Shaping the Next Generation of Citizen Lawyers
America’s First Law School
Established 1779
THE NATION’S FIRST LAW SCHOOL
Established – 1779
Affiliation – William & Mary, the second oldest college in U.S., established in 1693
Location – the beautiful university town of Williamsburg, Virginia
• 150 miles southeast of Washington, D.C.
• 50 miles east of Richmond
• 50 miles west of Norfolk
CONNECT & VISIT
Head to the Connect & Visit page on our website to reserve your spot for a tour of the law school— reservations are required! You can also find info there about setting up a one-on-one information session on Zoom with someone from our admissions team.
APRIL 1
Priority deadline to submit applications to the J.D. program, but applications are accepted until August 1.
APPLICATION FEE WAVERS
To thank you for your interest in W&M Law, we are happy to offer you a waiver of our $85 application fee. Please scan the QR code to submit your request.
AT A GLANCE [as
of July 2025]
Student-Focused Impact
Best Law Schools
First-time Bar Passage
Most Grads in Federal Clerkships (Class of 2023)
Most Grads at BigLaw Firms (Class of 2023)
Specialty Rankings
Constitutional Law
Criminal Law
Legal Writing
International Law
Faculty Impact
Teaching and Accessibility
Quality of Teaching
Scholarly Impact
Most-Cited Law Faculty by Median
Most-Cited Law Faculty by Mean
Class of 2025 graduates took the bar exam in Virginia and 23 other jurisdictions.
The Class of 2028 takes the Honor Code Oath to officially join the William & Mary Law School community.
ACADEMICS
First-Year Courses
Fall
Civil Procedure
Criminal Law
Torts
Lawyering Skills I*
Legal Research & Writing I*
Spring
Constitutional Law
Contracts
Property
Lawyering Skills II*
Legal Research & Writing II*
*Legal Practice Program
Our required Legal Practice Program ensures you’ll learn legal research, writing, and professional skills from full-time faculty and practitioners of law.
Concentrations
Business Law
Criminal Law & Procedure
Environmental Law
Intellectual Property Law
International Law
National Security Law
Political Law
Public Interest and Social Justice
Combination Degrees
J.D. and Master of Arts in American Studies (MA)
J.D. and Master of Business Administration (MBA)
J.D. and Master of Public Policy (MPP)
Semester Exchange Programs
Beijing Madrid
Shanghai Tokyo
Students may also apply for permission to study at other ABA-approved programs outside the U.S. or create individual study opportunities.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Clinics
From helping veterans obtain the benefits they earned, to briefing and arguing constitutional claims in the U.S. Court of Appeals, you’ll have the opportunity in our clinics to practice your lawyering skills and professional judgement while working closely with supervising attorneys.
Appellate and Supreme Court
Community Law
Domestic Violence
Elder & Disability Law
Immigration Law
Innocence Project
Low Income Tax
Puller
Veterans Benefits
Special Education Advocacy
Externships
Externships offer students the opportunity to earn academic credit while gaining hands-on legal experience in real-world settings. The Law School’s Externship Office assists students in obtaining externship placements, and each extern is supported by both a field supervisor and a law school professor who work closely with students to develop their lawyering skills, substantive knowledge, and professional identities. Our externship program is designed for maximum flexibility: students choose their own placements, tailor their externship schedules to fit their needs, and may extern remotely.
State and Federal Courts
Government Agencies
Prosecutors’ and Public Defenders’ Offices
Private Law Firms
Non-Profit Entities
INSTITUTES AND PROGRAMS
Center for Criminal Justice
Policy and Reform
Center for International Law & Policy
Center for Legal & Court Technology
Center for Racial & Social Justice
Center for the Study of Law and Markets
Comparative Legal Studies and Post-Conflict
Peacebuilding
Digital Democracy Lab
Dunn Civil Liberties Project
Election Law Program
Institute of Bill of Rights Law
Property Rights Project
JOURNALS,
COMPETITION TEAMS, AND STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
W&M Bill of Rights Journal
W&M Business Law Review
W&M Environmental Law and Policy Review
W&M Journal of Race, Gender and Social Justice
W&M Law Review
Alternative Dispute Resolution Team
International Competition Team
Moot Court Program
National Trial Team
Transactional Law Team
Student Bar Association and more than 40 other student societies and groups
183
Exceptional Students from across the U.S. and around the world—including 33 states, D.C., Canada, China, and Japan.
