Overview

Applicants
2,319
Acceptance Rate
31%
Median Undergrad GPA
3.61
Accepted Applicants Who Attend
151

Test Scores

LSAT
25th-75th percentile
(enrolled students)
159 - 166

Deadlines

Application Deadlines
July 1

Application Process

Rolling Admissions
Yes

Application Fee
$0

CAS Service Used
Yes

Applicants accepted in terms other than fall
No

Transfer Applicants Accepted
Yes

Deferred Admission
Yes

Other Admission Factors


Selectivity Rating

Faculty Information

Student/Faculty
7:1
Total Faculty
90

39
Female
13.33
Underrepresented Minorities


Students Say

Washington and Lee may be “small in size, but [it] has the resources of a large tier-one law school.” W&L small size means “tiny class sizes” with great “faculty to student ratio[s].” It also fosters a friendly atmosphere where everyone “genuinely care[s] about you and your success.” Other benefits include a “strong alumni presence,” “challenging, but fulfilling” academics, and “the slow atmosphere of Lexington, VA” that “leaves fewer distractions from school.” By far the most raved about aspect of W&L’s School of Law is that it has the “best 3L program in the country” that “has revolutionized legal teaching.” The third year program “focuses heavily on practice preparation and client interaction” and students are “put through an ‘immersion’ course at the beginning of each semester, which is an intense practice-based scenario in litigation (fall semester) and transaction work (spring semester).” This is a great improvement “over the traditional law school curriculum where 3L is basically just a year of spending money and killing time.”
“The facilities themselves are good, especially for such a small school,” and “classrooms are equipped with up-to-date technology.” While it's not in the most attractive or state of the art building…the campus as a whole is quite beautiful and homey,” one student observes. Another says “Sydney Lewis Hall is a 1970s monstrosity,” but “the administration is making a concerted effort to renovate the building.” One benefit of Washington and Lee’s facilities is that every student has “their own study carrel” in the “amazing” library. Like the building itself, these carrels may be “a bit old (and cold),” but are still a luxury that not every law school affords. As a 1L explains, “Law school is not a walk in the park but W&L makes it as nice as it can be, in a lot of ways.”
Students give high ratings to the staff, saying “everyone from the cafeteria employees to the dean of the school is phenomenal.” “The administration is extremely caring and helpful,” but “the faculty are head and shoulders above the administration.” Students say the biggest strength of the school is the “teachers, teachers, and teachers.” The “brilliant” professors at W&L are “extremely accessible” with a “strict open-door policy that gives the entire school a community feel.” There could be more “diversity among professors” though, and the administration “[sells] more parking passes than there are parking spots.” On the downside, “The Office of Career Planning is widely regarded as an unhelpful place.” Professors use “the Socratic method, and classes have always been an environment of tolerance.” “If you want to stay anywhere near sane during law school, this is the place to go,” a 1L concludes.

Career overview

Pass Rate for First-Time Bar Exam
90%
Median Starting Salary
$85,000
% of graduates who are employed within ten months of graduation
93%
% of job accepting graduates providing useable salary information
76%

Career Services

On campus summer employment recruitment for first year JD students
Yes

On campus summer employment recruitment for second year JD students
Yes

# of Employers that Recruit on Campus Each Year
74

Employers who most frequently hire graduates
These are some of the places that employed the Class of 2021: Firms: Alston & Bird LLP Clifford Chance Frost Brown Goodwin Greenberg Traurig Jones Day Jones Walker, LLP King & Spalding LLP Kirkland & Ellis LLP Latham & Watkins LLP Mayer Brown LLP McGuire Woods Moore & Van Allen, LLC Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Ropes & Gray Schulte Seward & Kissel Shearman & Sterling Sheppard Mullin Sidley Austin LLP Steptoe Troutman Pepper Vinson & Elkins LLP Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP Wiley Wilkinson Stekloff Clerkships: U.S Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of North Carolina U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California U.S. District Court, Eastern Louisiana U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia Court of Appeals of Virginia Vermont Supreme Court State trial courts in Maryland and Virginia Government & Public Interest: Colorado State Public Defender Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide Federal Public Defender, Western District of Virginia National Cancer Institute National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) New York Legal Assistance Group Northeast Justice Center U.S. Army JAG Corps U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Business & Industry: Anderson Tax LLC Deloitte First American Financial Corporation Intuitive Surgical 9Round Fitness Franchising LLC UPS

Graduates Employed by Area

61%
Private Practice
13%
Judicial Clerkships
7%
Government
5%
Business/Industry
5%
Public Interes
2%
Academic

Graduates Employed by Region

66%
South
13%
Mid-Atlantic
10%
South West
4%
Pacific
4%
New England
2%
MidWest
2%
Mountain

Prominent Alumni

Bob Goodlatte
Former Congressman and Chair of the House Judiciary Committee

Robert Grey
Former ABA President

Lewis Powell
U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Chris Wolf
Cyber Security/ Privacy Expert

Lizanne Thomas
Managing Partner, Jones Day

Dates


Financial Aid Statistics

Average Annual Total Aid Package Awarded
$51,371

% Students Receiving Some Aid
98%

Expenses per Academic Year

Estimated On-Campus Room and Board
$14,220
Estimated Off-Campus Room and Board
$14,220
Estimated Cost for Books / Academic Expense
$3,200

Student Body Profile

Total Enrollment
361
Parent Institution Enrollement
1,846

Number of Foreign Countries Represented
14
Average Age at Entry
23

% Out-of-State
76%

Demographics

100% are full time
0% are part time
51% female
49% male

Campus Life

Students Say

Washington and Lee’s School of Law has something of a party reputation, and “law school sports and cocktail parties are frequent.” The school itself actually “fund[s] weekend parties throughout the month of February that we host at our homes (but don't pay for alcohol or cleanup the next day.)” Because of the school’s small size, “the students all get to know each other very well, and the professors/administrators also get to know each of us on an individual basis.” The student body is not very diverse, but “the administration is consciously making an effort to bring in students from all backgrounds.” The city of Lexington is “a very slow moving place with not a lot to do other than study,” although “it's close enough to Roanoke and Richmond” if students desire something only a “real city” can provide. “The Indian food in Roanoke (less than an hour away) is great,” one student reports. The area is “very rural,” but some students like the “natural” surroundings which allow for “tubing down the Maury River, hiking House Mountain,” and many other outdoor activities.

More Information

% of Classrooms with Internet Access
100%

Admissions Office Contact

Contact
Lisa Rodocker
Assistant Dean of Law Admissions

Address
204 W Washington Street
Sydney Lewis Hall, Office 400
Lexington, VA 24450

Phone
540-458-8503

Email
lawadm@wlu.edu


Articles & Advice