Program Overview

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Pre-Law Program

The 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.

Pre-Professional Programs

Pre-professional is a category for any student who intends to enter professional school after graduating with a bachelors degree. Pre-law is the pre-professional program for students who want to become lawyers. Identifying your pre-professional interest will enable your college advisor, your major advisor and your pre-professional advisor to provide you with a wide range of support to realize your goals.

Pre-Law Preparation 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 universitys 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 who will work with them 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.

Curriculum

There is no set curriculum for the nations 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.

Required Courses

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
• Course work in legal ethics

Elective Courses

The remainder of the curriculum is elective. Popular courses include:

• Trial law and practice
• Legal clinics
• Criminal law
• Alternative dispute resolution
• International law
• Intellectual property

Study Abroad

Students may spend a summer studying in England through the colleges program with the University of Oxford.

Internship

Students considering law might explore the profession of law on their ownbe 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.

Student Organizations

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.

Possible Careers

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.

Salary Estimates

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 2 to 10 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 for judicial clerkships.