Pre-Law
T
he study of law is a three-year post-baccalaureate program
designed primarily for those who wish to become practicing
attorneys. Because attorneys play many roles in our society,
legal education is broad-based. It is as much a lifelong approach
to learning as it is the study of specific laws and court decisions.
Lawyers are trained to seek solutions to problems and to anticipate ways in which problems may be averted. Legal education is
designed to prepare graduates to meet the changing demands
of individuals and of society as a whole, in local, national and
international contexts.
Broadly speaking, legal education involves the careful analysis of the principles underlying past and current statutes and
court decisions, how those principles may be applied to current
problems, and how new ideas can solve current and future
problems.
Preparing for Law School at Ohio State
Contrary to popular belief, there is no one “right” major for
preparation for law school. Students are encouraged to pursue
a course of study that will enable them to think critically, to analyze written materials with care, and to communicate effectively
in both verbal and written form.
Traditional majors followed by potential law students include
English, history, political science and business. However, students with degrees in areas as diverse as agriculture, engineering, philosophy and music have done well in law school. The
options are numerous, and students are encouraged to choose
a major that personally interests them. It is not so much a matter
of the major chosen but rather selecting courses that really challenge students to develop critical reading, writing and analytical skills. Consider pursuing Honors courses and independent
studies that go a step beyond the “normal” course requirements
of a degree program.
Students considering law might explore the profession of law
on their own—be it through work or volunteer experience in a
law firm or in a government or judicial setting or by conducting
informational interviews with people in the profession. Not only
does this exploration provide prospective students an opportunity to learn how diverse the law field is in relation to the law
degree, but it also helps them to confirm that law is the right
career choice for them.
For more information about pre-law at Ohio State and
to find a list of pre-law advisors, students should visit
the pre-professional website, preprofessional.osu.edu/
prelaw/advisor.
Every autumn semester, Ohio State hosts a law school forum,
where representatives from many law schools visit campus and
provide students with information about their schools. This forum provides an excellent opportunity for students to meet law
school representatives and to get a good idea of their chances
for admission at different schools and how each law school’s
offerings fit with their career goals.
Like at most quality law schools, admission to the Moritz College
of Law at Ohio State is highly competitive because many more
people seek admission than the college can accommodate. In
recent years, the college has had as many as 1,800 people apply for approximately 180 spaces.
Applicants are evaluated on the basis of their undergraduate
performance (including any trend in cumulative point-hour ratio
and the caliber of the undergraduate college or university), their
score on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), any unusually
time-consuming extracurricular activities or work experience,
and, when applicable, postgraduate studies or employment. Applicants are required to submit two letters of recommendation
from faculty members. The college also considers other factors;
however, past academic performance is a good predictor of law
school performance. As a result, students are best advised to
commit themselves to their academic program right from the
start when entering Ohio State.
Career Prospects in Law
Because legal education is broad-based, it is excellent preparation for many careers in addition to those that most people associate with the traditional practice of law. The popular perception
of lawyers as courtroom litigators and judges is representative
of only one branch of the profession. Lawyers are also found in
planning and policy-making roles in both the private and public
sectors, in large corporations, at all levels of government, and in
international practice.
Lawyers work as managers and administrators in many different
fields. Many serve the community as prosecutors and public defenders. Because of their training, lawyers are often called upon
to represent the broad interests of their communities.
For all salaries reported for the Class of 2012, the range was
from $55,000 in the 25th percentile to $91,250 in the 75th
percentile. Of course, salaries earned may depend on the career
goals, desires and interests of particular students, and even vary
widely within sectors. In private law firms, the median salaries
ranged from $52,500 for firms with two to ten attorneys to
$110,000 for firms with 251-500 attorneys. In the public sector,
median salaries ranged from $55,000 for government positions
to $57,000 to for judicial clerkships.
