The School of Law at Wake Forest University

Law School Admissions

Application

Director of admissions R. Jay Shively
Application deadline March 15
Full-time program application fee $65
Part-time program application fee N/A
Besides the fall semester, can enter in N/A

The School of Law at Wake Forest University

Admissions & Enrollment (Overall)

Acceptance rate 36.0% – Medium
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.60
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 163

Admissions & Enrollment (Full-time)

Acceptance rate 36.0%
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 160-164
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.2-3.8
Median undergraduate GPA for full-time program entrants 3.60
Median LSAT score for full-time program entrants 163

Admissions & Enrollment (Part-time)

Applicants N/A
Acceptance rate N/A
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) N/A
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) N/A
Median undergraduate GPA for part-time program entrants N/A
Median LSAT score for part-time program entrants N/A

Law School Academics

Academic Program Details

Academic calendar Semester
Joint degrees offered
J.D./M.B.A.
J.D./MDiv
J.D./M.A./Religion
J.D./M.A./Bioethics
Special programs offered to J.D. students (as provided by the school)
Clinics: Litigation, Elder Law, Appellate Advocacy, Community Law and Business (CLBC), Innocence and Justice, Children’s Advocacy. The CLBC allows students to assist low-income entrepreneurs in a transactional/business setting. Wake also supports a Children’s Law Externship and a Domestic Violence Advocacy Center. Summer abroad programs are held in England, Italy and Austria.
Programs/courses offered in
appellate advocacy intellectual property law
clinical training international law
dispute resolution tax law
environmental law trial advocacy
health care law

Curricular Offerings (Overall)

Classroom course titles, beyond the first-year curriculum, offered last year N/A
Seminars 38
Positions available in seminars 594
Positions available in simulation courses 432
Positions available in faculty-supervised clinical courses 145
Student activities (as provided by the school)
Wake Forest has student-run publications: The Wake Forest Law Review, The Wake Forest Intellectual Property Law Journal and The Journal of Law and Policy. Moot Court plays a vital role in our co-curricular offerings, sponsoring intraschool competitions and competing in interschool competitions. We encourage a wide variety of extracurricular organizations ranging from social to academic.

Curricular Offerings (Full-time)

Typical first-year full-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) 42
Is there typically a full-time “small section” of the first-year class taught by full-time faculty (excluding Legal Writing)? No
Typical size of first-year “small section” N/A
Positions filled in full-time program seminars 448
Positions filled in full-time program simulation courses 413
Positions filled in faculty-supervised full-time program clinical courses 135
Full-time students involved in field placements 28
Full-time students involved in law journals 175
Full-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions 75
Full-time students enrolled in independent study 49

Curricular Offerings (Part-time)

Typical first-year part-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) N/A
Is there typically a part-time “small section” of the first-year class taught by full-time faculty (excluding Legal Writing)? N/A
Positions filled in part-time program seminars N/A
Positions filled in part-time program simulation courses N/A
Positions filled in faculty-supervised part-time program clinical courses N/A
Part-time students involved in field placements N/A
Part-time students involved in law journals N/A
Part-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions N/A
Part-time students enrolled in independent study N/A

Faculty Profile (Fall 2011)

Student-faculty ratio 9.6:1 – Low
Full- and part-time faculty 60
Full-time minority faculty 11.6%
Part-time minority faculty 0.0%
Total faculty 72
Total faculty (men) 56.9%
Total faculty (women) 43.1%
Total faculty (minorities) 11.1%

Class Size

Law School Ranking

#44 Best Law Schools

(2) Ranking by Specialties

#19 in Healthcare Law
#38 in Law Firms Rank Schools

Law Ranking Scores

Score 59
Peer assessment score (out of 5) 3.1
Assessment score by lawyers/judges (out of 5) 3.7
GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.2-3.8
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.60
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 160-164
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 163
Acceptance rate 36.0% – Medium
Student-faculty ratio 9.6:1 – Low
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 52.8% – Medium
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 83.2% – Medium
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 85.1% – Medium
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar NC
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 77.5%

Law School Student Body

Student Body (Overall)

Total Enrolled 506

Student Body (Full-time)

Enrollment (full-time) 487

Student Body (Part-time)

Enrollment (part-time) 19

Attrition Rates for Full- and Part-time Students (2010-2011)

First-year students discontinuing law school 4.2%
Second-year students discontinuing law school 5.7%
Third-year students discontinuing law school 1.2%
Fourth-year students discontinuing law school N/A
Male students discontinuing law school 4.5%
Female students discontinuing law school 2.5%

Law School Cost

Financial Aid Contact Information

Financial aid director R. J. Shively
Financial aid phone (336) 758-5437
Financial aid application deadline May 1

Expenses

Tuition and fees
Full-time: $38,756 per year
Room and board $11,000
Books $1,400
Miscellaneous expenses $6,951
Is the tuition the same for first-, second-, and third-year students? Yes
Does the university offer housing restricted to law students? No
Does the university offer graduate student housing for which law students are eligible? No
Does the university offer a public-interest scholarship program to current J.D. students? Yes

