Pre-Law
Pre-Law
Advisors
Margaret Blue (Political Science), Jeanne Curran (Sociology), Abraham Kidane (Economics), Clarence Augustus Martin (Public Administration), Richard Palmer (Political Science)
Planning
Undergraduate Coursework
CSU Dominguez Hills offers extensive and varied
opportunities
to plan for a future career in law.
There are many courses in various disciplines that contribute to the
skills students will need as a lawyer.
For help in choosing your courses, contact a pre-law advisor after
admission to the university.
Skills
Pre-Law Students Must Develop
Several broad objectives of pre-legal education are
set forth by
the Association of American Law Schools.
These include the oral and written command of language; an understanding
and appreciation of social, political and economic values, institutions,
problems and frames of reference; and an ability for
creative, innovative, critical and analytical thinking.
Choosing
a Major or Minor
The selection of a major and minor should depend on
the student’s personal interest or goals.
Traditionally, students bound
for law school majored in political science.
More recently, with new social trends, students also major in such
varied areas as public administration, sociology, business, economics, history,
English, philosophy.
The
Stanley Mosk Undergraduate Moot Court Competition
CSU Dominguez Hills has the only undergraduate moot appellate court that permits students to argue before Supreme and Appellate Court Justices. Each spring a competition is held in which students are given research materials, trained in oral argument, and compete in rounds. Courses are presently available, though not required for participation, in political science and sociology.
& Letters of Recommendation
Applicants for admission to most law schools are expected
to have a B.A. or a B.S. Degree and to have taken the Law School Admission Test
(LSAT). The LSAT is a specialized test
designed to measure cognitive skills that are used in legal reasoning and
argument. Test preparation courses can
help raise student scores; but such preparation is best done well in
advance. A manual is available, through
the pre-law advisors, which explains LSAT preparation and relates it to upper
division coursework. See a pre-law advisor as close as possible to the
beginning of your junior year or earlier to take best advantage of LSAT
preparation. Many law schools require
that the LSAT be taken by December of the year preceding law school entry. A packet of information about the LSAT is
available from any pre-law advisor, the
Letters of recommendation, and even personal statements require early planning. A manual on how to write requests for letters of recommendation and how to strengthen personal statements is available to students. Students should obtain these manuals and plan their applications with their advisors during their junior year.
Credit/No
Credit Courses
and
Most law schools require applicants to take the Law School Admissions Test and also subscribe to the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS), which reviews academic transcripts and standardizes undergraduate records to simplify the work of law school admission committees. Grades are converted to one system that allows law schools to compare applicants from many different campuses on a uniform basis. Note the LSDAS counts a “NC” grade in a CR/NC class as a failing grade. Students planning to apply to law school must either complete the course for “Credit” or withdraw. Do not simply drop the course and allow a “No Credit” to appear on the transcript.
Phi
Alpha Delta
Students are encouraged to join the university’s chapter of Phi Alpha Delta, a pre-law society. Contact Dr. Jeanne Curran, (310) 243-3831 for information.
Sources
of Additional Information
There are special financial benefits and educational
programs available to minority students through the Council on Legal Education
Opportunity, 1800 M. Street, N.W.,
For general law information, a student should see the
bulletins or catalogs of various law schools or the official Pre-Law Handbook, current
edition, prepared by the Law School Admission Test Council and the Association
of American Law Schools. This handbook
may be obtained at most college bookstores or ordered from Educational Testing
Services,