Legal Studies (Pre-law) Major
Our Upside-Down Curriculum allows you to begin taking courses in your Legal Studies degree program starting in the first semester of your first year.
Why Legal Studies (Pre-law)?
The legal profession relies on expert legal staff as a major support component of any law practice. Attorneys need these professionals to lay the groundwork for virtually every task in the practice of law: litigation support, real-estate title work, researching case law and performing client interviews.
Why Legal Studies at Champlain?
Discover your place in the world of law as a Legal Studies major at Champlain College. Champlain's Legal Studies (Pre-law) program will give you the foundation of knowledge and skills you need to be of great value to attorneys and other legal professionals or to prepare you to go on to a top-tier law school.
Become an indispensable member of the legal team by laying the groundwork for virtually every task in the practice of law, from interviewing clients and researching law to preparing life-altering documents and supporting trials. You will be exposed to the most cutting-edge civil and criminal issues that affect today's society on both a local and global scale.
Your Legal Studies education will provide you with analytical and practical skills in subjects such as trial practice and procedure, personal and property crime, contract preparation and negotiation, real estate matters, negligence and product liability, family issues, and estate planning.
In other courses and electives you will learn more specialized skills: selecting and evaluating relevant evidence for use in civil and criminal trials, preparing bankruptcy filings, helping foreigners navigate through the immigration and naturalization process, and testing constitutional boundaries of free speech and equal protection.
Spend a semester abroad studying global legal issues. Gain field experience in your senior year by working in a law firm, government agency or corporate legal department. You'll graduate with knowledge and skills that make you vital to the success of attorneys and other legal professionals, civil engineering firms, developers, government agencies and real estate firms.
If becoming an attorney is your ultimate goal, the Legal Studies Pre-law program will give you experience and education credentials to make you a highly desirable candidate for any law school you want to attend. Additionally, if you are particularly interested in Vermont Law School (VLS), the highest-rated law school in the country for environmental law, you have the admission advantage of a special agreement between Champlain College and VLS.
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Develop solid research and writing skills. Both program-specific courses and Champlain's Core curriculum emphasize critical thinking and oral and written communication-skills and knowledge that will prepare you for a successful career in the legal field.
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Work on projects with other students studying in other related fields. Work with Computer & Digital Forensics and Criminal Justice majors on Champlain Law & Order, an annual mock murder trial that begins with students investigating the murder scene and finishes with a full-scale trial at which a real judge is the final arbiter.
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Connect with your peers, faculty and professionals in the field. You'll have ample opportunity to develop valuable relationships that will last long after graduation.
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Complete an intensive internship during your final year that will solidify your skills and give you the experience for which employers and quality graduate programs are looking.
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Explore a variety of career opportunities, including child, family and school social work; medical and public health; mental health and substance abuse; administration, planning and policy making.
Ask a Question about our Legal Studies (Pre-law) Degree Program
Ask a question, and someone from our Admission team will put you in touch with the faculty or staff member who can best answer your questions.
A student-designed poster for the Slam For Sudan benefit event.