166
Median LSAT 75th percentile: 167 | 25th percentile: 161 3.82
Median GPA
75th percentile: 3.93 | 25th percentile: 3.53
Range: LSAT 146–172 | GPA 2.42–4.16
119
Undergraduate institutions 14 in Virginia | 105 out of state
24
Average age Age range 20 to 40 20% | 80% In-State | Out-of-state
TUITION & FEES FOR INCOMING 1L STUDENTS (FALL 2025)
2025–26 Virginia Residents: $46,152
2025–26 Non-Residents: $70,839
as of August 18
Postgraduate Work Experience 11%
First Gen College
7
Active-Duty Service Members or Veterans
34% Students of Color 19%
LGBTQ+ Students
2,176 Applications Received
GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS
94% of entire 2023–24 student body received grants/ scholarships.
You are automatically considered for merit scholarships when you submit your application. No other application is required. To be considered for needbased scholarships, you must file the FAFSA.
CAREER SERVICES AND YOU
Partnering for Success
At William & Mary Law School, career success isn’t just an outcome—it’s a journey we take together. Our Office of Career Services (OCS) partners with you to evaluate goals, explore possibilities, and navigate the job search. We help you explore and pursue opportunities that align with your unique interests, strengths, and professional goals as you prepare for a fulfilling and impactful legal career.
What We Offer
Personalized Career Advising
Each student partners with a dedicated career advisor who learns your story and supports your growth from your first day of law school through graduation and beyond. Your advisor will help you:
• Explore legal career paths
• Clarify your goals
• Strategize your job searches
• Prepare for interviews
• Negotiate offers
Experienced Professionals
Our seasoned OCS team brings decades of experience and a vast network of employer connections across the country—in law firms, public interest organizations, government agencies, nonprofits, corporations, courts, and more. We’re also well-versed in nontraditional legal careers and alternative paths for J.D. graduates.
A Powerful Network: Faculty & Alumni
Our faculty are not just scholars—they’re mentors who share their expertise as students consider practices areas and specialties. And with an alumni network of over 9,000 graduates in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., you’ll join a welcoming community ready to support and connect. As one introduction to their support for you, our alumni from across the country participate in an annual mock interview program for all our 1Ls.
Tools, Programs & Resources
Career Development Workshops
We host targeted sessions year-round on topics like:
• Résumé and cover letter mastery
• Internship and job interviews
• Building your network
• Succeeding in the law fir m search
• Government and public interest career paths and strategies
• Judicial clerkship applications
• Navigating the evolving legal market
• Developing key professional competencies and skills
Alumni Events & Employer Engagement
Want to explore the real-world of law practice? Our alumni events bring in attorneys from a wide range of fields—corporate, litigation, tech, environmental, public interest, international, and more—to share firsthand insights and career advice. You’ll also have opportunities to engage directly with employers to learn about their practices, clients, and workplace culture and establish connections that may lead to exciting career opportunities.
Research + Resources at Your Fingertips
We provide comprehensive career development materials and resources, including:
• Job postings and interview programs with employers across the country
• A password-protected online portal with job search tools, templates, handouts, videos, and more
• Access to online databases and resources to explore and pursue an array of career paths and interests
Where Our Graduates Work
Our graduates excel in all fields—and work across the nation and beyond. Whether it’s BigLaw, mid-size and boutique law firms, public service, judicial clerkships, or innovative roles in business and policy, our alumni are making their mark.
Recent employment highlights:
• Ranked #18 among all law schools for Class of 2023 graduates in federal judicial clerkships (U.S. News & World Report)
• Ranked #33 among all law schools for Class of 2023 graduates in BigLaw (U.S. News & World Report)
• Ranked #35 among all law schools for Class of 2024 graduates in the 500 largest U.S. law firms (National Law Journal’s “Go-To Law Schools”)
• 95%+ employed or in advanced degree programs within 10 months of graduation (Class of 2024, as reported to the American Bar Association, April 2025)
• Jobs obtained in 24 states, D.C., and China (Class of 2024)
• Employers include top law firms, federal and state agencies, courts, public service organizations, and military JAG offices
“Wherever your legal career path leads, we’ll help you get there.
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