Information found in this online edition of the 2008-09 catalog is unofficial and for informational purposes only. By authority of the dean of the College, some factual corrections to the printed version may appear here. The official document of record is the printed edition of the 2008-09 Catalog. For more information, please contact the Office of the Registrar.
Pre-Law
Coordinator: Todd Lochner
A law degree equips one for a wide variety of careers in law, business, government, and politics. The practice of law itself encompasses a multitude of variations from megafirms to solo practice, from in-house counsel to prosecutor, from policy advocate to public defender. Therefore, law schools do not require, and Lewis & Clark does not prescribe, a single course of study as pre-law preparation. Faculty advisors usually recommend courses that cultivate analytical and writing skills as excellent preparation for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and for subsequent work in law school.
Recent graduates of Lewis & Clark's College of Arts and Sciences have pursued legal education at Duke, the University of California at Berkeley, Boston College, Emory, Cornell, Columbia, Georgetown, Harvard, Tulane, Lewis & Clark Law School, and many other fine schools throughout the country. Some graduates elect to go directly into the study of law after graduation; others wait a year or two before applying to law school.
Students have gone to law school after majoring in almost every field at Lewis & Clark. The majority are from the social sciences and the humanities. Recently, more science majors have been entering the legal profession as well. Several Lewis & Clark undergraduate courses involve meetings with federal and state judges, visiting large and small law firms, guest appearances by practicing lawyers, and sharing events at the law school.
Informal pre-law advisors advise students and maintain information regarding law schools, the application process, and the legal profession. Information about law school and legal careers is also available from Lewis & Clark Law School. Undergraduate students are encouraged to participate in the many public events sponsored by the law school.
Positions held by graduates include law school professor, U.S. representative, lobbyist, director of city planning, manager of a billion-dollar light rail construction project, U.S. ambassador, trial and appellate court judges, and congressional committee staffers.