Email accounts are created over the summer, and the timing of the email account distribution varies from year to year. However, it will definitely be after our second deposit deadline. Be sure to check our admitted students webpage throughout the summer for updates.
You will receive your student ID card (and, by extension, ID number) as part of the Orientation process (mid-to-late August). As it is made available, information regarding this process will be posted on our admitted students webpage. You do NOT need a student ID number to reserve on-campus housing or purchase a meal plan.
Law students have full access to all on-campus dining facilities. Some law students have meal plans, others simply have expense dollars on their Student ID cards. There is a dining area at the law school (the Brief Stop) which typically offers a hot meal option, a sandwich and salad bar, as well as snacks, drinks and weekly specials. There is also a dining hall and cafe (Cafe '77) in the Student Commons building on the undergraduate campus. There is also an additional dining option, the E. Cafe, located in the Hillel House. As the Brief Stop closes around 5:00 p.m. during the week and is not open on weekends, the only on-campus dining options during the evening are the dining hall and Cafe '77. The law school is also within a reasonable walk (about ten minutes) of the downtown area which has a number of restaurants.
For more information about purchasing a meal plan, as well as dining options, please consult the Dining Services webpage. Information about meal plans will also be available at Orientation.
For more information regarding Lexington restaurants, please see the Lexington Visitor's Center's restaurant webpage.
All law students will live off campus as of Fall 2013. More than 90% of our students currently live off-campus, and there are a significant number of affordable properties conveniently located near the law school. For off-campus housing, typical monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment can cost from $350-500, and a two bedroom apartment can rent for $500 - $900. A great many of our students live in and around downtown Lexington (approximately a 10 to 15 minute walk from the law school).
For more information about law student housing, including how to reserve a room on campus and where to begin your apartment search, please consult our Housing webpage. In addition, a number of property listings are available via our Facebook group for admitted students.
For those students seeking off-campus housing, we encourage you to consult the classified ads, utilize the local realtors (many of whom are located along Main Street and do not charge for their services), visit the law school (a great many apartment listings are posted on the bulletin boards in and around the building) and drive around town.
Lexington is small enough that a great many landlords advertise an availability by simply posting a sign in front of the property. We encourage you to take a day or two, come to Lexington and look around. Please note there are a number of living spaces for rent that you may consider less than suitable (admittedly there are some landlords in the Lexington area who have very creative definitions of "inhabitable"). We recommend that you do not rent any property site unseen.
Once you've decided to attend W&L Law, you should begin your apartment search as soon as possible. Students who begin looking for housing in May or June typically have the best chances of finding a suitable apartment. However, while sooner is better than later, if you are not able to begin looking for a place to live until late summer, please do not worry. Plenty of housing options typically remain in July or early August.
For more tips and information regarding the procurement of off-campus housing, please see our webpage for off-campus housing. In addition, a number of property listings are available via our Facebook group for admitted students. Please also be sure to check out 3L Mike Bombace's blog post on the housing search.
Most of our students have cars, but Lexington is a fairly compact community and is pedestrian and bike-friendly. Several grocery stores are no more than a fifteen to twenty minute walk (or less) from the downtown area, however, Wal-Mart is slightly further away and most likely requires a ride. For those who choose to have a car on campus, there is ample parking available and the law student lots are immediately adjacent to the law school.
At Orientation, new students wishing to park on campus will complete the required University parking forms; the 2012-2013 annual parking fee is $50.00.
W&L has an Honor System that has been in place for nearly 150 years. The system is based on the fundamental principle that a spirit of trust makes Washington and Lee a unique educational institution. As it is not codified, the Honor System applies to all aspects of campus life, and it works because our students really do buy into and support it. Because of the honor system, our students know they can trust each other, and this trust allows them to relax and focus on being law students.
One of the most memorable parts of the first year Orientation experience is the Honor presentation, and as part of this process, all incoming students agree to uphold the Honor System. Students charged with violating the honor system are subject to a hearing process (conducted by their peers), and a great many law students are meaningfully involved with the various aspects of this process. Some law students serve as law class representatives to the Executive Committee (or "EC" as it is more colloquially know), the student organization responsible for the hearing and adjudication of all honor disputes. A few law students have even served as executive officers in this organization. Other law students are involved as Honor Advocates. These students assist individuals accused of an honor or conduct violation in preparing and presenting their cases to the Executive Committee or to the Student Judicial Council or Student-Faculty Hearing Board (see below).
To learn more about the Honor System, visit: http://ec.wlu.edu/
Non-Honor violations are subject to the jurisdiction of two other campus organizations in which law students are often involved in a leadership capacity, Student Judicial Council (SJC) and the Student-Faculty Hearing Board (SFHB). The SJC investigates and acts upon complaints of alleged student misconduct, save honor and sexual misconduct, while the SFHB hears allegations of prohibited discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, or hazing by individual students and non-Greek student organizations.
We have over fifty (50) student organizations at the law school, ranging from the intellectual to the extremely extracurricular. Where else can you find an International Law Society, an American Constitution Society, a Black Law Students Association, an OUTLAW group, an American Pacific American Law Student Association, a Wine Law Society and an Epicurean Society? A great many of our upper level students are involved in two or three different organizations during their second and third years of law school. For a complete listing of the many ways in which you can get involved during your time at W&L Law, please see our Student Organization Directory.
During the first couple of weeks of your time on campus, there will be an Organizations and Activities Fair which will provide you with an opportunity to meet and interact with organization leaders and figure out the organizations in which you may wish to be involved.
Our Moot Court program is a little different, practically speaking, than programs at other law schools. Rather than having a fixed Moot Court team of ten or twelve individuals who represent the law school at all external competitions, we have internal competitions to determine who will represent the school externally. These competitions are not mandatory, but they are open to all second and third year students. The competitions include Negotiations, Appellate Advocacy, Mock Trial, Client Counseling and Mediation. First year students are not able to compete in these competitions, however, they are able to participate as clients, witnesses and bailiffs.
All participating students are able to have at least one round of experience at the school level. Those students who perform well advance to subsequent rounds, and the students who win ultimately go on to represent W&L Law at regional competitions, and potentially, depending upon their performance at the regional level, nationally.
The Moot Court program is run by the Moot Court Executive Board. This organization consists of third year students, and while there is some faculty involvement, the students are responsible for the administration of the competitions. Faculty, practitioners and judges are often brought in to judge the later and final rounds of the individual competitions.
For more information about our Moot Court program, please see our Moot Court webpage.
Orientation typicall begins in mid- to late-August. Attendance at Orientation is REQUIRED. A tentative Orientation schedule is typically available by mid to late July. For a full listing of dates and scheduling information, please consult our academic calendar:
Most of our law students use a laptop for a variety of coursework. Wireless internet is available throughout the building. Our Technology Services personnel has compiled a very informative page that addresses a great many questions incoming students have about technology at W&L Law:
http://law.wlu.edu/technology/
Please consult the following link for more information regarding your W&L mailing address:
http://campusmail.wlu.edu/LawStudents.htm
You will get your schedule as part of the Orientation process. Schedules are set in advance for each student, and you will not need to register for any classes. For more information about the first year (as well as subsequent years of study at W&L Law please consult the below link:
http://law.wlu.edu/admissions/page.asp?pageid=311
No. Individual course schedules for incoming first year students are not available until the first day of Orientation.
All first-year students receive their schedules on the first day of Orientation, and for the first time in a very long time, you will not register for courses during your first year of law school at W&L Law.
First-year students take a wide variety of classes during their first year. During your first semester, you will take Civil Procedure, Contracts, Criminal Law and Torts. Second semester you will take American Public Law Process, Professional Responsibility, Property and Transnational Law.
For more information about your first year as well as subsequent years of legal study as W&L, please consult our overview of our J.D. program. Please also see our course descriptions for first year, as well as those for second and third year for more detailed information regarding individual courses. Click here for additional information about our three-year curricular progression.
While we do not have an absolute prohibition against first year employment, law students are strongly encouraged not to work during their first year of law school (due to the rigor and demands of the workload). If you are interested in working during your first year, we recommend you consider doing a work study. If you would like to do a work study, please contact Cynthia Hintze, Senior Assistant Director of Financial Aid at 540.458.8032 or chintze@wlu.edu, and she can make the necessary amendments to your financial aid documentation.
In addition, while law students can work no more than twenty hours a week (even during their second and third years), we typically recommend first-year students work no more than 10-12 hours per week.
Lexington is a wonderful area to raise a family. Its small town charm, low cost of living, good schools and strong sense of community provide a high quality of life for those law students relocating to the Lexington area with spouses, significant others or families. For an in-depth guide to living in Lexington with a family, please visit our Students with Families page.
The job market in Lexington is tight; however, law students' companions have two advantages. First, every year a certain number of jobs become available when law students' companions leave Lexington after graduation. Second, the law school's active "grapevine" supplements more traditional methods of job-seeking. Informal networking can provide many opportunities, so you'd be wise to make your talents and qualifications known, whether at Open House or through email conversations with current students, your Kirgis Fellow or law school administrators. It's best to come early and look hard!
