RANK 18 Washington University School of Law St. Louis MAILING ADDRESS 1 Campus Box 1120, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899 MAIN PHONE 314-935-6400 WEBSITE www.law.wustl.edu REGISTRAR S PHONE 314-935-4610 ADMISSIONS PHONE 314-935-4525 CAREER SERVICES PHONE 314-935-6451 Overview 2 An education at WashULaw introduces students to all facets of the law, while also empowering future lawyers to personalize their curriculum and further investigate their areas of interest. The WashULaw program is designed to educate well-rounded, thoughtful attorneys. WashULaw graduates have solid foundations in the history of the law, the skills to represent their clients, and the know-how to respond to whatever challenges come their way. Student-Faculty Ratio 3 9.6:1 Admission Criteria 4 LSAT GPA 25th 75th Percentile 160-167 3.27-3.77 Median* 166 3.69 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. Admission Statistics 5 Approximate number of applications 4251 Number accepted 1032 Acceptance rate 24.3% The above admission details are based on 2013 data. 1
Class Ranking and Grades 6 In 2013, the Washington University School of Law changed the grading system from number grades (70-100) to letter grades (A, B, etc.), along with changing the GPAs to a 4.0 scale (based on 31 number grades separated by.06, ranging from 2.50-4.30) that allows the Faculty to distinguish between students scores to a greater degree than the systems at most other law schools. The conversion scale is: Letter Grades Values A+ 4.00-4.30 A 3.76-3.94 A- 3.58-3.70 B+ 3.34-3.52 B 3.16-3.28 B- 3.04-3.10 C+ 2.92-2.98 C 2.80-2.86 D 2.74 F 2.50-2.68 Effective with the class of 2004 and ending with the class of 2013, the Washington University School of Law instituted a grading system with a scale of 70-100. Effective with that graduating class, the middle score in the scale was changed from an 83 to an 87. With this new scale, a grade of 74 or better was necessary to earn credit in a course. A 79 average was necessary to remain in good standing each year and overall in the new scale. The conversion of number grades to letter grades (updated in 2013) is: A+ 95-100 A 91-94 A- 88-90 B+ 84-87 B 81-83 B- 79-80 C+ 77-78 C 75-76 D 74 F 70-73 2
Additional Grades Codes: The law school offers following additional grade codes: AUD CR# or CR CIP N HP NCR# or NCR I Incomplete IP P PW RX LP RW R Audit Credit Course In Progress Grade Not Recorded High Pass No credit Incomplete In Progress Pass Permitted to withdraw Reexamined in course Low Pass Required to withdraw Course repeated Grade Normalization (Curve) 7 The current grading scale at WUSL is 2.50 (F) to 4.30 (A+), with 2.74 (D) being the minimum passing grade for all students. A cumulative and 2L academic year average of 3.04 (B-) (75, ending with the J.D. Class of 2003) is necessary to remain in good standing. Honors 8 Order of the Coif Dean s List summa cum laude magna cum laude cum laude Honor Scholar top 10% of graduating class top third of class top 2% of class top 10% of class top third of class top 10% of class s 9 Name of Alumni Association ed for/to For the highest grade point average. 3
American Bar Association Section of State and Local Government Law, Student Excellence Breckinridge Practice Court Charles Trobman Memorial Charles Wendell Carnahan Christophine G. Mutharika International Law Dan Carter-Earl Tedrow Memorial Dean s Book Don Sommers in Professional Responsibility Equal Justice Works Excellence in Alternative Dispute Resolution F. Hodge O Neal Corporate Law Family Law Gary I. Boren Memorial Intellectual Property & Technology International Academy of Trial Lawyers International LL.M. Best Advocate Jack Garden Humanitarian Joseph Kutten s in Bankruptcy and Insurance Judge Amandus Brackman Moot Court Judge John W. Calhoun Trial Practice For an outstanding student in the areas of land use law and/or local government law. For proficiency in the preparation of briefs, mastery of subject matter, and excellence in presentation of oral arguments in moot court competitions. For the highest grade in Immigration Law. For the highest final grade in Conflict of Laws. For the highest grade in International Law. For the senior who exemplifies the aims of all those entering the profession of law. For outstanding leadership and service to the School of Law. For the highest grade in Legal Profession. For pro bono work. For students who have excelled in the Law School s ADR classes or the ADR competitions. For the highest grade in Corporations. For the highest grade in Family Law. For the highest-ranking student completing the LL.M. in Taxation. For the highest-ranking student completing the LL.M. in Intellectual Property and Technology Law. For proficiency in advocacy and litigation skills, as demonstrated in classes or competitions. For excellence in analysis and advocacy demonstrated in the Introduction to U.S. Law & Methods courses. For a graduating student who has contributed significantly to the School of Law or the broader community. For the highest grades in Bankruptcy and Insurance. For proficiency in briefing and arguing cases in Moot Court competitions. For demonstrated exceptional talent and enthusiasm for trial practice. 4
