Pre-Law Information

Career potential

The primary function of attorneys is to provide legal assistance in the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Lawyers engage in a variety of activities and can be found in numerous work settings.

People who pursue law degrees may work:

• as a family attorney, negotiating divorces and custody of children
• in transactional law, drawing up contracts, mortgages, trusts and wills for individuals and businesses
• within the private practice of law, either as a solo practitioner or within a medium- or large-sized law firm
• as a trustee, managing property and financial assets

Lawyers are needed in virtually every business and at all levels of government to interpret rules and regulations. If you have information technology or scientific expertise, you may work on intellectual property and copyright issues. Many attorneys work around the world with international businesses and organizations on issues ranging from corporate law to human rights.

Increasingly, people with a legal education are entering careers that don't involve practicing law on a daily basis. A law degree can also allow you to work as a librarian, lobbyist, legislative aide, policy analyst, financial specialist or educator.

UNT alumni have attended law schools at Yale, Harvard, Michigan, Georgetown, California at Berkeley, California at Los Angeles, George Washington, Virginia, American, Columbia, Stanford, and New York, as well as every law school in Texas. More than 1,500 attorneys in the Dallas-Fort Worth region are UNT graduates, and they serve in a variety of positions. UNT alumni include:

• John Creuzot, presiding judge in Dallas Criminal District Court No. 4
• William Downes, chief judge for the U.S. District of Wyoming
• Hilda G. Tagle, a judge for the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
• more than 40 judges for state trial and appellate courts, or elected political officials
• representatives at private law firms and in public interest positions in every major urban area and more than 80 counties in Texas
• national placements in major metropolitan areas including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. along with 27 other states around the country

Preparing for a law-related career

Because the careers of those trained in law are widely varied, law schools do not generally recommend any particular undergraduate major. For that reason, UNT does not offer a pre-law major. Many pre-law students major in political science; however, any major is eligible to apply to law school. Indeed, because law schools value diversity, they seek an entering class that has an array of experiences and credentials.

Regardless of your major, you should take courses in law offered by several academic departments at UNT to determine why you want to go to law school and to enhance your knowledge of the profession. For example, in political science you can take courses on the American legal system, constitutional law, the U.S. Supreme Court and international law. You may also take classes in criminal law, the treatment of criminal offenders, or juvenile delinquency in criminal justice and psychology departments; or you may study business law and international transactions in the College of Business.

While working on your undergraduate degree, you should take courses emphasizing writing and speaking skills, logical reasoning, and research into problems facing society. These courses will help prepare you to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) in the summer or fall of your senior year.

You will find a wide variety of resources available through the Office of Pre-Law Advising in the Department of Political Science. UNT's pre-law advisor can provide information and guidance as you progress through your course work and throughout the application process. Individual and group advising session are offered, as well as workshops designed to assist students with their applications and informational sessions with representatives from law schools and members of the legal profession.

UNT's Willis Library has many resources that will help you prepare for law school, including electronic access to government publications. The library also offers in-home access to LexisNexis, computerized legal databases that are used by attorneys and law students to conduct legal research. LexisNexis is found in all law school libraries but is not available to all university libraries.

Texas has nine accredited law schools, and admission to most law schools requires you to graduate with a minimum grade point average over 3.0. If you plan to enter one of the nation's top 20 law schools, you should graduate with at least a 3.7 GPA and a comparably high LSAT score. If you do not score high on the LSAT, you need to have a higher GPA, or vice versa.

You should begin the application process for law school admission in the fall before the year you intend to enter the program, and you should take the LSAT no later than December. Most law schools do not have a spring admissions process.

Several extracurricular activities are available at UNT for pre-law students. Through UNT's Global Learning and Experience program, you can learn about the legal systems of other countries and cultures through study abroad or on-campus opportunities. You can also join other pre-law students in Phi Alpha Delta, the university's chapter of the international professional service organization for pre-law students. Through this organization, you can meet practicing attorneys and engage in networking and service activities with the local legal community. Membership is also available in the Pre-Law Society, an organization focused on assisting students throughout the law school admissions process. UNT also has a mentoring program in which you interact with local attorneys in order to learn more about practicing law and begin to develop networks that will help enhance your career potential.

You also can participate in Texas Undergraduate Moot Court Association competition. Moot court is similar to appellate practice, and the skills you learn will help prepare you for when you participate in moot court in law school. The state of Texas has the largest and oldest moot court program in the country. UNT has ranked consistently among the top five schools in the state for the last five years, and the team finished in third place in the national competition in 2009. Additionally, our students have received national recognition as competitors in the American Collegiate Moot Court Association. Students who compete in moot court are typically among the most competitive for law school scholarships.

Tryouts for UNT's moot court team are held in the fall and spring before statewide and national competitions begin. Since 2001, the UNT team has received more than 150 team and speaker awards at state, regional and national competitions.

Getting hands-on experience

Upon completion of 12 semester hours at UNT with at least a 2.5 GPA, you may work in a job related to your major through UNT's Cooperative Education and Internships office. You may earn academic credit and money while gaining valuable work experience.

During their junior or senior year, students with at least a 3.0 GPA can serve as interns at a variety of local, county, state or federal offices through established UNT programs. If you are interested in a private legal career, internship positions are available with attorneys and nonprofit organizations in major metropolitan areas around the state and in Washington, D.C. in order to provide firsthand experience in various areas of the law.

Preparing for UNT: High school students

If you are a high school student, we suggest you prepare for college by becoming computer proficient and taking:

• English … 4 years
• Math … 4 years
• Social science — economics, geography, government, history … 4 years
• Science … 3 years
• Foreign language … 3 years
• Fine arts … 1 year

You will need to take courses in most of these subjects under the university core curriculum required of all undergraduates, in addition to your major courses. Talk with your high school counselor about preparing for college, including the entrance exams (SAT or ACT) that you should take during your junior year.

Preparing for UNT: Transfer students

As a benefit for transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.

If you're attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Guide, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic advisor/ counselor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.

Be aware that law schools use all of your courses at all institutions to determine your overall undergraduate GPA. Consult with the pre-law advisor about the impact this may have during your law school application process.

Charting your path through academic advising

The pre-law advisor works closely with students from your first class until you graduate to assure that you have a competitive law school application. UNT's acceptance rate for current year graduates is at least 90 percent and above. Moreover, we can work with you to help negotiate your financial aid package for law school.

The Office of Pre-Law Advising is in Wooten Hall, Room 129. E-mail prelaw@unt.edu for more information about office hours or to set up an appointment.