Lexington is a residential town with many banks, stores, restaurants and business offices that are potential sources of employment. It is also a college town, and, in addition to Washington and Lee, is home to the Virginia Military Institute. Nearby institutions of higher learning include Southern Virginia University, in neighboring Buena Vista (pronounced B'YOO-nuh VIS-ta), Roanoke College in Salem (55 miles), Mary Baldwin College in Staunton (pronounced STAN-ton) (30 miles), James Madison University in Harrisonburg (60 miles) and The University of Virginia in Charlottesville (65 miles). Each of these nearby cities offers a wider range of employment opportunities than does Lexington; commuting in this region isn't characterized by the rush hour traffic that plagues larger metropolitan areas and spouses/partners/professors and others in the community sometimes carpool to make the trips easier.
For more information regarding securing employment in Lexington and the surrounding areas, please see our the "Job Seekers" portion of our webpage for Law Students with Families.
There is a Fitness Center on-campus to which law students have access, as well as regular Yoga, Hip-Hop, Spin and other group exercise classes. For more information regarding group exercise courses, please see the University's webpage for group fitness opportunities.
For other Campus Recreation opportunities, including intramurals, please see the University's Campus Recreation webpage.
Intramural sports are also a big part of law school life. In fact, the law school has its own intramural league, run by third year law students affectionately known as Sport Czars. Students play a variety of sports throughout the year – football in the fall, floor hockey and basketball in the winter and soccer and softball (the annual Dean's Cup softball tournament is a popular campus event) in the spring. These games are a great way to get to know your classmates and a great outlet during law school. Visitors to our campus in the fall are likely to find most of the student body on the law school lawn watching the glory, the majesty the passion that is the Law School Football League. The individual law classes often field teams to compete in the campus-wide intramural competitions. For more information regarding intramurals, please the University intramurals webpage.
Interested in playing a club sport? See the University's webpage for Sport Clubs.
There are also a number of outdoor activities available in the Lexington area. Lexington is situated a short fifteen minute drive from the Blue Ridge Parkway; outdoor activities in the area abound. Whether they're sitting by the river at Goshen, swimming at Panther Falls, cycling on one of Rockbridge County's scenic by-ways, hiking House Mountain, running on one of Lexington's many trails, golfing at one of the area's two golf courses, skiing at one of the four nearby resorts or simply working out at the University Fitness Center, our law students are an active group.
And for those considering a hobby during their time in law school, might we suggest spelunking. There are a number of caves throughout the area, many of which (Endless Caverns, Luray Caverns and Natural Bridge Caverns) are popular tourist destinations. Our law school's unique location affords students the opportunity to experience a variety of activities, outdoor and otherwise, they may find a very hard time doing in the cities in which they aspire to live and practice.
The Washington and Lee University fitness center is available for use by W&L students, faculty and staff, spouses, domestic partners and children of W&L employees and W&L alumni living in Rockbridge County. Spouses and significant others are eligible to apply for privilege cards which allow them to use the fitness center facilities. Those interested should contact Emily Nicely in the Athletics Department: nicelye@wlu.edu or (540) 458-8672.
For an informal compendium of Lexington area activities compiled by our students, please see our List of things to do in Lexington. The Lexington Visitor's Center's webpage is also a great resource for those seeking additional information about accommodations, dining and shopping, as well as historical points of interest.
Yes. There are documentary requirements for every matriculating student. They are as follows:
1) Medical Insurance and Health Information:
Required medical, immunization and health insurance forms for members of our Class of 2016 will be available via Student Health's webpage by late spring. In addition, visit the University's Student Health Center webpages for general information about campus health services, student health insurance options, etc.
2) Final Transcript:
An official final undergraduate transcript must be received by the Director of Law School Records directly from your undergraduate institution, no later than June 30, 2013. Your transcript must indicate that you have qualified for your undergraduate degree before registration in August; it is permissible for your degree to be conferred after registration if all other degree requirements are completed. Transcripts provided to LSDAS and transcripts issued to you, rather than directly to the Director of Law School Records, do not satisfy this requirement. If you have completed graduate work, we recommend you also provide your graduate school transcripts, but it is not required.
Please have your final transcript mailed to the following address:
Washington and Lee University
School of Law
Office of Admissions
Attn: Linda Johnson, Director of Law School Records
Sydney Lewis Hall, Room 508
Lexington, VA 24450-0303
3) Current Mailing and Email Address:
Any change to the mailing or email address you provided on your application should be submitted by email to LawAdm@wlu.edu.
We know there are a great many contrasting suggestions as to what one should do in the summer prior to her first year of law school. We encourage students to relax and enjoy these months. As you are undoubtedly aware, law school can be very demanding, and you will not have a great deal of free time in the coming years. While it's a good idea to stay mentally engaged in some fashion through the summer months (reading, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, etc.), rest and relaxation can be invaluable before one starts law school. Whether you take a trip or opt for a staycation, we hope you will arrive in Lexington in August rested and ready to begin three years of challenging legal study.