Law

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!

 

Political science and physics major Leela Fredlund wants to ensure fairness and justice prevail in humanity’s leap into space.

“I realized that I could raise very interesting questions at the intersection of astronomy and political science,” says Fredlund. Through undergraduate projects at MIT and at institutions such as NASA, Fredlund has been focused on the ways governments are shaping …

By MIT News
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LexPreLaw Program

LexPreLaw uses a cohort-based model of engaging and observing participants. In 2024, LexPreLaw will enroll 225 aspiring lawyers who already possess or will obtain a bachelor’s degree by August 2025 and who plan to seek law school admission for the …

By Tianna Ransom
Tianna Ransom Assistant Director, Career Exploration
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Yale Law School Launchpad Scholars Program

This innovative program aims to ensure that excellent applicants from all backgrounds can maximize their potential as law students and legal professionals, empowering them to become leaders in their future careers.

Participants will receive tools and resources — including one-on-one mentorship, …

By Tianna Ransom
Tianna Ransom Assistant Director, Career Exploration
Read more

Writing Together Online

Make your New Year’s resolution: write regularly with Writing Together Online during IAP 2024

Date: Mon, Jan 8th through Thu, Feb 1st

Time: 8-9:30am or 9:30-11am
Location: by Zoom (pre-register to receive the link to connect)

Register: https://forms.gle/2kDDymivpSHPP5QS9

Make your New …

By Amanda Cornwall
Amanda Cornwall Graduate Student Professional Development
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Stanford Law Scholars Institute

Application deadline is January 19, 2024. 

For more information: https://law.stanford.edu/education/special-programs/stanford-law-scholars-institute/

Stanford Law School recognizes that the legal sector is among the least diverse professions in the United States and is committed to helping create a legal profession that better serves all …

By Tianna Ransom
Tianna Ransom Assistant Director, Career Exploration
Read more

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Featured Resources

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