Judge Myron D. Mills Administrative Law LL.M. Best Advocate Mary Collier Hitchcock Prize Milton F. Napier Trial National Association of Women Lawyers Outstanding Law Graduate For the best paper on an Administrative Law topic. For excellence in analysis and advocacy demonstrated in the Introduction to U.S. Law & Methods courses. For one graduating member of each of three Washington University publications for outstanding writing. For a graduating student who exhibits proficiency in trial advocacy. For a graduating student for academic achievement, professional image, and commitment to the advancement of women in society. Journals 10 The Washington University Law Review was inaugurated as the St. Louis Law Review in 1915 and retitled the Washington University Law Quarterly in 1936. The Review is a student-run academic journal that publishes six issues per year. The Washington University Law Review Commentaries series is a special section of the Law Review featuring original analysis and debate by members of the legal academy, bench, and bar. Commentaries are concise scholarly pieces that cover contemporary issues much more quickly than articles. The Law Review also publishes an online supplement. 11 The Washington University Journal of Law and Policy originated in 1968 as the Urban Law Annual and focused entirely on issues surrounding land use, urban development, and other legal concerns of urban communities. The scope broadened in1983 when the Journal expanded to encompass a broad range of topics while still emphasizing urban and land-use law. In 1999, the staff and its advisors began a lengthy process of reevaluation and once again broadened the scope. The Journal is committed to generating a symposium-based publication that emphasizes existing and emerging visions of the law in relation to interdisciplinary and multicultural perspectives, the implications of technology, and the consequences of economic globalization for the purpose of influencing law and social policy. 12 The Washington University Global Studies Law Review presents outstanding articles, book reviews, essays, and notes from prestigious academics, practitioners and prominent students to expand the global community s knowledge and understanding of real-world issues. Global Studies Law Review publishes quarterly. 13 The Washington University Jurisprudence Review is the only student-edited, in-print journal of jurisprudence in the United States. The Jurisprudence Review promotes academic discussion and scholarship at the nexus of law and legal theory by publishing two issues per year with works that contribute to analytic, normative, and comparative jurisprudence from scholars both within and without the legal academy. The Jurisprudence Review also seeks to enrich the law school experience by fostering critical analysis of the suppositions and theories that underpin the law school curriculum. 14 Moot Court 15 Washington University Law offers a rich program of lawyering skills competitions. Both first-year and upper-class students are encouraged to refine their lawyering techniques through lawyer advocacy 5
competitions. Some of the competitions earn academic credit, and all of the competitions provide excellent training in valuable lawyering skills and professional values. The trial and appellate skills competitions are administered by the Trial and Advocacy Program, and client counseling, negotiation, mediation, and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) competitions are administered by the ADR Program. The moot court program includes: Environmental Law Intramural Moot Court National Environmental Law Moot Court Wiley Rutledge Intramural Moot Court ABA National Appellate Advocacy Moot Court William E. McGee National Civil Rights Moot Court Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Niagara International Law Moot Court Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Giles Sutherland Rich Moot Court Clinical Programs 16 Recognizing that acquiring professional skills and values in a real world context is an essential component of legal education, Washington University Law guarantees every interested student at least one clinical opportunity during his or her second or third year of law school. Clinical courses include: Appellate Clinic Children & Family Advocacy Clinic Civil Rights, Community Justice & Mediation Congressional & Administrative Law Externship Corporate Judicial Externship Criminal Justice Clinic Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property Clinic Government Lawyering Externship Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic International Justice and Conflict Resolution Externship Judicial Clerkship Externship Juvenile Law and Justice Clinic Lawyering Practice Externship Low Income Taxpayer Clinic New York City Regulatory and Business Externship Patent Law Externship Prosecution Clinic Semester-in-Practice Externship Summer Clinical Opportunities Supervised Practicum The Live Client Clinics allow students to help represent and advocate for clients. Washington University students from disciplines such as social work, engineering, environmental studies, and medicine also enroll in some of the clinics, and work on behalf of clients as part of these multidisciplinary teams. In these clinics, students engage in transactional or litigation practice in a range of legal matters from individual disputes or transactions, to complex litigation and policy advocacy, to creating property rights in intellectual property, to advising the development of new legal entities and organizational policies. 6
