Admissions Question of the Week

We know that you have a lot of questions about applying to law school. We came up with our “Question of the Week” so that we can answer questions you might have at the time you have them. Please check back on a weekly basis to find answers to commonly asked questions!

August 25, 2008 First Week of Classes

We're taking a break to welcome our new class of students to Lewis & Clark Law School. Please check back next week!

August 20, 2008

I am beginning the process of applying to law school and am wondering if there is any particular area of work I could be doing to enhance my resume in the next 6 months to a year.

Our best recommendation to you would be to either focus on a job that you would really love, would really assist you with your greater career goals, or would allow you to save a little money before starting back to school. In other words, there is no specific job or position that the Admissions Committee is looking for when considering you for admission to L&C. What sort of job you decide to take is a personal decision. Many people will use this time to get involved in a business or non-profit they are particularly interested in, others will use this time to travel, and yet others will work with the goal of saving money for the coming years in school.

August 13, 2008

Q: I notice that law schools specialize in various areas of the law. Do I have to pick a specialty when I apply to law school or do I have to do that once I’m in school?

A: You never actually have to pick a specialty if you don’t want to. Law schools have specialized, or “certificate”, programs which they award to students who complete certain requirements, but not all students are going to take advantage of this option.

The best way I can explain what a specialty is, is to compare it to getting a minor, or an emphasis within your major, in college. You should look at it as though law is your “major” and if you want to focus your electives in a certain area then you can get an emphasis, or “certificate”, in that area. It is not required to specialize in law school, just as it is not required to ever get a minor in college. It is simply a way to show that you have pursued a particular area of interest. It is also a way for law schools to promote an area of law in which it feels it is particularly strong.

For example, at Lewis & Clark Law School we have six certificate programs – Business & Commercial Law, Criminal Law, Environmental & Natural Resources Law, Intellectual Property Law, Public Interest Law and Tax Law. While we offer six specialties, our students can study several other subject areas and our graduates end up practicing many different types of law, including employment law, international law, health law, immigration law, family law, Indian law, civil rights law, and much, much more.

About one-third of our students pursue a certificate in one of the five areas mentioned above. Although they are taking focused classes, they also still have room to take courses outside of their specialty area. The other two-thirds are taking a mix of courses in many different subject areas. Students are also welcome to take courses within specialized areas without having to follow the set requirements for the certificate. In sum, there is a lot of flexibility to pursue many interests.

Generally, it can be a good idea to look at a school that has a specialty of interest to you if practicing in that area is really the main reason why you want to go to law school. For example, if you are set on practicing tax law and that is the motivating factor for you in going to law school, then you probably will want to attend a school with a specialty in tax law (you’ll want to make sure to compare specialties at various law schools as some schools’ specialties are more substantive than others). If you aren’t sure what kind of law you want to practice and you would like to keep your options open, then the specialties offered at a law school may not be as important to you. All ABA-accredited law schools are going to be able to prepare you to practice any type of law, so if you decide you want to practice entertainment law at a school that doesn’t have a specialty in it, then you should still be able to take a couple of courses and get some exposure to entertainment law even though you won’t have a specialized curriculum in that area.

For employment purposes, it may be even more important to gain an internship/externship, get clinical experience, or build up your resume other ways in your area of interest than it is to get a certificate; both, of course, would be ideal, but not always necessary.

August 6, 2008

Q: Do you require that students have laptops and if so, does the school have a specific kind that students must use?

A: Many law schools do require students to have laptops and strongly suggest that they buy one that the school’s IT department can support and service. At Lewis & Clark Law School, we do not have any computer requirements. You may use a laptop if you wish, use a desktop at home, and/or take written notes in class. The choice is up to you and you should use whichever tools you feel most comfortable with. Whether that’s handwritten notes, a PC, a Mac, a laptop, or desktop is your choice.

Nowadays, the vast majority of students are using laptops at home and inside the classroom. Many professors post class assignments and syllabi on the web and most legal research database programs are online. You can even take your exams on your computer in most cases. The campus is also completely wireless, making it easy to study with your laptop in the library, student lounge, outdoor amphitheater on campus, etc. All of this argues for wanting a computer that is easy to take along with you. The Lewis & Clark campus mainly supports PC computers, but some students swear by a Mac and don’t have any problems using theirs here.

Find out more about our computing services and campus computer store where students can get discounts on computers, software, and accessories.