“Why are you interested in law school?”
That’s the first question a law school admissions officer—and the Pre-Law Advisor here at the U!—will ask you if you’re considering law and law school. Having a concrete, thoughtful answer to this question is essential.
To get to that point, you need to know what you’re talking about, which in turn requires that you do some research to thoroughly explore law as a career option.
Law school is an enormous commitment, after all. And while it is indeed possible, it’s not a foregone conclusion that you will be able to easily take a J.D. and work in another field if you decide that law is not the right path for you.
In other words, it’s crucial for you to determine whether law is right for you before you go to law school.
Explore—Some Easy First Steps You Can Take to Explore Law
You can begin exploring law and law school by:
- Sign up for the Pre-Law Advising Newsletter, published monthly during the academic year. The newsletter highlights upcoming workshops, events, dates, and deadlines, as well as job/internship/volunteer positions related to law
- Go through the Pre-Law 101 module, where you can get some help deciding if law and law school are a good fit for you.
- Talk to as many attorneys as you can through informational interviews. (The Pre-Law 101 Online Module helps you get started with this)
- Take a course to explore a legal topic area. For ideas, check the list of “Suggested Pre-Law Classes at the University of Minnesota."
- Observe a class at one of the local law schools (the University of Minnesota Law School, the Mitchell Hamline School of Law, or the University of St. Thomas School of Law) by contacting the admissions department there.
- Join a student group like the Board of Directors of Student Legal Service or Pre-Law Society.
You’ll also want to start developing a rapport with professors and advisors who could potentially write letters of recommendation for you later on, if and when the time comes for you to apply for law school.
Similarly, you can start seeing what the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is all about by attending a workshop, researching the test online, and/or exploring the LSAT preparation materials available in the CLA Career Services Resource Room in 411 Bruininks Hall.
Experience—Explore Law by Experiencing It Firsthand
The best way to determine if law is truly the right career path for you is to gain some experience in the field. So once you’ve done some initial exploratory activities like talking to attorneys or taking law-related courses, the next step is to work in the law in some capacity.
You don’t need to work at a law firm to get this type of experience! In fact, almost every experience can be related to law in some way.
With that in mind, here are some experiential ideas you can look into:
- Volunteer with an organization that works with legal issues through the U of M’s Center for Community-Engaged Learning.
- Look for an internship or part-time job using Handshake. (Internships don’t need to be in law firms to be valuable!)
- Attend law events—join the Pre-Law GroupMe for ideas.