Placement Facts 17 Starting Salaries (2012 Graduates Employed Full-Time) Private sector (25th-75th percentile) $75,000 - $160,000 Private sector - Median $110,500 Public service - Median $55,067 Employment Details Graduates known to be employed at graduation 50.7% Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 75% Areas of Legal Practice Graduates Employed In Percentage Law Firms 49.6% Business and Industry 18.5% Government 12% Judicial Clerkships 5.8% Public Interest Organizations 9.1% Academia 5.1% Unknown 0% Externships/Internships 18-20 Externships Externship Courses The law school s rich and diverse group of lawyering courses place students out in the community as members of law offices and community organizations. These courses expose students to a variety of legal settings in non-profit, community, governmental law offices, and judicial chambers, and a variety of experiences in litigation, policy, judicial and organizational advocacy settings. These externships are local, national and international and include such placements as federal public defender offices, United States Attorneys offices, local, national and international courts, legal services organizations, and Congressional and Administrative offices in Washington, D.C. Summer Clinical Opportunities During the summer, Washington University Law offers a variety of intensive local, national, and international externships. Summer clinical course offerings include the Judicial Clerkship Externship and the Lawyering Practice Externship (LPE). In the summer LPE, students either may seek placements in the regular offices that the LPE utilizes during the regular academic year or in similar placements in other locations in the United States and abroad. Summer clinical opportunities include: Congressional & Administrative Law Externship Corporate Judicial Externship 7
Government Lawyering Externship International Justice and Conflict Resolution Externship Judicial Clerkship Externship Lawyering Practice Externship New York City Regulatory and Business Externship Patent Law Externship Semester-in-Practice Externship Student Organizations 21 Africa Public Interest Law & Dispute Resolution Project American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) American Constitution Society American Indian Law Students Association Animal Law Society (Student Animal Legal Defense Fund) Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) Barely Legal Theater Black Law Students Association (BLSA) China Law Society Christian Legal Society Corporate Law Society Criminal Law Society Devil s Advocate Education Law & Policy Society Energy & Environmental Law Society Equal Justice Works (EJW) Family Law Society (FLS) Federalist Society Fitness Club Future Advocates in Training Golf Club Graduate-Professional Council Graduate Student Representative to WU Board of Trustees Health Law Association Honor Council Immigration Law Society Intellectual Property Law Society International Law Society J. Reuben Clark Law Society (Student Chapter) Jewish Law Society JD/MBA Association Latin American Law Students Association (LALSA) Latin America Public Interest Law Initiative Law and Social Work Society Labor & Employment Law Society Law School Democrats Law Students for Reproductive Justice Law Students For Life The Liberman Graduate Center Middle Eastern Law Students Association 8
Muslim Law Students Association (MLSA) National Lawyers Guild National Security Law Society Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Society Non-Traditional Law Students Association OUTLaw Phi Alpha Delta ProGradS Public Interest Law Society (PILS) Real Estate & Economic Development Law Society Sidebar Wine Society South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA) Sport Shooting Society Sports & Entertainment Law Society (SLES) Student Bar Association (SBA) Student Law Association of Metropolitan St. Louis Student Veterans Association (SVA) Tax Law Society University-wide Graduate Student Groups Women s Law Caucus (WLC) References 1. http://law.wustl.edu/contact/pages.aspx?id= 2. http://apply.law.wustl.edu/academic-overview 3. http://premium.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/washington-university-in-st-louis-03092 4. http://premium.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/washington-university-in-st-louis-03092/admissions 5. http://premium.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/washington-university-in-st-louis-03092/admissions 6. http://law.wustl.edu/registrar/pages.aspx?id=2236 7. http://law.wustl.edu/registrar/pages.aspx?id=2243 8. http://law.wustl.edu/registrar/pages.aspx?id=2550 9. http://law.wustl.edu/publications/pages.aspx?id=832 10. http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_lawreview/ 11. http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_lawreview/about.html 12. http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_journal_law_policy/ 13. http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_globalstudies/ 14. http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_jurisprudence/ 15. http://law.wustl.edu/competitions/pages.aspx 16. http://law.wustl.edu/clinicaled/pages.aspx?id=6898 17. http://premium.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/washington-university-in-st-louis-03092/career-prospects 18. http://law.wustl.edu/clinicaled/pages.aspx?id=6898 19. http://law.wustl.edu/llmip/ 20. http://careercenter.wustl.edu/tools/careerdevelopment/pages/internships.aspx 21. http://law.wustl.edu/students/pages.aspx?id=1005 9