Washington University School of Law

Introduction

Washington University School of Law offers its students an outstanding legal education in an intellectually challenging and collegial environment. Our faculty members are recognized for their excellent teaching and scholarship, and they are highly accessible to our students. The School of Law curriculum blends traditional theory with opportunities to participate in a wide variety of lawyering skills courses and cocurricular activities that encourage the development of practical skills and interdisciplinary learning.

Curriculum

Washington University School of Law offers a broad-based curriculum that highlights applied lawyering skills. A three-year, full-time course of study leads to the JD degree. All first-year students have half their courses in small sections of 45 students or less. These small classes increase the opportunities for participation in class discussions and individualized teacher-student contact. Second- and third-year students choose their own classes and can tailor them to fit their own particular interests. Students may also opt to enroll in courses from other graduate programs at the university and apply up to six credit hours toward the JD requirements. In addition, our Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute, and other school-sponsored conferences and symposia expose our students to a wide range of nationally and internationally renowned legal scholars.

Library and Physical Facilities

The law school is situated in state-of-the-art facilities, Anheuser-Busch and Seigle Halls. Both buildings provide well-functioning, vibrant spaces that enhance the law school's sense of community and collaboration. Although the buildings appear traditional, the latest computing and multimedia technologies are incorporated in their design. Cutting-edge information technology provides students with quick access to the Internet where they can register for courses, view grades, order transcripts, access their e-mail, and enhance their legal research capabilities. Wireless connections and digital signage are available throughout. The law library is the focal point for much of the intellectual activity at the law school. It has a collection of over 675,000 volumes and provides access to a rich collection of online databases. The library has particularly strong collections in the areas of international law, environmental law, land use planning, urban law, tax law, Chinese law, and Japanese law.

Clinical Opportunities

The School of Law's exceptional Clinical Education Program provides law students with opportunities to learn professional skills and values by working with clients, attorneys, judges, and legislators under the close supervision of experienced and expert faculty. While offering a diverse array of experiences for students, the program also benefits the larger community—locally, nationally, and internationally. The program includes the Appellate, Civil Justice, Civil Rights and Community Justice, Criminal Justice, Intellectual Property and Nonprofit Organizations, and Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinics. Lawyering and field placement courses include such placements as federal public defenders' offices; United States Attorneys' offices; local, national, and international courts; and legal services organizations. The Congressional and Administrative Law Externship offers students the opportunity to spend a semester working in Washington, DC, for a member of the United States Congress, a congressional committee, or a federal administrative agency. The New York City Regulatory and Business Externship provides the opportunity to work under the direction of attorneys in a variety of nonprofit, government, and in-house counsel offices having an emphasis on business associations and regulation. Washington University has also established an academic partnership with the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. This affiliation provides research collaborations, internships for students, faculty exchanges, and other mutually beneficial projects in which students may be involved.

Special-Degree Programs

Washington University complements its outstanding JD program with many different joint-degree opportunities. In addition to our formal joint-degree programs, students may design their own joint degrees, combining law and another course of study that leads to a master's degree. Joint degrees offered include a JD/MBA, JD/MSW, and JD/MA in East Asian Studies. The School of Law offers LLM programs in Intellectual Property and Technology Law, Taxation, and US Law for International Students. A combined JD/LLM in Taxation may be completed in six or seven semesters. The law school also offers a unique Trans-Atlantic Law Program in conjunction with several European partner schools, including Utrecht University School of Law in the Netherlands. As part of this program, Washington University students will spend five semesters at the Washington University School of Law, then three semesters at a law school in Europe. At the conclusion, each student will receive a JD from Washington University and an LLM from one of the partner schools.

Study-Abroad Opportunities

The School of Law offers our students the opportunity to study abroad for a semester and provides international law students with the chance to study at our law school. Our students take regular courses at leading international institutions, studying under the legal scholars of the country. Washington University has exchange or study-abroad agreements in place with each of the following law schools: Utrecht University in the Netherlands, University of Pretoria in South Africa, Universidade Catolica Portuguesa in Portugal, Fudan University in China, National University of Singapore, University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, Korea University, National Taiwan University, Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, University of Trento in Italy, and Hong Kong University. The law school also offers the Summer Institute for Global Justice, a six-week, intensive course in Utrecht, the Netherlands, focusing on international and comparative law and the Trans-Atlantic Law Program with Utrecht University.

Student Activities

The School of Law publishes four student-edited law review periodicals: Washington University Law Review, Washington University Journal of Law and Policy, Washington University Global Studies Law Review, and Washington University Jurisprudence Review. The Trial and Advocacy Program includes a very active moot court program, mock trial competitions, and competitions in negotiation and client counseling. Students are actively involved in over 40 student organizations, including the Women's Law Caucus, Student Bar Association, Black Law Students Association, Latin American Law Students Association, Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, and OUTLAW (gay and lesbian alliance). Students also participate in a number of volunteer public service projects through student organizations or the school's Public Service Project program.

Public Interest

The School of Law has a long-standing commitment to public service and lawyering in the public interest. In addition to the extensive clinical education program, public interest law is supported in a number of different ways: the Webster Society Scholarship provides full tuition for three years and an annual stipend to entering JD students with exemplary academic credentials and an established commitment to public service; summer stipends provide funding for students who work in summer internships in public interest law; the Mel Brown Family Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) assists graduates beginning their careers in public service positions; the assistant dean of student services coordinates the law school's many public service projects; the director of career services and public interest assists students interested in pursuing careers in the public sector; and the popular Public Interest Law and Policy Speakers Series is offered.

Career Services

Our Career Services Office (CSO) is committed to matching students with outstanding employment opportunities from around the country. The priority is to connect students to the jobs they desire and employers with the students they seek. In addition to hosting extensive fall on-campus and off-campus recruiting programs, the CSO offers a wide range of services throughout the year, including workshops, a mock interview program, and other programming activities. The CSO offers programs on networking and skill development, clerkships, fellowships, researching employers, and a variety of informational sessions on different practice areas. Our graduates move on to many different locations to practice: the class of 2010 relocated to more than 30 different states, the District of Columbia, and several foreign countries. Summer employment is equally diverse. Typically 30 or more states are represented, as well as summer internships in Africa and Asia.

Housing

Students find that the cost of living in St. Louis is much less than in other large metropolitan areas. There is a wide range of affordable housing available near the School of Law. The admission office hosts two "housing days" each summer to assist students in locating housing.

Scholarship and Financial Aid

The school offers merit- and merit/need-based scholarships. Most student aid is in the form of government and privately sponsored loans. Over half the students receive some scholarship assistance; two-thirds receive loans. (Virtually all of those receiving scholarships also receive loans.) The school also offers loan repayment assistance for students who choose qualifying public interest law jobs upon graduation.

Applicant Profile

Washington University School of Law

This grid includes only applicants who earned 120–180 LSAT scores under standard administrations.

	GPA
LSAT Score	3.75+	3.50–3.74	3.25–3.49	3.00–3.24	2.75–2.99	2.50–2.74	2.25–2.49	2.00–2.24	Below 2.00
LSAT score 175–180	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Possible	Possible	Unlikely
LSAT score 170–174	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Possible	Possible	Unlikely
LSAT score 165–169	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 160–164	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 155–159	Good	Possible	Possible	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 150–154	Possible	Possible	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 145–149	Possible	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 140–144	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 135–139	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 130–134	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 125–129	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 120–124	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely

Good  = Good Possibility

Possible  = Possible

Unlikely  = Unlikely