You must electronically attach a personal statement with your application. Your personal statement should give the Admissions Committee a sense of the person behind the objective credentials presented in your application and supporting documents and should not be a restatement of your résumé in narrative form. Your statement should be no longer than 3 pages of double-spaced, Times Roman 12-point text. We regularly receive outstanding personal statements that fill only a single page; a lengthy statement is not required.

We understand that a student's background, educational and social environments can play a large role in who they are. We invite you to submit a brief statement telling us how your background and lived experiences have influenced your development, character, and perspectives. You may include information on challenges bested, skills built and/or lessons learned. Please feel free to include information related to your grit and determination in overcoming challenges and hardships, and/or your leadership experience(s). Statements may be written (no more than 2 pages) or you may upload a document containing a link to a brief (2-minute max) video.

You may electronically attach a 500-word double-spaced essay discussing the manner in which you dealt with an ethical dilemma. Failure to submit this optional essay will have no negative effect on your application.

We invite you to submit a brief statement explaining your interest in attending W&L Law. Statements may be written (500 words max) or you may upload a link to a brief (2-minute max) video.

Explanatory or informational addenda in addition to those required by this application may be submitted, but must be included as attachments when you submit your application. Subsequent submissions of additional information for inclusion in your application file are strictly limited to (a) any required document or answer omitted from your original submission; (b) disclosure of any new information as required by the ongoing duty to disclose set forth in this application (Section 15, Certification 1); and (c) additional letters of recommendation.

You are encouraged to attach a résumé detailing any scholastic honors, extracurricular activities, work experience, or other significant accomplishments or activities you believe are relevant to the consideration and evaluation of your candidacy. Though not required, a résumé is helpful as we seek to gain a deeper sense of you and your credentials.

1. In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Though Washington and Lee University is prohibited by Virginia statute from requiring disclosure of information concerning arrests or charges that have been officially expunged (See Virginia Code 19.2-392.4), state bar examiners may require that bar applicants disclose such information and closely compare disclosures on law school applications with disclosures on applications for bar admission. We therefore encourage full, voluntary disclosure.

Each incident or circumstance that requires an affirmative answer of any of the following Character and Fitness questions must be described in detail in an attachment.

Disclosure pertaining to a speeding ticket or other moving violation under Question 2 must include the date of the incident; the violation with which you were charged; any reduction in the charge (whether at a court hearing, as a result of attendance at an instructional class, or by other means); and the fine or other penalty imposed.

Disclosure pertaining to an arrest, prosecution, or charge under Question 2 or an agreement or arrangement under Question 3 must include (1) a detailed description of the incident, event, and/or circumstances leading to such arrest, prosecution or charge, (2) the original charge(s), and (3) the ultimate disposition of the matter. Mark this box to confirm your understanding of the information in the foregoing paragraphs.

2. Have you ever been cited, ticketed, taken into custody, arrested, or prosecuted for, or charged with, any violation of law other than (a) citations for parking violations and (b) arrests, charges, prosecutions, or convictions that have been officially expunged in accordance with applicable statutory provisions?

3. Have you ever entered into a plea agreement or any arrangement to avoid prosecution other than agreements or arrangements specifically involving arrests, charges, prosecutions, or convictions that have been officially expunged in accordance with applicable statutory provisions?

4. Are you now the subject of a criminal or administrative investigation?

5. Have you ever been the subject of or a party to a civil or administrative proceeding?

6. Have you ever been reprimanded, suspended, expelled, placed on probation, or been the subject of any other disciplinary action by any college or university, or were you required or permitted to withdraw in order to avoid academic or disciplinary action?

