Pre-Law Advising at St. Mary’s College of Maryland
At St. Mary’s College of Maryland, we offer a dedicated Pre-Law Advising Program that pairs rigorous coursework in critical thinking, writing, and analytical reasoning with faculty mentorship and tailored LSAT prep support.
Course Offerings in Law
Students major in a relevant discipline (see below) and take a variety of courses dedicated to legal history, reasoning and theory.
Some of our course offerings in law:
- POSC 303: Law, Courts, and Judges
- POSC 351: Constitutional Law I
- POSC 352: Constitutional Law II
- POSC 385: Jurisprudence
- POSC 266: Women and the Law
- POSC 387: Justice & Freedom
- POSC 339: Rights of Criminally Accused
- POSC 316: Religion and the US Constitution
- POSC 342: Supreme Court & Discrimination
- POSC 366: Law and Society
- POSC 385: Criminal Justice in Modern America
- BADM 304: Business Law
- SOCI 351: Deviance and Crime
- ENST 385: Environmental Law & Policy
- PHIL 327: Philosophy and the Law
Comprehensive Law School Preparation
- 1-on-1 Academic & LSAT Advising: Help with choosing the most relevant and useful courses, plus guidance on LSAT timelines
- Application & Personal Statement Review: Faculty feedback on personal statements, addenda, and resumes.
- Committee/Faculty Recommendation Letters: Deep faculty-student relationships produce personalized, compelling recommendation letters.
- Experiential Learning: Internships with local public defenders, law firms, state court systems, and legislative bodies.
How does our liberal arts curriculum prepare students for law school?
A liberal arts curriculum prepares students for law school by building the core analytical, writing, and reasoning skills that are required for the LSAT, law school, and legal practice. Students are taught to think critically about complex problems, question assumptions, and evaluate multiple perspectives. They also practice close reading and the crafting of thoughtful and evidence-based arguments.
What Should You Major in for Law School?
At St. Mary's College of Maryland we recommend these majors:
When should I start working with the Pre-Law Advisor?
1-on-1 Academic & LSAT Advising: Help with choosing the most relevant and useful courses, plus guidance on LSAT timelines
What campus organizations support pre-law students?
Incoming students can join SMCM’s PLAN (Pre Law Advisory Network), which is a student-led and faculty-advised organization on campus that connects future law students on campus to a consistent flow of information about law school readiness as well as resources for both test and application preparation.
What hands-on law experience can students get at St. Mary's College of Maryland?
The St. Mary's College Moot Court is the culmination of both Constitutional Law I and Constitutional Law II. Here students participate as either Counsel or Justice in a mock appellate court case based upon a hypothetical or “on the docket” fact pattern. The Moot Court is presided over by an experienced attorney or judge who serves as Chief Justice. Through the Moot Court students are able to hone their legal reasoning, legal research, legal writing, and oral litigation skills in a real world context in order to resolve a legal dispute arising under the U.S. Constitution. Hence, the Moot Court aptly furnishes students with marketable professional preparation for a wide variety of high demand professional settings, among them law school.
Recent cases include: a hypothetical federal ban on smartphones for minors; whether the heads of independent federal agencies can be remove by the president at will; whether the 1st Amendment allows parents to exempt their child(ren) from instruction involving LGBTQ topics in public schools; and whether a state may prohibit a counselor from advocating that a minor client (i.e. under 18) prioritize their religious faith over their perceived sexual orientation and/or gender identity as a condition for professional licensure.
Where Do SMCM Graduates Study Law?
Recent SMCM graduates have studied law at:
- Georgetown University
- New York University
- William & Mary
- Washington and Lee University
- George Washington University
- George Mason University
- American University
- The Catholic University of America
- University of Virginia
- University of Richmond
- University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
- University of Maryland Baltimore
- Among others...
They have gone on to work at prestigious private law firms, serve as judicial law clerks and bar counsel, and even establish their own law practices.
Explore the Political Science Program
At St. Mary’s College of Maryland, the political science program equips students with a deep understanding of government systems, political behavior, law, and global affairs. Just a short drive from Washington, D.C., students benefit from access to the nation’s political hub—opening doors to internships, research opportunities, and firsthand engagement with policymaking. Through experiential learning, rigorous coursework, and faculty mentorship, students develop the critical thinking and analytical skills needed to tackle today’s complex policy challenges.
Connect with Your Program Chair
All the faculty here at St. Mary's College of Maryland want to help you explore your interests and set you up for success. We look forward to connecting with you and meeting you on campus.
