Welcome to Law School Insider! In this multi-part blog series, you will hear directly from current law students about their favorite courses, law school myths, best pre-law tips, and more!

In this edition of Law School Insider, we asked fellow Illini about myths they heard before attending law school and whether they are true or not. Check out their answers below!

Welcome to Law School Insider! In this multi-part blog series, you will hear directly from current law students about their favorite courses, law school myths, best pre-law tips, and more!

Law schools offer a myriad of both academic and extracurricular activities designed to help students grow personally and professionally. These are activities that fall outside of the typical seminars and lecture courses students will engage in each semester. Some activities may include credit earning opportunities, while others may simply provide invaluable opportunities to develop skills, community, and knowledge. Below are some favorite activities of our UIUC alumni currently attending law school!

Welcome to Law School Insider! In this multi-part blog series, you will hear directly from current law students about their favorite courses, law school myths, best pre-law tips, and more!

The summer is a great time to relax and engage in some entertainment. What better way to be entertained than with some law-related material! In this post, you will hear about all-time favorite legal-related books, movies, and TV shows from current law students – just in time for summer!

Must Read/Watch

“I don’t tend to read many law-related books in my free time because I like having a clear separation between school and relaxation, but I am currently reading Martha Minow’s When Should Law Forgive? It’s an interesting take on what the focus of our legal system should be, and is easily accessible to folks who don’t yet have a background in law.”

-Ben T. | University of California, Berkley, School of Law

“Michelle Obama’s Becoming! She discusses interesting feelings about law school and the profession in general. If you’re on the fence about law school, I’d read it to get another perspective.”

-Skylar R. | Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

“Black Edge: Inside Information, Dirty Money, and the Quest to Bring Down the Most Wanted Man on Wall Street” by Sheelah Kolhatkar

-Sydney S. | Georgetown University Law Center

Looking for additional suggestions?

Thieves of Book Row, by Travis McDade

Torn from their Bindings, by Travis McDade

The Book Thief, all by Travis McDade 

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

In Cold Blood, Truman Capote

The Trial, by Franz Kafka

An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones

She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement, by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey

Know My Name, by Chanel Miller

I’ll Be Gone In the Dark, by Michelle McNamara

Radium Girls, by Kate Moore

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot

Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky

My Cousin Vinny – movie

Find Me Guilty – movie

Sleepers – movie

A Civil Action – movie

Amistad – movie

On the Basis of Sex – movie

Marshall – movie

Loving – movie

Bridge of Spies – movie

Partner Track – Netflix series

Erin Brokovich – movie

Legally Blonde – movie

Check out this list of 25 Greatest Legal Movies according to the American Bar Association!

Check out this list of suggested law-related TV shows!

And here is a list of the 25 Greatest Law Novels Ever from Goodreads!

The 2022 – 2023 academic year was busy and filled with many successes! To our UIUC pre-law students and alumni, congratulations on a successful academic year and application cycle! Our thanks to our UIUC pre-law student & alumni leaders, law expert volunteers, and all those who helped support our over 1500 prelaw Illini this academic year!

Read below for some highlights from this year!

Advising Appointments

PLAS held over 800 advising appointments (and counting) this year! Individual advising appointments are a great way to explore your individual goals and plans including determining if a legal education and career is the right choice for you! Advising sessions afford the opportunity to receive expert guidance on the pre-law undergraduate experience, ways to prepare for law school, internship & post-graduation opportunities, and the law admissions process. We welcome the opportunity to support you in a successful journey to law school. We loved meeting with all of you!

Workshops & Events

This academic year, PLAS hosted over 50 student workshops and events, including Pre-Law 101, Pre-Law for Parents, Drafting Your Application, Application Roadmap, Selecting a Law School, Strategies for Spring Application Success, and more! Workshops & events are a perfect way to gain invaluable expert insights and specialized topics in a very efficient way. For those contemplating applying during the 2023-2024 admission cycle – be sure to check the events calendar for the summer editions of Application Roadmap & Drafting Your Application! Note – PLAS programming is open to all UIUC current students and alumni!