7. Have you ever been found to have committed any honor violation?

8. Are you now the subject of an honor investigation, or are allegations of an honor violation pending against you?

9. Have you ever been denied admission to any profession or had any type of license revoked?

10. Do you know of any other matter that might adversely affect your admission to law school or to the bar of any state?

11. I understand that failure to provide complete and accurate information as required by this application, and as required by my continuing duty to provide accurate and complete disclosures, may result in one or more of the following: denial of admission, revocation of an offer of admission, action under the Washington and Lee University Honor System, dismissal from the School of Law, and may otherwise jeopardize my application for admission to the bar and my ability to practice law. I acknowledge that, because of the high ethical standards to which lawyers are held, the failure to make a disclosure or the failure to make a full and complete disclosure as required by this application may be considered more significant and could lead to more serious consequences than those that may result from proper disclosure.

To Apply for JD Admission: Important Admission Deadlines

Regular Decision applications to the School of Law are reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants whose admissions files are complete by March 1 will receive a decision no later than March 31. Applicants whose admissions files are not complete until after March 1 cannot be guaranteed a decision by March 31. Applications received after July 1 may not be considered. Application files completed by February 1 will receive full consideration for merit-based scholarships. Application files completed after February 1 will be considered for scholarship assistance to the extent funds remain available. Applicants for federal student loans should file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For additional information about Financial Aid at our school, please refer to the University's Financial Aid website. The University's Financial Aid Office may request supplemental financial information. Questions regarding educational loans should be directed to the University's Office of Financial Aid at 540.458.8715.

Application Instructions To Apply for Admission to the School of Law:

Submit an application with required attachments. No application fee is required. You must comply with the electronic certification instructions when submitting your application through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). Please refer to our website, www.law.wlu.edu/admissions, for guidance on individual elements of our application. Register with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). All applicants must register with the LSAC CAS even if applying with the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and not the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). All applicants must take the LSAT or the GRE. See application question for instructions.
Direct LSAC CAS to send a law school report to Washington and Lee. If you completed any postsecondary work outside the US (including its territories) or Canada, submit transcripts from foreign institutions to be included in your CAS report. This service is included in the Credential Assembly Service registration fee; the Transcript Request Form is available online from LSAC. Foreign Credential Evaluation will be completed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), which will be incorporated into your Credential Assembly Service Law School Report. Note that only work completed outside the U.S. and Canada that exceeds the equivalent of an academic year will be authenticated and evaluated by LSAC's transcript services. When any lesser amount of work is completed, up to and including one academic year, a copy of that transcript will simply be forwarded to the law school. Questions about the Credential Assembly Service should be directed to LSAC at 215.968.1001 or LSACinfo@LSAC.org. Obtain a minimum of one letter of recommendation. Because we seek to evaluate your potential as a law student, faculty recommendations that discuss your academic performance are particularly helpful. Letters from Teaching Assistants (TAs) are also accepted. We encourage you to use the LSAC Letter of Recommendation and Evaluation Service. This service is included in your CAS registration. Submissions made through the LSAC service are included in your law school report. We will accept additional references, but will consider your file complete when one letter has been received. Once your application has been submitted, you must inform the Office of Admissions of any changes in the information provided, or any new event or information that would have been required to be disclosed had it occurred or been known on the date the application was submitted. For details, please refer to the Application. If you intend to apply for federal educational loans, submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). All applicants for admission are considered for merit-based scholarship assistance; no separate application form is required.

Notice Regarding Ethnicity & LGBTQ+ Questions:

With respect to the question regarding Ethnicity within the Demographics section of the application, the information provided will not be seen or used by the Admissions Committee in the review of your application for admission. We ask this question solely for post-admission reporting purposes and you may select "Decline to respond".

With respect to the question regarding LGBTQ+ identification, the information provided will be masked from reviewers and will not be used by the Admissions Committee in the review of your application for admission. This is an optional question, and we ask this solely for post-admission reporting purposes.

Notice:

As a part of efforts to introduce students to our law school community, our Office of Admissions may provide your email address or phone number to select current students, faculty members or alumni who can answer your questions. Please notify Admissions if you do NOT want your contact information shared outside of the admissions committee for such informative purposes. Please contact the Office of Admissions at 540.458.8503 or LawAdm@wlu.edu with questions.