School of Government renames and revamps their Pre-Law program

• Former Western Legal Traditions degree is now the Law and Policy – Pre-law.
• Flexible degree will be taught by government and law school professors to provide students with the tools to succeed in law school.

The Helms School of Government renamed and remolded its pre-law program to better prepare students for law school and beyond.

According to Assistant Professor of Government Robert Robertson, the new Law and Policy—Pre-law concentration used to be titled Western Legal Traditions (Pre-law). He said the change was a joint effort from the entire faculty in the department.

“We were trying to think of better ways to serve the students and become more focused as to the goals,” Robertson said.

Robertson said that since most of the faculty involved had been to law school, they tried to think of what the school could do to best prepare students for some of the challenges they would face at law school.

“What would it have been like if we arrived at law school familiar with some of the courses you are going to take in law school and how to read and analyze cases?” Robertson said.

Robertson said the Law and Policy program exposes students to undergraduate versions of courses that they will take in law school, while also teaching them how to study cases.

Dean of the Helms School of Government Shawn Akers said that success in the first year of law school typically predicts success on the bar exam, meaning that preparing students for their first year at law school while in the law and policy program can help them later.

“We’ve created a pre-law program that does for law students what a pre-med program does for med students,” Akers said.

According to Akers, professors from the Liberty University School of Law will teach three of the classes in the program. Professors from the school of government, who are also practiced lawyers, will teach the rest.

Robertson and Akers said the program is also designed to give students the tools they need to succeed on the Law School Admission Test.

Students would be exposed to the LSAT early, possibly their freshman or sophomore year, according to Robertson. He said students will practice and study for the LSAT as part of the law and policy program to give them every opportunity to do well on the test.

The law and policy program also includes instruction on policy, which Robertson and Akers said would help prepare students with a bent toward government. Robertson said the program is flexible enough that, although it is designed for students going to law school, they could pursue a career in government more directly.

Akers said that being a lawyer provides an avenue into government, which is why policy is included in the law and policy program.

“There is a reason that so many of our (Founding Fathers) were lawyers,” Akers said.

The law and policy program is being offered both online and residentially. For more information, students can visit the Helms School of Government webpage.