Pending the Board of Trustee’s approval and recognition from the state of New Jersey, there could be a legal studies concentration added to the political science department. This course of study will be offered in a similar fashion to the international relations concentration offered.
Dr. Joseph Patten, Chair of the Political Science Department, said, “Our department had an external evaluator a few years back and she, at the time, recommended giving more attention to the area of legal studies.”
According to Dr. Gregory Bordelon, lecturer for the Political Science Department, there are approximately 15 to 20 students minoring in legal studies. He also said that each year since he became the legal advisor, 10 to 15 students from the University apply to law schools around the country.
Next year, however, there will be between 35 and 40 students applying to law schools, which is why the concentration was added.
Bordelon said, “We found a sizable amount of students gravitating towards the minor and wanted to service them best as possible.”
Bordelon went on to say that the pre-law club has grown in membership, along with the mock trial team, which will field two trial teams next year and will also add a moot trial team.
Dr. Stanton Green, Dean of Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences, said, “The concentration should provide students with a more focused pre-law program, which will provide them with better preparation so that they can better present themselves to law schools and hopefully better LSAT scores.”
Harmony Bailey, a history major with a legal studies minor, said, “As a legal studies minor, most classes I have to take are political science, criminal justice, and philosophy. I enjoy these types of classes and I think that they help the college student understand the world around them in clearer terms and they really make me feel comfortable with the idea of having to prepare for the LSAT tests.”
Shawna Sullivan, a student in the Master in Public Policy program at the University, said, “The legal studies minor should absolutely be made into a major. I think that an area that has been neglected in the past for the Political Science Department is its pre-law subdivision. The amount of interest in pursuing a legal education is extremely high both within and outside the department.”
Peter Reinhart, Director of Kislak Real Estate Institute, said, “The biggest differences from undergraduate at Franklin and Marshall College and law school at Rutgers Camden were the amount of homework and preparation for each class and the pressure on tests. In law school, the entire grade was the final exam.”
Albert Calise, professor of communication, said, “I think it will help students make a determination if law is the right approach for them. It will also allow students to pursue other legal related careers such as paralegals.”
Green believes this could make the University a more attractive destination for college bound students. “The concentration should improve student success in getting into law school, which in turn will lead to Monmouth’s attraction of more and better students,” said Green.
Noah Lipman, instructor of history who attended Pace Law School in New York said, “While having a law or legal studies minor might not help students get into law school, it would bring about an increased interest in going to law school. Law schools, for the most part, do not care what you majored in. Rather, their primary focus is on GPA and LSAT scores.”
Lipman continues, “I do not think it is necessary to have a ‘law major.’ Rather, students should focus on courses that concern the Constitution and current government development.”
Bailey said, “By making it a major I feel there would be more opportunities for students interested in law to actually learn along the guideline of the law studies that one may wish to pursue.”
According to Bordelon, the main difference between the general political science major and the legal studies concentration is that students will have to take 12 credits more of American Legal Studies courses or PSAL and Judicial Systems which was offered in fall of 2012 for the first time. There is also an attempt to create a legal research methods class to be included in the minor and concentration.
The main issue with this new concentration is how the concentration will keep up with the trends from law schools.
Bordelon said, “As law schools change, we are trying to just maintain the curve on how we can best prepare students for a legal education.”
Patten recommends that students who are looking to attend law school take undergraduate courses with writing, substantial homework and critical thinking.
Reinhart agrees with Patten. “Monmouth students should take classes that allow them to improve their writing skills as well as speaking skills. Also, classes with large amounts of homework are helpful since the workload in law school is far greater than undergraduate. A course with a major thesis would be helpful,” said Reinhart.
Calise said that law classes and undergraduate courses are “Completely different in terms of content, context and volume.”
Calise continued, “With undergraduate law classes, they give students a sample, where law school classes are very detailed in their studies.”
Bordelon believes this concentration will help combine policy and law; however, he recommends that students need to find their “niche” and stick with it for success in anything not just law.
Patten said, “All students interested in political science can see the wide range the major offers.”
Lipman said, “I believe that these courses, especially history, helped me in law school because I could understand from where the current practices of law developed.”
The legal studies concentration can offer a multitude of options aside from law school. “Students with legal background can work in myriad careers, including management in corporations, non-profit organizations, government and entrepreneurial work,” said Green.
No additional staff will need to be hired because of the concentration. It will be upon the political science department to share the responsibilities of teaching the legal classes. The legal studies minor will remain on the books for those who do not want to make legal studies their major.
The first year of law school is known as “The year they scare you to death,” according to Bordelon. The first year of law school is known for Socratic Method, a massive workload and competition from other students to not fall behind.
Bordelon said, “My hope is that students are not blinded sided by the first year and students are prepared with skills such as case briefs and outlining.”
Reinhart believes that law school has a larger objective, “I believe law school success is achieved by gaining the ability to ‘Think like a lawyer’ more so than any particular undergraduate course. To the extent an undergraduate law class or law minor expedites a student learning to think like a lawyer that would be helpful. A high GPA and high score on the LSAT are still most important to admittance into law school,” said Reinhart.
According to Bordelon, more law schools want to make students “practice ready” upon graduation which is why a lot of law schools are beginning to change their philosophy in preparing students.
Reinhart agrees that lawyers are expected to be prepared earlier. “The most important skill for a lawyer is the ability to express yourself in writing and verbally. The ability to write concisely, persuasively and understandably will serve a lawyer well,” said Reinhart.
Reinhart continued, “Another necessary skill is the ability to drill down through material to understand the essential points. Also, the ability to manage your time is an important skill to have. Many students must work while attending law school and therefore finding time to work, prepare for class and otherwise exist is an essential talent to possess.”
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