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Pre-Law

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Barbara Palmer, Ph.D.
Legal Studies Director
(440) 826-2456, bpalmer@mlgo.net

With an emphasis on rigorous coursework, experiential learning and comprehensive studies, Baldwin Wallace University offers outstanding preparation for students interested in law school.

BW's strong arts and sciences foundation provides the framework for you to gain the analytical and communication skills needed to succeed in law school and in a constantly changing legal environment. You'll learn to think, problem-solve, and write and speak with confidence as you develop academic and professional competencies. Law schools are not looking for a specific major, but want students who have both outstanding academic preparation and are highly involved with their campuses and communities.

At BW, choose any major you are passionate about and match it with a minor in legal studies. You'll benefit from real world-focused coursework, small class sizes, individual attention, faculty mentoring, and networking with legal professionals.

Legal Studies Minor Course Requirements

  • First or second year - enroll in Introduction to Law.
  • Second or third year - take a course that will help you prepare for the LSAT.
  • Third and fourth years - take at least three advanced law courses in a variety of fields, including Civil Rights and Liberties, Criminal Law and the Constitution, Healthcare Law and Ethics, Employment Law, Broadcast Law and Ethics and Sociology of Law.

Individualized Pre-Law Advising

At BW, your success is important. That's why professors and the Career Center staff offer one-on-one advising to help you prepare for the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test), write your personal statement, polish your resume and choose the law school that is right for you.

Students also have access to custom on-line resources to help them navigate the law school application process.

Baldwin Wallace Legal Studies Honor Society

Students who have a legal studies minor and a GPA of 3.6 or above are eligible for the BW Legal Studies Honor Society. There are no national honor societies for legal studies or pre-law, and there are less than five universities in the nation that recognize their students in this way. By joining, you will be able to put something unique and distinguished on your resume and law school applications.

Professional Opportunities

BW students have myriad opportunities to prepare them for law school and make their applications stand out:

  • Contact BW's numerous alumni across the U.S. and abroad who serve as lawyers at top firms, elected officials, judges, lawyers, FBI agents, national security professionals and leaders of non-profits for internships, informational interviews and shadowing.
  • Join BW's award-winning Model United Nations team, where you can compete with students from around the globe while polishing your research and public speaking skills.
  • Spend a semester in Washington, DC through The Washington Center, where you can earn a full-semester of credits while interning at the Justice Department, for a law firm, on Capitol Hill or with an international non-profit.

3+3 Program with Cleveland State University College of Law

Eligible students complete 91 out of 120 credits at BW, and then their senior year is their first year of law school. Students are at BW for three years and the Cleveland State University College of Law for three years (3+3), shortening the amount of time to complete an undergraduate degree and law degree to six years instead of seven. You are awarded your bachelor's degree after the completion of your first year of law school.

Initial eligibility requirements include:

  1. You must be in your first or second semester at BW when you decide to do the program.
  2. You must have an outstanding academic record. You must have a 3.6 overall GPA at BW and score in the 60th percentile or higher on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) to be admitted into the Cleveland State University College of Law.
  3. You must declare a legal studies minor.
  4. You must have a strong connection to the Cleveland State University College of Law, such as a close family member who completed law school there.