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Law School and Pre-Law Advising

MIT alumni have attended law schools all over the United States including Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, University of Chicago, NYU, University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley, and many more! Some alumni decide to enroll in law school immediately after MIT while others decide to take a break or work before beginning law school. The best time for you to go to law school is when you feel ready.

Schedule a meeting with Tianna Ransom, MIT’s Pre-Law Advisor, to explore your law school options and to get support with your applications. Students and alumni within two years of graduation can schedule meetings through Handshake. Sign up for the monthly Pre-Law newsletter, which includes relevant events, updates, and announcements by updating your uConnect profile and preferences to include the Law career interest. Have questions? Contact us.

Join the MIT Pre-Law Society to connect with other students interested in law school. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) has everything you need from exploring law programs of interest, taking the LSAT, and applying to law school. AccessLex provides financial and academic resources that help prospective and current law students get into law school.

Career Paths and Job Titles

There are a number of employment options for you to explore if you’re interested in a law career. Some options include private practice, business, judicial clerkship, government and military, public interest, and education. Go to nalp.org to see employment and salary outcomes for careers in these areas of the law.

Companies that MIT alumni work at include Wolf Greenfield, Morgan Lewis, and Ropes & Gray. Some MIT alumni enter these companies after completing a JD. Others either start at a company after MIT and earn their law degrees while working, or work for a few years and then enroll in law school full time.

These graduates’ job titles include:

  • Patent Attorney or Patent Agent
  • Associate Attorney
  • Technical Advisor
  • Law Clerk
  • Professor of Practice
  • Partner or Founder
  • Director

Courses

What course is best for someone interested in a career in law? The course you are most interested in! Pick the course that you are most excited about, even if it’s a STEM course. There is a growing need for people to work in the intersection of law and technology, so lawyers with a STEM background are at an advantage in these fields. Some of these areas include intellectual property, privacy, cybersecurity, biotech and life sciences, corporations and startups, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and cleantech and energy.

MIT alumni who have gone onto a career in law have majored in:

  • Materials Science & Engineering
  • Chemistry
  • Mathematics
  • Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
  • Aero Astro
  • Physics
  • And others!

 

The MAX Pre-Law by AccessLex® Annual Scholarship Program

AccessLex Institute® is excited to launch a new scholarship program to support students on their path to law school: The MAX Pre-Law by AccessLex® Annual Scholarship Program.

Students beginning law school in the fall of 2026 now have the chance …

By Tianna Ransom
Tianna Ransom Assistant Director, Career Exploration
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Federal loan changes coming in Fall 2026: Considerations for graduate, medical, and professional school

In July, the U.S. government passed legislation that has changed the loan landscape by adding limits to the amount of government-funded loans that students can take out. 

Federal student loans will now have a total lifetime cap of $257.5K for …

By Tianna Ransom
Tianna Ransom Assistant Director, Career Exploration
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IAP Micro-internships are in Handshake – Apply now!

Looking for a short-term project or internship over IAP? Consider a micro-internship! Build skills, connect with employers and explore a career path. Here are a few micro-internships:   

Micro-internships are listed in Handshake and it’s really easy to search for them.  …

By Tavi Sookhoo
Tavi Sookhoo Assistant Director, Career Prototypes
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The JD-Next Impact Scholarship for law school

Application deadline: May 15, 2026

The JD-Next Impact Scholarship celebrates ten exceptional law school applicants who plan to begin their legal education in Fall 2026 and are committed to making a positive difference in the world through the power of …

By Tianna Ransom
Tianna Ransom Assistant Director, Career Exploration
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Building a Network: Digital and In-Person Strategies for Students, Recent Graduates, and Postdocs

The following article is from Trevor Cambron’s post for the MIT Communications Lab

Networking. For some it is a loaded word that induces a visceral sense of dread, while for others it is a natural part of the workday. In …

By Tara Thakurta
Tara Thakurta Graduate Community Fellow
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Featured Resources

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Handshake 101: What it is & how to use it*

CAPD is committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive environment for everyone we serve. If you need any disability-related accommodations to …

CAPD offers a need based undergraduate professional development fund enabling currently enrolled MIT undergraduates to complete professional development opportunities which …

In July, the U.S. government passed legislation that has changed the loan landscape by adding limits to the amount of …

In addition to Handshake, you can use the websites below to find jobs and internships related to social impact, policy, …

MIT’s Legal Studies Concentration

The Legal Studies Concentration introduces students to the academic field of legal studies. Scholars in legal studies draw on disciplines …