Recognized as an educational institution with a strong faculty and superior facilities, Trinity University has a long history in the preparation of students who plan careers in law or law-related fields.
Legal training is the foundation for success in a variety of careers. A large majority of law school graduates enter the traditional areas of law, but there are significant opportunities in other areas including public administration, non-profit organizations, business management, trade associations, advocacy or public interest law, public affairs, research, teaching, and lobbying.
Trinity adheres to the policy of the American Association of Law Schools in providing a wide variety of courses and program options for the student intending to enter law school.
The association also recommends a general curriculum in any major which develops three basic skills or insights:
1. Facility in written and verbal communication.
2. Critical understanding of the human institutions and values with which the law deals.
3. Creative power of thinking and logical reasoning.
Students are advised to sample a variety of disciplines and choose a major in which they have a keen interest. Students are encouraged to solicit advice from their advisor or a member of the Pre-Law Committee regarding courses and strategies for applying to law school. They should take courses that help them understand institutions, organizations, social relationships, and economics from which legal issues arise, and classes should be chosen that relate to the development of skills required in legal analysis. Courses that emphasize moral and value issues are also recommended.
Most students take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) in June after their junior year or in early October of their senior year. The entire application process is usually completed by January in the senior year.
Trinity University does not offer a pre-law degree. Any major or combination of majors will prepare a student for law school. Based on the information provided by law schools, there is no preference of one major over another. Choices in undergraduate majors are generally related to a student's interest in specific aspects of law.
Trinity University offers the pre-law student support and assistance through the following:
1. Phi Alpha Delta, the pre-law fraternity, provides information, advice, guest speakers, and social activities.
2. The Pre-Law Advisory Committee maintains relationships with many law schools, the regional pre-law association (SWAPLA), and commercial tutorial programs which help students prepare for the Law School Admissions Test.
3. Internships are available through a number of departments in law or law-related fields.
4. Trinity makes a concerted effort to assist its graduates in obtaining entrance to the law schools or graduate programs of their choice.
Trinity is justifiably proud that its graduates have been and are being accepted by many of the nation's leading law schools, including the University of Texas, Harvard University, the University of Chicago, Cornell University, Georgetown University, Stanford, Southern Methodist University, Baylor University, Vanderbilt University, Duke University, and New York University. A significant number of Trinity graduates have also obtained financial assistance from these schools.
L. Tucker Gibson, Jr., Ph.D.
Department of Political Science
(210) 999-8342
lgibson@trinity.edu