School of Law

Wake Forest University, School of Law History

Wake Forest University School of Law was established in 1894 and is a private institution. The 340-acre campus is in an urban area 3 miles north of Winston-Salem. The primary mission of the law school is to graduate students eligible and qualified to practice law. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Winston-Salem area. Clinical placements are with the district attorney, U.S. Attorney, Legal Aid, private practitioners, U.S. bankruptcy judge, and public defender. Housing for students is available in approximately 6000 apartment units that are within a 2 1/2 mile radius of the campus. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

Wake Forest University, School of Law Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. in American Law (for foreign law school graduates). Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 7 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration).

The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, family law, international law, labor law, litigation, securities law, tax law, torts and insurance, and clinical law. In addition, In addition to Trial and Advocacy, the school has 2 upper-level clinics that include classroom elements. One covers the civil-criminal law spectrum for 4 credit hours while the other is an in-house clinic with the medical school serving the indigent elderly for 3 credit hours. The Constitutional Lecture Series is an annual program featuring an address by a nationally prominent figure in the field of constitutional law. Three 5-week summer programs are offered, one in London, England, one in Vienna, Austria, and the other in Venice, Italy. Enrollment is open to all students depending on availability. A tutorial program is offered to first-year students through the Dean’s Office. The most widely taken electives are Federal Tax, Decedents’ Estates, and Business Organizations.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 89 total credits, of which 41 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 73 on a scale of 100 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure I and II, Constitutional Law I, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law I, Legal Research and Writing I and II, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of Constitutional Law II, Evidence, Legal Writing III, plus 1 substantial writing project, Legislation and Administrative Law, and Professional Responsibility. All students may take clinics in addition to the skill courses.The required orientation program for first-year students is a 1-week program before the beginning of classes devoted to the basics of legal research and writing.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 73.0, have completed the upper-division writing requirement, and have written a paper or a brief to the satisfaction of the instructor in a course approved by the faculty.

Wake Forest University, School of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 418,676 hard-copy volumes. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, Infotrac, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, Mathew Bender, NEXIS, OCLC First Search, and WESTLAW are available to law students for research. Special library collections include a U.S. government documents depository. Recently, the library moved to a 43,000-square-foot facility, the Worrell Professional Center. It contains 438 student carrels. The Worrell Professional Center employs a wireless network. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 11,018 to 1 and to students is 906 to 1. The ratio of seats in the library to students is 1 to 1.

Special Consideration

The law school recruits minority and disadvantaged students through collaboration with the Black Law Students Association (BLSA), and Latino and Pan Asian organizations who call accepted minority candidates to discuss the school and answer questions. These groups and the school sponsor a minority recruitment day where students visit the campus, meet with enrolled students, and attend a mock class and a moot court presentation. Also, the Career Services Office works with major law firms in the state to place minority candidates for summer employment and to expedite consideration of minority applicants. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have one year of credit, have attended an ABA-approved law school, have a letter of good standing from the dean of the law school, and an official transcript of first-year grades.

Wake Forest University, School of Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 1963 applied, 624 were accepted, and 159 enrolled. Ten transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 93; the median GPA was 3.5 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 40; the highest was 98.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. The most important admission factors include academic achievement, GPA, and LSAT results. A combination of the GPA and LSAT results is used. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is March 15. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a personal statement, a nonrefundable application fee of $60, 2 letters of recommendation, through LSAC. A dean’s certification is required prior to matriculation. Notification of the admissions decision is on a rolling basis. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is December. The law school uses the LSDAS.

Wake Forest University, School of Law Financial Aid

About 78% of current law students receive some form of aid. The maximum annual amount of aid from all sources combined, including scholarships, loans, and work contracts, is $48,350. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is May 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include full-tuition scholarships that are awarded in each entering class and for which all candidates are eligible. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at time of acceptance or early February.

Wake Forest University, School of Law Students

About 41% of the student body are women; 12%, minorities; 8%, African American; 2%, Asian American; and 2%, Hispanic. The majority of students come from the South (30%). The average age of entering students is 24; age range is 20 to 52. About 50% of students enter directly from undergraduate school, 50% have a graduate degree, and 50% have worked full-time prior to entering law school. About 3% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 94% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Wake Forest Law Review, the On-Line Intellectual Property Journal, the student newspaper The Hearsay, and The Jurist, an alumni magazine published in the spring and fall of each year. Moot court competitions include the Marshall Competition in Chicago, National Moot Court Competition, and Jessup International Moot Court Competition. Student organizations include ABA-Law Student Division, Environmental Law Society, and the BLSA/Latino/Pan-Asian Associations. There is a local chapter of the Inns of Court.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered days only and must be completed within 3 years. There is no part-time program. New students are admitted in the fall. There are two 5-week summer sessions. Transferable summer courses are offered.