Prelaw

What it’s about:

Prelaw is not a major or a prescribed course of study, and it is not a requirement for law school. Rather, it is an advising program designed to help you prepare for law school while in college, explore future legal careers, and manage the law school application process. You must obtain a bachelor’s degree to apply to law school, but you can major in anything you want.

What the study of this major is like:

Because “prelaw” is not a major but an advising program, there are no admission requirements-just register with the prelaw adviser as early as you can. You will still have to pick a college major before the end of year second year.

While many prelaw students choose majors that are considered traditional preparation for law school, such as English, history, political science, legal studies, economics, or business, none of these disciplines are preferred by law school. You can major in art, music, math, computer science, a foreign language-anything that will lead to a bachelor’s degree. What matters is that you take courses that will help you develop the skills law schools are looking for and that will help you do well on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).

Just what are those skills? According to the American Bar Association (ABA), a likely candidate for law school is good at critical thinking and reading; writing, speaking, and listening; research; and task management and organization. Law schools also look for applicants who value service and justice and who have an understanding of the historical, cultural, and political influences on society; of human behaviour and sociology; and of basic math and science.

Your prelaw adviser will assist you in selecting courses and extracurricular activities that can give you the grounding you need. A useful approach is to choose challenging courses from demanding professors. Get as much practice as you can in critical thinking and writing. Seek out courses in which you will be expected to write several papers and will receive detailed feedback. Literature courses offer practice in close reading, and a course in logic is often recommended for reasoning and analysis.

If you like math or science, you might want to consider a major in one of those areas. Scientific or technical knowledge can make you marketable in specialized fields such as patent law or environmental law.

In evaluating an applicant’s extracurricular activities or internships, law school admissions committees are flexible. Still, they favour activities that indicate a candidate’s sense of service and justice and that helps reveal his or her interests and experiences. While a law-related internship will not give you an edge, it is an excellent way to see what lawyers do and to determine if their work is what you would enjoy doing.

If you choose prelaw, be prepared to take your college work seriously. Admission to law school is competitive, so aim for an above-average GPA – 3.5 and higher is preferable, although 3.0 to 3.5 is still acceptable, if coupled with a good LSAT score. Other factors such as letters of recommendation and extracurricular activities are relatively minor compared with the GPA and the LSAT score. The higher these numbers are, the more options you will have when choosing law schools.

But don’t worry about law school right now. Enjoy college, and be open to the ideas and options you will discover there. There will be plenty of time to focus on a legal career later. Major in what interests you – you will do better in classes that excite and challenge you.

Career option and trends:

Private practice lawyer*; government attorney*; corporate attorney*; paralegal; legislative aid; journalist; business executive; public interest lawyer; public official; legal editor.

Prelaw advising helps prepare the student for law school, not for a career. To become a practicing attorney, you must obtain a J.D. degree from a law school, pass a state bar exam, and be admitted to the bar in a specific jurisdiction (state or federal). But there are many law-related careers that do not bar.

Currently, the number of law school graduates is outpacing the number of job openings at law firms. New lawyers are increasingly finding work in less traditional areas where a law degree may be an asset, but not required.

While there will always be a need for lawyers, job prospects generally track the ups and downs of the economy. Certain areas of practice, such as real estate, are more likely than others to be affected by economic cycles.

Source: CollegeBoard 2012 Book of Majors