New Programs

This year, PLAS created four new initiatives: the Pre-Law Advisory Council, APPtitude Certificate Program, and LSAT Jumpstart workshop series, and the I Am Ready: Law Admission Readiness Program co-hosted with the University of Illinois College of Law! Each of these initiatives expanding on existing PLAS resources and services, creating more unique support and opportunities for our UIUC pre-law students and alumni! Thanks to all who participated in the inaugural year for these programs!

Law School Fair & Law Dean Panel

This past Fall, admissions representatives from 85 law schools from across the country visited campus to engage with nearly 400 students in central Illinois. The 2023 Law School Fair was held in-person, on campus for the first time since 2019 and was hosted as part of the annual Midwest Association of Pre-Law Advisors (MAPLA) Caravan. We also featured a law school panel the night before at the Law Building!

Save the Date for the 2023 Law School Fair on October 5!

Pre-Law Pop-Ups

This April, PLAS hosted 4 separate pop-ups to engage with students around campus. We met with students at Grainger Engineering, Gies Success Lab, Ikenberry, and at IUB to answer questions about the pre-law path and share information about our office resources! We look forward to seeing you around campus again next year!

Blog Posts

We uploaded over 40 articles to our blog this year that covered insights from attorneys, helpful tips & resources regarding the pre-law path, monthly events, and more! We will continue to create content for the blog this summer so be sure to stay tuned and check back for updates!

Legal Expert Volunteers

A huge thank you to the attorneys, law professors, and other law experts who volunteered their time to engage with students through programming and 1:1 meetings this year, including our featured panelists and the 10+ alumni featured on the Alumni Attorney Talks blog series!

Thank you to all our pre-law students, alumni, and law expert volunteers for making it a great year!

Welcome to Law School Insider! In this multi-part blog series, you will hear directly from current law students about their favorite courses, law school myths, best tips, and more!

In this second post of the series, you will hear about all-time favorite specialized and upper-level (2L – 3L year) law school classes and why your fellow Illini chose them.

Sovereign Debt & Financial Stability

“Sovereign Debt & Financial Stability. It has been a practical and timely look into lawyers’ roles in preventing and resolving financial crises.”

-Sydney S. | Georgetown University Law Center

DID YOU MISS PART ONE?

Click here to read what current law students are saying are their favorite first-year courses!

Welcome to Law School Insider! In this multi-part blog series, you will hear directly from current law students about their favorite courses, law school myths, best tips, and more!

In this first post of the series, you will hear about all-time favorite first-year law school classes and why your fellow Illini chose them.

First-Year Courses

Although each law school will have unique features to their curriculum, all law schools have a required set of first-year courses in the foundational subjects for legal studies. In addition to courses in legal research and writing, these first-year subjects include Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, and Torts. In addition, some schools offer first-year students the option to take an elective course(s) in addition to their required coursework. Keep reading to learn more!

Property

“I loved property law because it was very straightforward and to the point. Although there were exceptions to the default rules, it seemed very rule-based and straightforward.”

-Cierra M. | University of Illinois College of Law

“So far, property. The class was taught by an extremely engaging professor and it truly makes you see the world in a different view.”

-Justin M. | Loyola Law School, Los Angeles

“Property. Lots of interesting historical and theoretical background.”

-Khalil R. | University of Chicago Law School

First-Year Electives

Some law schools allow first-year law students to select an elective course. See below for some favorites!

STAY TUNED!

Stay tuned for the next edition of Law School Insider: Favorite Law Courses Part II where will hear from current law students about their favorite upper-level courses!

Recommended Course Lists

It is that time of the year again! Registration for Summer and Fall 2023 is just around the corner!  Law schools do not require any particular major or coursework. Students in ANY major can attend law school, and there are NO specifically required courses for pre-law undergrads. However, given an interest in law, we have compiled a list of suggested summer and fall courses that pre-law students may find helpful and interesting.

