MAILING ADDRESS 1-3 Sydney Lewis Hall, Lexington, VA WEBSITE

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1 RANK 43 Washington and Lee University School of Law MAILING ADDRESS 1-3 Sydney Lewis Hall, Lexington, VA MAIN PHONE WEBSITE REGISTRAR S PHONE ADMISSIONS PHONE CAREER SERVICES PHONE Overview 4, 5 One of the smallest of the nation s top-tier law schools, Washington and Lee School of Law is located in a college town in the majestic Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, a three-hour drive from Washington, DC and within an hour of several other metropolitan areas. W&L Law has long been an innovator in legal education, and these innovations have allowed the Law School to build a singular community that educates students for character and challenges them to solve the problems they will face in a complex world. It fosters a desire not simply to act, but to act intelligently and ethically. Student-Faculty Ratio :1 Admission Criteria 7 LSAT GPA 25th 75th Percentile Median* The above LSAT and GPA data pertain to the 2013 entering class. *Medians have been calculated by averaging the 25th- and 75th-percentile values released by the law schools and have been rounded up to the nearest whole number for LSAT scores and to the nearest one-hundredth for GPAs. 1

2 Admission Statistics 8 Approximate number of applications 2409 Number accepted 918 Percentage accepted 38.1% The above admission details are based on 2013 data. Class Ranking and Grades 9-11 Exact class standings are not released. Each student, however, is informed of his or her grade-point average, and may divulge this information to prospective employers. In addition, each student can determine the approximate percentile in the class in which he or she falls because grade-point cutoffs at five percent intervals are posted. The following grading scale is used by the law school: Law Grade Points A 4.00 A B B 3.00 B C C 2.00 C D D 1.00 D F 0.00 The grade points for a course are found by multiplying the number of credits awarded for the course times the appropriate grade points. For this and other grade calculations, Pass (P), No Pass (NP), (LP) Low Pass, Honors (H), Incomplete (I), Work-in-Progress (WIP) or No Grade Reported (NGR) entries do not count and should not be used. Most elective courses (but no required course) may be taken on a pass/no pass basis. When a pass/ no pass election has been filed, it cannot be withdrawn. A grade of C or higher shall be recorded as P (Pass). A grade of C- or lower shall be recorded as NP (Not Passing) unless the student promptly files an election to accept the letter grade. Neither a grade of P nor a grade of NP shall affect the student s cumulative average. 2

3 Grade Normalization (Curve) 12 Minimum GPAs Required (Based on May 2013 graduation class) Minimum GPA required to fall within the top 10% of the class Minimum GPA required to fall within the top 25% of the class Minimum GPA required to fall within the top 33% of the class Minimum GPA required to fall within the top 50% of the class Minimum GPA required to fall within the top 75% of the class Median GPA Minimum GPA required for graduation Honors 13 Honor Criteria Order of the Coif Top 10% summa cum laude Top 2% magna cum laude Top 11.3% cum laude Top 13.5% 14, 15 Awards Name of Award Louise A. Halper Award John W. Davis Award Kirgis International Award Academic Progress Award Virginia Trial Lawyers Assoc. Award Calhoun Bond University Service Awd James W. H. Stewart Tax Law Award Roy L. Steinheimer Commercial Law National Assoc. of Women Lawyers Charles V. Laughlin Award Randall P. Bezanson Award Awarded for/to Best note in the Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice Graduate/best record for general excellence Graduate/outstanding record in International Law Most marked improvement in final year Best overall record in litigation courses Significant contribution to W&L community Excellence in the study of Tax Law Graduate/outstanding record in Commercial Law Outstanding woman law student Outstanding contribution to Moot Court Outstanding contribution to school diversity 3

4 ODK Honor Society Leadership in campus activities - from top 35% Virginia Bar Family Law Section Awd American Bankruptcy Institute Medal Barry Sullivan Constitutional Law Thomas Carl Damewood Evidence Award A.H. McLeod - Ross Malone Advocacy Student Bar Association President ALI-ABA Scholar & Leadership Award Graduate/excellence in Family Law Graduate/excellence in Bankruptcy Law Graduate/excellence in Constitutional Law Graduate/excellence in Evidence Graduate/distinction in oral advocacy Graduate/recognition for services as President Graduate/combination scholarship & leadership Journals 16 The Washington and Lee Law Review presents lead articles contributed by leading scholars, judges, and lawyers, as well as student notes. Student writers are chosen during the summer after their first year of law school based upon grades and the results of a writing competition. Each staff writer develops a topic for original legal research, and writes over the course of the second year under the supervision of a faculty advisor and student editor. Selected writers continue as editors in the third year of law school. The Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice is a biannual scholarly publication focusing on legal issues that affect historically underrepresented classes of persons in a wide variety of subject matters that includes real estate, education, healthcare, environment, and public welfare. JCRSJ publishes articles submitted by leading scholars and practitioners as well as student notes. Staffwriters of JCRSJ are chosen during the summer after their first year of law school based on a writing competition. Each staffwriter is required to write a note during the second year of law school under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Selected staffwriters continue as board members of JCRSJ during the third year of law school. The Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment is a student-edited periodical whose mission is to engage and educate the legal community, policy-makers, and the general public through publications and symposia on climate change, energy, and environmental issues affecting local, national, and global communities. JECE includes articles, notes, case summaries, and legislative summaries from professors, practitioners, and student staff writers focused primarily on the areas of law surrounding energy and the climate, including, but not limited to, energy generation, energy usage, and climate impacts. For environmental considerations, JECE publishes solely in an online format. The German Law Journal is an online journal that publishes commentary and scholarship in the fields of German, European and international law. Its English-language treatment of comparative and international law attracts more than two million site visits from more than 50 countries each 4