For more information, check these websites:
College of Law: moritzlaw.osu.edu
Preprofessional Advising: preprofessional.osu.edu
Ohio State: osu.edu
Admissions: undergrad.osu.edu
First Year Experience: fye.osu.edu
Pre-law Opportunities at Ohio State
There are a number of advantages in pursuing undergraduate
education at Ohio State in preparation for law school. At the
time of freshman application to the university, students will be
asked to choose a major as well as to indicate an interest in the
pre-law option. By indicating an interest in pre-law, admitted
undergraduate students will receive information periodically
from the university’s pre-law advisors about pre-law resources
and events on campus. Students are encouraged to meet early
in their academic careers with the designated pre-law advisor
in their academic area. Pre-law advisors work with students to
integrate the course work required for their intended major with
course work that should foster the development of the critical
skills necessary to be a successful law student.
Whatever undergraduate major is chosen, students should
contact an advisor in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences early
each fall to get information about the annual law school forum at
Ohio State. By talking with representatives from many different
law schools, students can get a good idea of their chances for
admission at different schools, and how each law school’s offerings fit with their career goals.
The undergraduate law fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta (PAD), is a
professional service organization for pre-law students at Ohio
State that assists students in making informed decisions about
selecting law as a career, deciding which law school to attend,
preparing for law school and understanding the practice of law.
PAD coordinates a variety of education events, such as panel
discussions, tours, seminars and debate. Traditionally, participants at these events include lawyers, current Ohio State law
students and law graduates who may be using their degrees in
different career paths.
Law Requirements
There is no set curriculum for the nation’s 202 American Bar
Association-approved law schools. However, most law schools
offer very similar courses to help prepare their graduates to pass
a state bar examination. Most states test on areas of the law
common to all jurisdictions, such as contracts, torts, civil procedure, criminal law and procedure, evidence, taxation, domestic
relations, legal research and writing, constitutional law, ethics,
administrative law, corporate law, property, and commercial law.
The college also offers eight clinics in which students represent
clients under close faculty supervision. In addition, students
may spend a summer studying in England through the college’s
program with the University of Oxford.
A law student who wishes to gain in-depth experience in a
second field of study may enroll as a combined-degree candidate in one of the established joint-degree programs: the JD/
MBA (Master of Business Administration), JD/MA (Master of Arts
in Public Policy and Management), or the JD/MHA (Master of
Health Administration). Select students enrolled in the College
of Medicine and Public Health may also pursue a JD/MD or a
JD/MPH. Law students also are permitted to individually tailor
a joint-degree program with many of the university’s 100-plus
master’s programs and 90 PhD programs.
In recent years, law students have enrolled in individually
designed joint degrees in political science, higher education
administration, social work, women’s studies, African American
studies, molecular genetics, urban and regional planning, and
philosophy.
More About the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State
• Graduates of the College of Law c an be found in all 50
states and many foreign countries. Graduates include current and former U.S. senators, governors of the State of
Ohio, members of the Ohio Supreme Court and other
courts, as well as practicing attorneys in all sizes of law
firms.
• The College of Law student to faculty ratio is 15:1, among
the lowest of all U.S. law schools.
• The College of Law’s Alternative Dispute Resolution program is considered to be among the top in the nation, while
the College of Law ranks among the nation’s top 20 public
law schools according to a survey released in March 2002.
• In 2013, the College of Law at Ohio State is ranked 36th of
the 202 American Bar Association approved law schools.
• The College of Law at Ohio State has the 14th largest law
library in the country.
• 100–150 law firms, corporations, government agencies and
other employers from across the country visit campus to
interview law students annually.
In The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, students are
required to take contracts, torts, property, legislation, criminal
law, constitutional law, civil procedure, and legal research and
writing in the first year. The following upper-level courses are
also highly encouraged and/or required for graduation: Appellate Practice, one course with substantial writing, one course
with a skills perspective on the law and course work in legal
ethics.
The remainder of the curriculum is elective. Popular courses include trial law and practice, legal clinics, criminal law, alternative
dispute resolution, international law, and intellectual property.
Revised November 2013. Information subject to change. For
the most up-to-date information about preparing for law school
at Ohio State, please visit preprofessional.osu.edu/pre-lawprogram.
Contact information:
Arts and Sciences Advising and Academic Services
100 Denney Hall | 164 West 17th Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1391 | 614-292-6961