1998-99 UAF Catalog

Degrees and Programs

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Law

Pre-Professional Advising (907) 474-6396

Law education prepares students to become attorneys. Attorneys are concerned with the interpretation of law and its application to specific situations. This involves doing in-depth research, writing reports and briefs, advising clients and representing parties in reports and briefs, advising clients and representing parties in courts. Often law school graduates go on to hold government office, or to serve as judges, public servants, teachers or administrators.

Law school consists of three years of graduate level study. Instruction includes classroom lecture and discussion, considerable outside research, and practice of courtroom procedures. Upon graduation, students must pass a state bar exam in order to practice.

Completion of a bachelor's degree is required for admission into most law schools. While law schools do not prescribe a specific major for admission, students should have a strong academic record and high scores on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).

A liberal education is the best preparation for law school. Students planning a legal career should select courses which are designed to enhanced communication skills, both oral and written, to expand understanding of human values and institutions, and to develop analytical reasoning and logical thinking. Areas of study which are valuable for pre-law majors are English, philosophy, history, literature and the social sciences. Additionally, courses in accounting and economics are recommended. Recent trends indicate that students with an undergraduate degree in the natural sciences are gaining in favor for law school admission.

Students interested in a legal career are assigned a special pre-law advisor, through the Academic Advising Center, to discuss program planning, professional schools and financial planning.