Pre-Law

General Guidelines

You can begin to prepare for a career in law at Lewis-Clark State College. Lawyers first earn a bachelor’s degree, usually in a major with a strong emphasis on critical thinking and communication skills, and they then complete a Juris Doctor (JD) degree at a graduate law school.

Getting into law school is a challenging and competitive process, but like other LCSC graduates who have been admitted to law school, you can meet the challenge by working with your advisor, taking the right courses, earning good grades, getting a strong score on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), and participating in certain service activities.

Prerequisites for Admission to Law School

Pre-requisites are what you need to complete as an undergraduate to apply for admission to law school.

Recommended Majors: 
BA/BS in any liberal arts major, especially the following, as well the Paralegal BAS major.

You can earn a bachelor’s degree in any discipline, but you should seek one that emphasizes critical thinking (logic, analysis, evaluation, argumentation) and both oral and written communication.

Suggested Coursework (recommended but not required, unless part of your major):
The following courses may help you prepare for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Note that much of this coursework is built into LCSC's Pre-Law Minor.

  • BUS 365, Business Law
  • COMM 205, Logic and Argumentation
  • COMM 304, Advanced Public Speaking
  • COMM 320, Persuasion
  • ENGL 305, Advanced Writing and Argumentation
  • ENGL 308, Survey of Professional Writing
  • ID 300H, Law and Society
  • JS 225, Criminal Procedure
  • JS 325, Criminal Law
  • LAWPT-224 Introduction to Law
  • LAWPT-230 Legal Research and Writing I
  • POLS 200, Social and Political Philosophy
  • POLS 345, Constitutional Law
  • POLS 492, Native American Law
  • Additional coursework in Justice Studies and Paralegal Studies, along with upper division coursework in English, History, Communications, Political Science, and Social Science.

Other requirements for admission to law school:

  • A strong GPA (above 3.5)
  • A high score on the LSAT

Recommended Extra-Curricular Activities:
Extracurricular activities will play less of a role in admission to law school than your GPA and LSAT score, but they may help you prepare for the LSAT, or strengthen your academic work. Choose activities that support your efforts to become a good critical thinker and communicator.

Suggested Activities:

  • Speech and Debate Club
  • PoliSci Club
  • Justice Studies Club

Get Started

To begin your path toward a career in law, contact a pre-law advisor today: