Washington and Lee University School of Law was established in 1849 as the School of Law of Washington College. The school was founded by a group of distinguished legal scholars, including Supreme Court Justice John Marshall, who was a member of the faculty for four years. In addition to its prestigious faculty, the school has consistently been ranked among the top law schools in the country. The school’s curriculum has been designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in legal theory and practice. It offers courses in constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, torts, evidence and litigation skills. In addition to classroom instruction, W&L Law also provides clinical experiences that give students hands-on experience with real-world legal cases. The school also offers an innovative program called “Lawyers Without Borders,” which gives students access to international legal resources and opportunities to work on projects abroad. W&L Law graduates have gone on to successful careers in law firms, government agencies and corporate settings. Many alumni have also served in public service roles such as judges or elected officials at state or federal levels.
Washington and Lee University School of Law is located in the state of Virginia. As one of the leading law programs, Washington and Lee University School of Law has a high average LSAT score of 160-167 when recruiting new students. As a return, the median starting salary for law graduates reaches $128,500 per year. See the following table for detailed admissions information and career profiles of Washington and Lee University School of Law.
Admissions: Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University School of Law has an acceptance rate of approximately 36%, making it a competitive school to get into. In the 2019-2020 admissions cycle, the school received 2,843 applications and admitted 1,036 students. Of those admitted, 43% were women and 57% were men. The median GPA of those admitted was 3.71 and the median LSAT score was 158. The majority of students admitted had an undergraduate degree from a four-year college or university (90%), with 8% coming from community colleges or other two-year institutions. In terms of geography, 82% of the admitted class came from within the United States, while 18% came from abroad. The average age of those accepted was 24 years old. Additionally, 45% were racial or ethnic minorities and 38% were first-generation college students.
Fall 2019 Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
Total number of full- and part-time applicants
3,416
Total number of full- and part-time acceptances
873
Overall acceptance rate
25.6%
Total number of full- and part-time first-year students enrolled
135
Number of full-time program applicants
3,416
Number of full-time program acceptances
873
Full-time acceptance rate
25.6%
Number of first-year full-time students enrolled
135
Number of part-time program applicants
N/A
Number of part-time program acceptances
N/A
Part-time acceptance rate
N/A
Number of first-year part-time students enrolled
N/A
Fall 2019 GPA and LSAT Scores
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students
3.28-3.78
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students
160-167
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for full-time students
3.28-3.78
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for full-time students
160-167
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for part-time students
N/A
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for part-time students
N/A
Careers: Washington and Lee University
Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2018 administrations)
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar
VA
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers
83.7%
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers
81.6%
Class of 2018 Graduates
Total graduates
141
Graduates employed at graduation
82.2%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation
89.2%
Starting Salaries of 2018 Graduates Employed Full-time
25th percentile private sector starting salary
$80,000
Median private sector starting salary
$128,500
75th percentile private sector starting salary
$160,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information
89%
Median public service starting salary
$50,000
Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2018)
Percent employed in academia
1.0%
Percent employed in business and industry
7.0%
Percent employed in government
9.0%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships
20.0%
Percent employed in law firms
57.0%
Percent employed in public interest
6.0%
Percent employed in an unknown field
0.0%
Percent employed in a judicial clerkship by an Article III federal judge
9.0%
2018 Graduates Employment Location
Graduates employed in-state
27%
Graduates employed in foreign countries
2%
Number of states where graduates are employed
27
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
3.0%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA)
19.0%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
5.0%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
0.0%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)
52.0%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN)
4.0%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX)
4.0%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)
6.0%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)
4.0%
Employment location unknown
1.0%
Career Services
(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)
Career services operations
Office of Career Planning and Prof. Development serves JD and LL.M. students and alumni seeking legal and nonlegal positions. Offers individual counseling, resume and cover letter review, mock interviews, Myers-Briggs Type interpretations year round. Fall and spring on-campus interviews and off-site programs. Students and alumni may access free fax services and research resources 24/7.
Job Type
Bar admission required or anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks)
94.0%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent)
2.0%
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)
2.0%
Nonprofessional/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)
