Pay close attention in the Legal Research class. Opt for an internship. Get involved in community service activities that the Legal Studies program offers. Take your coursework seriously.
That’s good advice for undergraduate students who dream of attending law school. The advice comes from experts Alexandra “Alex” Joyce, David Massuli and Josh Brooks. All are students at the Delaware Law School of Widener University and graduates of WilmU’s Legal Studies program.
Joyce, who plans to graduate from law school in May of 2017, was named a Wolcott Fellow at Widener. This prestigious fellowship offered her the opportunity to serve as a clerk for the Honorable Leo Strine, the Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. The legal research skills she learned at WilmU provided a strong foundation for her success in law school and her clerkship. Upon graduation, she’ll clerk for Superior Court Judge John A. Parkins Jr., a connection she made through the law firm where she interned as an undergraduate.
“The Legal Studies program curriculum tracks the concepts in the substantive courses in law school very well,” says Joyce. “The program gives you a great foundation and introduces you to material at the undergrad level that will be covered in law school in more depth.”
Massuli also credits writing and research skills learned as a Legal Studies student with giving him an advantage in law school. “While other students struggled with learning the legal citation system,” he says, “I already had exposure to it.”
Returning to school at age 30, Massuli completed his Legal Studies degree in just over two years and continued on to law school where he recently completed his second year. At Widener, he jumped in with both feet and is involved with activities like oral argument competitions and honor society events. Massuli completed an internship in former Delaware Governor Jack Markell’s office while he was an undergraduate; an experience he says propelled him toward law school. “The encouragement I received from the staff in the Governor’s office was key to my decision to apply to law school,” he says. “I would highly recommend a Legal Studies internship to any student interested in pursuing a law degree because it gives you real world interaction and exposure to the legal system.”
Having finished his first year of law school as an evening division student, Brooks works at a major law firm in Wilmington. As an undergraduate, he worked as a judicial case processor for the Justice of the Peace Court.
Brooks, Joyce and Massuli participated in community service activities like the “Wills for Heroes” event, which provides estate planning for first responders. Brooks enjoyed the “provoking and probing” he experienced at the hands of his undergraduate instructors. “The professors are dedicated to their students’ success,” he says. He especially liked the courses that tied the law to policy issues. “We had some great debates.” WU
Guaranteed Admission Program with Widener University Delaware Law School
Students earning a bachelor’s degree from Wilmington University who meet the following criteria are guaranteed admission to Widener University Delaware Law School’s Juris Doctor (J.D.) program:
- Complete all the requirements for conferral of a Wilmington University baccalaureate degree
- Earn a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher
- Achieve an LSAT score that meets or exceeds the median LSAT score of the current Delaware Law first-year entering class
- Satisfy all law school admissions requirements relating to character and fitness
- Submit a completed application to Delaware Law no later than April 1 of the calendar year in which the student plans to begin legal study
For more information, contact Legal Studies Chair Amy O’Dell at amy.l.odell@wilmu.edu.
—Lori Sitler