5 year. W&L students have the opportunity to write book reviews, case comments, short articles, and, following instructional learning, assist in discussing and assessing submissions for the Journal. The Center for Law & History encourages and supports the interdisciplinary study of law in its historical context. It aims to achieve that mission by bringing together scholars from W&L and throughout the world to promote research and teaching in all areas and periods of legal history. The Frances Lewis Law Center has continually enriched the intellectual life of the Washington and Lee law school and university community. Established with a generous gift from Frances and Sydney Lewis, the Law Center s initial mandate was to support serious research that advanced law reform. The Transnational Law Institute supports and coordinates teaching innovations, externships, internships, a speaker series, and visiting faculty to help prepare students for the increasing globalization of legal practice. Moot Court 11 One of the oldest and largest student-run organizations at Washington & Lee, the Moot Court Program provides law students the opportunity to develop and refine their oral and written advocacy skills. The Moot Court Executive Board ( MCEB ), comprised of ten third-year law students, administers five competitions: the John W. Davis Moot Court Competition (addressing a question of constitutional law), the Robert J. Grey, Jr. Negotiations Competition, the Mock Trial Competition, the Client Counseling Competition (simulating a law office consultation with a client), and the Representation in Mediation Competition. All second- and third-year students, excluding MCEB members, may compete, and firstyear students may participate as witnesses, clients, timekeepers, and bailiffs. Clinical Programs All students at W&L Law are required to gain actual practice experience in their third year through enrollment in one of the School s six legal clinics. The Black Lung Clinic represents physically disabled coal miners and their widows under the federal Black Lung benefits program. This includes preparing appeals to either the Benefits Review Board or the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The Community Legal Practice Clinic represents lower income Rockbridge area residents in a general practice law firm setting. Students assist clients with the entire range of civil legal concerns, including family law (including child custody, adoption, and adult guardianship) and end of life planning issues. The Criminal Justice Clinic represents indigent people facing criminal charges in local trial courts. Typical cases include assault, larceny, possession of marijuana, DUI, and destruction of property. The Immigrant Rights Clinic represents non-citizen clients in immigration matters, providing legal services to persons in removal proceedings, both detained and non-detained, and with a particular focus on vulnerable populations such as refugees, unaccompanied minors, and victims of domestic violence. The Tax Clinic represents income-eligible taxpayers who have post-filing controversies with the Internal Revenue Service and/or the Virginia Department of Taxation. Typical cases include representing a taxpayer who is under audit, appealing an audit, challenging an assessment, navigating collection issues, or requesting innocent spouse relief. In certain cases in which the 5

6 taxpayer has not succeeded in resolving the problems with the IRS, the clinic might pursue litigation in the U.S. Tax Court. The Virginia Capital Case Clearinghouse has served as Virginia s litigation resource center for lawyers representing defendants facing the death penalty at trial in both state and federal courts. Students work in two-member teams to assist court-appointed defense counsel with legal research, discovery analysis, drafting of motions and legal memoranda, client counseling, and many other tasks involved in defending death penalty cases at trial. Placement Facts 21 Starting Salaries (2012 Graduates Employed Full-Time) Private sector (25th-75th percentile) $52,800 - $120,000 Private sector - Median $70,000 Public service - Median $50,000 Employment Details Graduates known to be employed at graduation 34.6% Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 56.9% Areas of Legal Practice Graduates Employed In Percentage Law Firms 37.9% Business and Industry 13.8% Government 19.5% Judicial Clerkships 20.7% Public Interest Organizations 4.6% Academia 3.4% Unknown 0% Externships/Internships Externships General Externships The externship program offers students the opportunity to work at a variety of placements. Such opportunities include externships with State and Federal Judges, Commonwealth, City, and County Attorney s Offices, United States Attorney s Offices, Offices of the Public Defender, Corporate and University Counsel, Legal Services, Bankruptcy Trustees, private law firms, governmental agencies in Washington, D.C., and other legal agencies and organizations. Some sites have existing relationships with Washington and Lee, but students are free to create a unique experience by locating a site where they would like to work. 6

7 DC Program Students may apply to extern with qualifying placements in the Washington, DC area in the spring or fall of their third year. Judicial Externships Placements are generally with state and federal trial and appellate judges. Public Prosecutors Externships Students are placed with a Commonwealth s Attorney s office. Recent participating offices are located in Covington, Fincastle, Lexington, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Salem, and Staunton, Virginia. Typical extern case assignments include criminal traffic offenses such as DUI and reckless driving; domestic violence; drug offenses; shoplifting and other larceny offenses. Most trials and hearings in which externs participate are before a judge; however, some externs have the opportunity to participate in a jury trial. Writing assignments often include drafting appellate Briefs in Opposition, discovery responses, motions in limine and memoranda of law related to the sufficiency of the Commonwealth s evidence or the constitutionality of the police action. Internships 28 The Transnational Law Institute, which was established in 2006, assists students in securing internships involving international or comparative law matters. Student Organizations 29 Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) Black Law Student Association (BLSA) Christian Legal Society Domino and Card Club Environmental Law Society Executive Committee Federalist Society International Law Society Jewish Law Student Association Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice Journal of Energy, Climate, and Environment Latin American Law Students Association (LALSA) Law & Business Society Law Families Law News Law Review Law Revue Lewis Powell, Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series Life and Wellness Law Society Moot Court Executive Board Outing Club Board OutLaw Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International (PAD) Phi Delta Phi 7

8 Public Interest Law Students Association (PILSA) Sports, Entertainment, and Intellectual Property Law Society Sports Czars St. Thomas More Society Student Bar Association (SBA) Officers Student Judicial Committee Women Law Students Organization (WLSO) References