In general, students interested in going to law school should take classes that focus on analytical and critical thinking, communication, research and writing, and when possible – legal topics of interest. The recommended course list includes classes from many different disciplines that might serve one, or more, of these goals.  Take a look at the chart to find courses that are both interesting to you and will help build the necessary skills for law school.

Please keep in mind that these lists should not be viewed as exhaustive as there are many beneficial courses offered each semester.  These lists should be used to highlight courses of particular interest and give a broad overview of options. 

Want to learn more?

See what fellow Illini say are some of their favorite pre-law related courses at Illinois…

Ben Mulaomerovic

Ben is currently the Class of 2025 Representative of the PLAS Advisory Council Ben is studying Finance and Accounting. He shared the following perspectives on his favorite pre-law related courses…

• FIN 241 – Fundamentals of Real Estate – Introduction to Real Estate Transactions, Property Rights & Regulation. Currently taught by practicing lawyer Scott E. Perkins who provides unique insight into the daily life of a practicing real estate lawyer and applicable real-life examples. Great foundational class for those with an initial interest in property/real estate transaction law and finance. 
• BADM 300 – The Legal Environment of Business – Although currently a mandatory aspect course of the business curriculum, BADM 300 is truly a fantastic introduction to corporate law and its many implications for current events, M&A, shareholder defense and so much more! The class is taught by Professor Warnick, who invests in students both inside and outside the classroom to ensure students with a particular interest in law have relevant insight into the life of a practicing corporate lawyer! 

Justin Davis

Justin is currently the Class of 2023 Representative of the PLAS Advisory Council and president of UIUC Accounting Club. He shared the following perspectives on his favorite pre-law related courses…

• PHIL 102 – Logic and Reasoning – It was a great introduction to applying critical thinking to a text and then writing down your analysis.
• BADM 300 – The Legal Environment of Business – This was my first perspective on what laws apply to corporations. It also provided a glimpse into liability, constitutional law, and the hierarchy of federal vs state laws.

Jack McNabb

Jack is currently a pre-law student of the Class of 2023, studying Sociology and Business & Informatics. Here are his perspectives on his list of favorite pre-law related courses…

• BADM 340 – Ethical Dilemmas of Business – I am currently taking this course and I have enjoyed it thus far. As the name states, this course explores some large ethical issues facing the current business world and could be valuable to students interested in business law.

Sruthi Navneetha

Sruthi is currently the At-large Representative of the PLAS Advisory Council, president of Phi Alpha Delta, and president and founder of Women In Law Pre-Law Society. She shared the following perspective on her favorite pre-law related course…

• ECON 437 – Game Theory – This can really help with other pre-law-related classes as topics in this class reappear in almost even Political Science class. It also helps people think critically, which is essential to scoring well on the LSAT.

Alex Nevarez

Alex is currently the Class of 2023 Representative of the PLAS Advisory Council, president of Pre-Law Honors Society, and vice-president of Kappa Alpha Pi. These are her favorite pre-law related courses…

• PHIL 103 – Logic and Reasoning QR 2 – This is the most important course I have taken because it is directly applicable to the LSAT. In this course, you learn logic, symbolic logic, and essentially a new way of thinking. This new way of thinking is directly applicable to the LSAT as there are two logic sections. Because I had already taken this course when I started LSAT studying the logic sections came easy to me because my brain already had logical thinking background.
• PHIL 104 – Intro to Ethics – In this course, it is logic, ethics, and writing combined. You cover three hot topics and read from philosophers coming from both sides and then you will write a paper on who you believe is right for each topic. The material is extremely in-depth and eye-opening and it aided me in helping me create good and sound arguments. I grew as a thinker and a writer.

Considering a minor?

Check out this informative video about the Legal Studies Minor, including a Q&A with Professor Jennifer Pahre: 

Visit the Legal Studies Minor website to learn more or email:  

law-undergrad@illinois.edu!

Still not sure what to take? 

Schedule a pre-law advising meeting to discuss course options!