Pre-Law

When you study pre-law at Wheaton College, you’ll learn what it looks like to demonstrate love through stewardship and service, promote justice, and restore shalom through the integration of biblical and legal principles. And you’ll understand why the decision to go to law school should be motivated by a desire to use God-given gifts and talents to glorify God.

If you choose to go on to law school, you’ll be prepared to serve as an instrument of God’s love to your neighbors in the practice of law — clients, colleagues, administrative staff, opposing counsel and their clients, judges, witnesses, and others.

You’ll learn the types of intellectual skills tested by the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and understand the importance of preparing for the LSAT through self-directed practice tests and study or a reputable commercial test preparation service. We also offer free, proctored, on-campus LSAT practice tests under test conditions. You’ll learn about the components of a law school application (the application, the LSAT score, transcripts, the personal statement, the resume, and letters of recommendation) and how to use those components to present themselves to decision makers both truthfully and in the best light. And you’ll learn about the merit-based nature of law school financial aid, the sources of financial aid, the financial aid application process, and the importance of financial aid in making a final decision about which law school to attend.

Wheaton College is committed to pre-law advising with the William Volkman Chair of Business and Law. The Volkman Chair is held by a tenure-track professor who teaches law-related classes in the Department of Business and Economics and Department of Politics and International Relations and who serves as your Pre-Law Advisor.

• The Wheaton Mock Trial offers a hands-on exploration of the theory and practice of trial advocacy through competition in intercollegiate mock trial tournaments. The American Mock Trial Association 2017-2018 Team Power Rankings have Wheaton Team A ranked as 55th and Wheaton Team B ranked as 176th from over 700 registered teams from over 400 schools.
• The Wheaton College Undergraduate Law Review published its first issue in Spring 2016. As a student organization and publication, its goal is to publish a journal that glorifies God and exalts Christ through faithful scholarship, commitment to excellence, and a balanced engagement in the multifaceted nature of legal issues. In addition to providing a forum for legal issues, the WCLUR seeks to assist students in acclimating to the law review environment in preparation for law school.
• Learn from speakers who represent a variety of career paths in the legal profession, such as solo practitioners, associates, and partners in large law firms, in-house counsel from corporations and non-profit associations, attorneys with public interest organizations, and government attorneys.
• Develop one-on-one relationships with attorneys to obtain firsthand experiences in a law-related setting. These relationships range from one-time informational interviews to longer “shadowing” experiences, internships, and mentor relationships.
• Law school fairs and workshops on law school applications and financing a legal education
• Roundtable discussions with Wheaton College graduates who are current law students to learn about their experiences in law school and to answer questions about the transition from a Christian liberal arts college to a secular law school
• Learning from seniors who are going straight through to law school about preparing for the LSAT and the various elements of the law school application

In addition to your major, you may wish to pursue courses that focus on the law and related matters. The Pre-Law Studies Certificate is an interdisciplinary program designed to provide a concentration of coursework that supports the future study and practice of law.