Civil Procedure I and II, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Contracts, Property, and Torts.

The Second Year

AFTER THE FIRST YEAR, you go from having all required courses to having almost none. There are just two: Professional Responsibility and Constitutional Law. Beyond that, Washington and Lee School of Law offers nearly 120 electives, which gives you considerable freedom in structuring your program of study for the second and third years according to your personal interests and career objectives. The range of courses and special research seminars open to second-year and third-year students is considered remarkable for a law school the size of W&L's. It's a good idea to think about what you hope to cover during the total two-year period. While the actual requirements are minimal, giving you as much flexibility as possible, certain advanced courses or seminars do have specific prerequisites to be aware of. Starting in the second year, you will be applying rules of analysis to specific areas of the law, and there will be even more emphasis on clear, careful, and concise written and oral expression.

The Third Year

THE MOST PRESSING QUESTION many third-year law students across the country are asking themselves is, "which courses do I need for the bar exam?" or "what can I take that will help me get the right job?" Meanwhile, professors teaching third-year students at W&L are apt to be asking themselves, "How can I challenge this class even more? How can I push them closer and closer to becoming lawyers, not just a typical bunch of third-year law students?" The answer, W&L faculty members generally agree, is to make sure you, as a third-year student, get involved in at least one "intensive analytical experience." It might take any number of forms, extending over a semester or even an entire academic year. Or longer. The purpose is to make the third year more interesting and more challenging than anything you have experienced before, a time to sharpen your judgment as well as the other lawyerly skills you have been developing.

After W&L

WASHINGTON AND LEE SCHOOL OF LAW has witnessed many changes in the 150 years since its founding in 1849. In the Law School's earliest days, Judge John White Brockenbrough was the sole faculty member, and the course of study was short. Yet the Law School made a difference in the life of the nation almost immediately, educating countless Governors and State Supreme Court Justices across the country, a Supreme Court Justice and Solicitor General of the United States, ambassadors, cabinet members, legislators, and distinguished members of the bar.

Though the profession and legal education have changed over the years, the Law School today remains a vital part of the national scene. Our graduates sit on federal and state benches throughout the nation, practice law in large corporate firms and small family practices, prosecute and defend criminal cases, represent the government at the national, state and local levels, lead businesses, advise corporations, advocate on behalf of public interest groups, and serve in the myriad of ways that lawyers have served society since the beginning of our nation.

Placement

ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS ABOUT A LAW DEGREE is that you can do many—and very different—things with it. Whether you elect a multinational firm with headquarters on Wall Street, small-town practice on Main Street, a prosecutor's office, legal services to indigent clients, lobbying on Capitol Hill, a judicial clerkship, an in-house counsel position with a corporation, an advanced degree, or any of the other possibilities open to Washington and Lee graduates, your job search will benefit from the expertise, support, and guidance of the law school's Career Services office. Staffed by two placement professionals, both of whom are lawyers, Career Services assists students with the logistics of the job search, such as preparing resumes and cover letters, honing interview skills, and developing a search strategy, and also works to educate students about the variety of practice options. For some, a large corporate firm in an urban setting representing Fortune 500 clients in large-scale transactions is exactly the right environment, and many of our graduates choose that path. For another, it may be a position with the public defender's office, or with the Federal Communications Commission, or a judicial clerkship. No two job searches are exactly alike, and at Washington and Lee, students meet one-on-one with a placement professional to match the hundreds of opportunities available with their goals, interests, and qualifications. It's not a "one size fits all" program. You set the agenda, and we help.

For more information on placement, visit the Office of Career Services.