Grants (Full-time students)

Students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition 22.6%
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full 18.5%
Students receiving grants of full tuition 4.9%
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition 1.4%
Median grant amount $18,257
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) $10,000–$25,000
Full-time students receiving grants 47.4%

Grants (Part-time students)

Students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition N/A
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full N/A
Students receiving grants of full tuition N/A
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition N/A
Median grant amount N/A
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) N/A
Part-time students receiving grants N/A

Indebtedness

Average indebtedness of 2011 graduates who incurred law school debt $109,181
Proportion who borrowed N/A
Does the school offer a loan repayment assistance program for 2011 J.D. graduates? Yes

Law School Library

Library Information Resources

Print titles (excluding nonbook titles) 64,035
Microform titles 235,452
Electronic titles 460,447
Other non-book titles 2,072
Total titles 762,006
Volumes (excluding microforms) 144,920
Volume equivalent microforms 278,087
Total volumes and volume equivalents 423,007
Number of volumes in the collection that are stored off site and are systematically retrievable 0
Library’s online catalog or website includes links to electronic titles or databases made available by another campus library or consortia Yes

Library Schedule of Operation

Number of hours per week library is open on a regular schedule 103
Number of hours per week professional staff are on duty on a regular schedule 50
Number of hours per week only full-time support staff are on duty on a regular schedule 18
Number of hours per week only students or other part-time staff are on duty on a regular schedule 38
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on a regular schedule 66
Number of weeks per year library operates on an abbreviated schedule 7
Number of hours per week library is open on an abbreviated schedule 49
Number of hours per week professional staff are on duty are on an abbreviated schedule 45
Number of hours per week only full-time support staff are on duty on an abbreviated schedule 0
Number of hours per week only students or other part-time staff are on duty on an abbreviated schedule 6
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on an abbreviated schedule 45
Number of weeks per year library operates on expanded schedule 0

Information Technology

Department(s) responsible for the law school information technology operations law school information technology department, university information technology department
Approximate number of full-time-equivalent information technology staff (excluding hourly students and other temporary staff) 3
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in the law library (excluding computer labs) 0
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in classrooms 0
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in computer labs 0
Number of open, wired network connections available to students elsewhere in the law school 0
Does the law school have a wireless network? Yes
Wireless network is available in the law library, in classrooms, in computer labs, in administrative/faculty offices and work areas, elsewhere in the law school
Does the school require entering students to own a computer? Yes

Physical Library Facilities

Net square feet of space assigned for library purposes 42,332
Total seats available for library users 523
Details about the library and other facilities (as provided by the school) The WFU Professional Center Library provides legal information resources, research support and legal research instruction to the students and faculty of the Law School. Since solution of every legal problem requires the finding, analysis and application of relevant legal authority, the Law School devotes significant resources to the library in order to maintain a state of the art collection.

Law School Careers

Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2010 administrations)

State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar NC
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 85.1% – Medium
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 77.5%

Class of 2010 Graduates

Total graduates 161
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 52.8%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 83.2%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Graduation

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 2.5%
Graduates whose employment status is known 97.5%
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 52.8%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 8.1%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 36.6%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 0.0%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Nine Months

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 5.0%
Graduates whose employment status is known 95.0%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 83.2%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 8.1%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 3.7%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 0.0%

Starting Salaries of Graduates Employed Full-time (Class of 2010)

25th percentile private sector starting salary $60,000
Median private sector starting salary $84,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary $115,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information 62%
Median public service starting salary $45,000

Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2010)

Percent employed in academia 3.0%
Percent employed in business and industry 17.9%
Percent employed in government 12.7%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships 10.4%
Percent employed in law firms 46.3%
Percent employed in public interest 9.7%
Percent employed in an unknown field 0.0%

Employment Location (Class of 2010)

Graduates employed in-state 51%
Graduates employed out-of-state 47.8%
Graduates employed in foreign countries 1%
Number of states where graduates are employed 25
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) 1.5%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) 10.5%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) 3.7%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) 0.7%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) 65.7%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) 5.2%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) 6.0%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) 2.2%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) 3.0%
Employment location unknown 0.7%

Career Services

(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)

Career services operations Our Career Services staff counsels individual students/alumni in their personal job search needs and manages a robust on-campus interview program and resume collection service. We participate in numerous job fairs throughout the U.S. and offer video conferencing for distant employers. Our supportive national alumni network willingly offers job search advice and identifies potential opportunities.

Job Type

Bar admission required/anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks) 88.8%
Bar admission required/anticipated – percent employed in full-time positions 100.0%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent) 9.0%
J.D. preferred – percent employed in full-time positions 91.7%
Professional other (jobs that require professional skills or training but for which a J.D. is neither preferred nor particularly applicable; e.g., accountant, teacher, business manager, nurse) 1.5%
Professional other – percent employed in full-time positions 50.0%
Non-professional other (job that does not require any professional skills or training or is taken on a temporary basis and not viewed as part of a career path) 0.7%
Non-professional other – percent employed in full-time positions 0.0%