First Year Student Registration

Legal Professions Programming

Undergraduate students are often surprised to learn that there are no particular courses or academic majors required for admission to law school. The Law School Admissions Council explains that the range of acceptable college majors is very broad as long as it includes “critical analysis, logical reasoning, and written and oral expression. What counts is the intensity and depth of your undergraduate program and your capacity to perform well at an academically rigorous level.”

Lafayette’s curriculum provides rich opportunities to enjoy the sort of education that fully prepares students to study law upon graduation or thereafter. Also, because professors are likely to know their students well during their four years of undergraduate studies, small classes make it possible for faculty to contribute strong letters of recommendation to a student’s law school application.

It is important to email Dean Karen Clemence, Senior Associate Dean of the College, regarding your interest in the legal professions. By doing so, you will be notified of programs, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities and meetings taking place both on and off campus. In order to help students learn about and prepare for a post-graduate legal education, we hold meetings througout the academic year, in addition to a variety of special events:

• Law School Admissions Dinner Panel/September: Law school admissions representatives describe what makes a law school application competitive.
• Travel to the Law School Admission Council’s Law School Forum/September: Transportation is provided to the New York City law school forum where over 150 law school representatives are available to speak with students.
• All About the LSAT/October: Learn about the importance of the Law School Admission Test and hear from seniors accepted to law school speaking about how they prepared for it.
• LSAT Practice Test/October: Juniors may take a free LSAT practice test administered by Kaplan under realistic testing conditions. Kaplan is one of several companies that provides graduate test preparation courses.
• "Considering Law School?"/February:  Learn about how to strengthen your preparation to study law and explore legal careers.
• Alumni in Law School Panel/March Lafayette alumni currently in law school share their experience and guidance. Panel guests alternate annually between alumni in law school, young attorney-alumni, and alumni-attorneys with more years of career development.

Career Services and Gateway Program
In addition to participation in the Legal Professions Program, students are strongly urged to participate in the Gateway Program where they may explore internship and externship opportunities. This summer, new students will be mailed Gateway Program information and will have an opportunity to enroll in the program.