Pre-Law Studies

If you plan to study law, Lipscomb University is an excellent place to begin. Most of our undergraduate programs have been designed to promote rigorous reading, writing and critical thinking skills — the very skills that law schools value most highly. Consequently, our graduates have been accepted into some of the nation’s premier law programs: Harvard, Vanderbilt, Penn, Emory, Georgetown, Duke, USC, Tulane, William & Mary, Pepperdine, The Ohio State University and the Universities of Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, and Kentucky (to name just a few).

Our alumni have gone on to serve in a wide range of legal positions, including judges and officials in local, state, and federal government; attorneys for corporations, private firms, and non-profits; and prosecutors and public defenders.

Law schools accept strong students from all academic majors, so pick any major that suits your academic skills and interests. Since there are no specific courses required for admission to law school, our pre-law advisors will help you find a major in which your particular aptitudes will best help you develop the strong academic record that law schools seek.

As a general rule, your pre-law advisor will advise you to select courses that challenge you to read widely and deeply; ponder concepts critically and objectively; analyze complex situations precisely; synthesize evidence constructively; and communicate clearly, concisely, and persuasively. And don’t underestimate the value of our core liberal arts requirements: they are ideally suited to developing the broad cultural and intellectual background that law schools value and that successful legal careers demand.

The most successful law school applicants combine strong academic performance with meaningful extracurricular activity, so be sure to take advantage of the many dynamic learning opportunities we provide beyond the classroom, especially some of the following:

• Internships: Our students have acquired valuable experience relevant to the legal profession by serving as interns in the state Attorney General’s office, Public Defenders office, District Attorney’s Office, the Tennessee State Legislature, Capitol Hill, and others.
• Phi Alpha Delta (International Pre-Law Society): This organization is a national, student-run pre-law fraternity that provides an on-campus community for those interested in attending law school.
• Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature: This is an annual legislative session conducted by college students from across Tennessee, providing students with an education about Tennessee state government and a channel to express their opinions on state issues.
• Tennessee Intercollegiate Supreme Court: The judicial branch of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature, which presides over the Appellate Moot Court Collegiate Challenge.
• Appellate Moot Court Collegiate Challenge: This is a groundbreaking program where Tennessee undergraduates argue appellate cases with their peers.
• LIFE Program: This program takes traditional Lipscomb students to classes at the Tennessee Prison for Women to learn from and with women who have real-life experience with the criminal justice system.