Overview

Applicants
2,023
Acceptance Rate
31%
Median Undergrad GPA
3.72
Accepted Applicants Who Attend
124

Test Scores

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

Deadlines

Application Deadlines
July 1

Application Process

Rolling Admissions
Yes

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

36
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
85%
Median Starting Salary
$100,000
% of graduates who are employed within ten months of graduation
99%
% of job accepting graduates providing useable salary information
99%

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 2023: Firms: Alston & Bird LLP Anderson, Desimone, & Greene, P.C. Balch & Bingham LLP Barze Taylor Noles Lowther LLC BotkinRose, PLC Bradley Brown Rudnick LLP Butler Snow LLP Cantey Hanger, LLP Cranfill Sumner LLP Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig PLLC Eric Buchanan & Associates Eversheds Sutherland Fisher & Phillips LLP Foley Hoag LLP Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP Gentry Locke Attorneys Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP Glenn Feldmann Darby & Goodlatte Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP Jones Day K&L Gates LLP Kirkland & Ellis LLP Mayer Brown LLP McDermott Will & Emery LLP McEwan, Martinez & Dukes, P.A. McGuireWoods MG+M The Law Firm Morris Nichols Arsht & Tunnell LLP Norton Health Law, PC Ogletree Deakins Patten Wornom Hatten & Diamonstein Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP Pender & Coward PC PwC Rogers Townsend LLC Ropes & Gray Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP Scott+Scott Shearman & Sterling LLP Shook Hardy & Bacon Shumaker Sidley Austin LLP Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP Smith Currie & Hancock Starnes Davis Florie LLP Thomas Combs & Spann PLLC Timberlake Smith Troutman Pepper Vinson & Elkins LLP Washington Family Law Group Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial Williams & Walsh, LLC WilmerHale LLP Clerkships: 23 Circuit of Virginia Court of Appeals of Maryland Court of Appeals of Virginia Fairfax Circuit Court Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky New Jersey Superior Court, Criminal Division New York Supreme Court, Bronx Civil Term & 1st Judicial Dept. Appellate Term Richmond Circuit Court Richmond Circuit Court State Circuit Court, 22nd Judicial Circuit (Virginia) Superior Court of Delaware Superior Court of the State of Delaware Texas Court of Criminal Appeals U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas United States District Court, Western District of Virginia VA Court of Appeals Virginia Court of Appeals Government & Public Interest: 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Staff Attorney's Office 15th Judicial Circuit of Florida Attorney General of Virginia Chesapeake Office of the Public Defender Colorado State Public Defender Danville Office of the Public Defender Denver District Attorney's Office Harris County District Attorney's Office King County Department of Public Defense Public Defender - Roanoke, VA Richland County Public Defender's Office Seattle City Attorney's Office State Attorney's Office Fourth Judicial Circuit, Florida Texas Office of the Attorney General U.S. Army JAG Corps Virginia Indigent Defense Commission Virginia Office of the Attorney General Washington and Lee University School of Law Business & Industry: Fidelity National Title Group IBM

Graduates Employed by Area

59%
Private Practice
16%
Judicial Clerkships
10%
Government
8%
Public Interes
3%
Business/Industry
2%
Academic

Graduates Employed by Region

69%
South
16%
Mid-Atlantic
6%
South West
4%
Pacific
3%
Mountain
1%
New England

Prominent Alumni

Spencer Cox
Governor of Utah

Linda Klein
Former ABA President

Lewis Powell
U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Reggie Aggarwal
CEO, Founder Cvent

Lizanne Thomas
Managing Partner, Jones Day

Dates


Financial Aid Statistics

Average Annual Total Aid Package Awarded
$54,080

% Students Receiving Some Aid
97%

Expenses per Academic Year

Tuition
$53,120
Estimated On-Campus Room and Board
$14,720
Estimated Off-Campus Room and Board
$14,720
Estimated Cost for Books / Academic Expense
$3,180
Fees
$2,430

Student Body Profile

Total Enrollment
361
Parent Institution Enrollement
1,846

Number of Foreign Countries Represented
17
Average Age at Entry
24

% Out-of-State
80%

Demographics

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