Wake Forest University School of Law: Rankings, Academics, and Admissions

Wake Forest University School of Law, situated in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, provides a serene learning environment for students. Established in 1894, it holds a membership in the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). The law school prides itself on its accessible faculty, comprising distinguished legal scholars and seasoned practitioners.

Academics at Wake Forest Law

Wake Forest Law School offers a variety of programs, including the traditional Juris Doctor (J.D.) program, a Master of Laws (LL.M.) for foreign lawyers, a Master of Studies in Law (M.S.L.), and a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) degree. Additionally, joint degree programs such as J.D./M.A., J.D./M.Div., and J.D./M.A. are available. For professionals seeking to enhance their careers with legal knowledge, the law school also provides an online M.S.L. degree.

Faculty and Class Structure

The faculty consists of 52 resident members and 40 extended members. First-year students are divided into sections of approximately 40 students, allowing for a more personalized learning experience. To aid in their transition, students have access to the Academic Success Program, designed to promote effective learning strategies.

Experiential Learning: Clinics and Externships

Wake Forest Law School emphasizes practical legal experience through its clinics. Students gain exposure to real-life legal practices through at least five clinics. These clinics include:

Appellate Advocacy Clinic: Students represent clients in appellate courts, such as the Fourth and Seventh Circuits, managing appeals from start to finish with faculty guidance.
Civil & Criminal Externship Clinic: Formerly known as the Litigation Clinic, this clinic provides students with real-world practice experience by working with local attorneys in civil placements with firms, in-house counsel offices, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of North Carolina. Students also spend part of their semester in a criminal placement.
Veterans Legal Clinic: Students assist former military service members in upgrading their discharge statuses.

Students can also participate in the Metropolitan Externship program in Washington, D.C., interning for approximately 35 hours per week at a government agency or non-governmental organization.

Read also: Understanding Wake Forest Costs

Student Organizations and Law Journals

Wake Forest Law School encourages student involvement through more than 30 student organizations, including the American Constitution Society and the A.A.J. In addition, the school has three student-run law journals:

Wake Forest Law Review: Membership is primarily determined through a writing competition at the end of the first year. The top 10% of the first-year class, based on GPA, also receive invitations for membership, regardless of their performance in the writing competition.
Wake Forest Journal of Business and Intellectual Property Law: This journal considers academic performance, writing competition achievement, and prior experience in intellectual property law when selecting members.
Wake Forest Journal of Law & Policy:

Participation in a journal allows students to earn two credit hours per year in the Spring semester by serving on the Editorial Board or writing an original piece of scholarship.

Admissions at Wake Forest Law

Wake Forest Law School is a competitive institution, with an acceptance rate of approximately 34% for the Fall of 2018. For the entering class of 2018, the school received 2197 applications and accepted 746 candidates, with 178 students enrolling. The Class of 2025 consisted of 159 students from 100 different undergraduate institutions across 32 states.

Application Process

The law school begins reviewing applications starting October 1 each year, on a rolling basis. Applicants can avoid the $75 application fee by using the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) service. Wake Forest Law School also offers an early decision process. While personal interviews are not required, the school does offer conditional admission in some cases.

Academic Profile of Admitted Students

The Class of 2025 entered with a median LSAT score of 165 and a median GPA of 3.72. Wake Forest Law ranks #35 in LSAT composite (165.7), an average of its 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile LSAT scores (163 · 166 · 168). Wake Forest Law ranks #52 in GPA composite (3.76), an average of its 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile GPAs (3.60 · 3.79 · 3.90).

English Language Proficiency

Wake Forest University does not offer ESL programs. However, students whose English proficiency is close to the required level can attend the Legal English Summer Program to improve their skills before starting the LL.M. program.

Rankings and Reputation

Wake Forest Law School has consistently achieved high rankings. U.S. News and World Report ranked the school as the 42nd best law school in the country in 2021. In 2018, it achieved its second-best ranking in the school's history. U.S. News and World Report also recognized the legal writing program as the 12th best in the nation. In March, Wake Forest Law ranked No. 29 in the U.S. News & World Report’s national rankings. In April, Wake Forest Law ranked 3rd out of 196 law schools in the number of 2021 graduates employed in full-time, bar passage required and J.D. degree preferred jobs.

Employment Outcomes

Wake Forest Law School boasts an impressive employment rate. Approximately 89% of graduates secure legal jobs within ten months of graduation. For the class of 2013, about 43% of graduates found employment in private practice, while the remainder entered business, industry, public interest jobs, and other fields. For the class of 2014, 83.4% of graduates found J.D.-required or J.D. advantage jobs within nine months of graduation. According to Wake Forest's official ABA-required disclosures, 88.12% of the class of 2022 obtained full-time, long-term, Bar-required employment (i.e. as attorneys) within 10 months after graduation. According to Wake Forest's official ABA-required disclosures, within 10 months after graduation 73.3% of the Class of 2016 obtained full-time, long-term, Bar-required employment (i.e. Employed - J.D.

The law school's Office of Career and Professional Development assists students in finding summer and permanent legal positions. Wake Forest Law graduates have found employment in all 50 states and at least 40 countries and territories.

Wake Forest Law ranks #56 in terms of bar passage rate among first-time test takers (88.2%), and it outperforms by +9.0% the state of North Carolina's overall bar passage rate of 79.3%.

Cost of Attendance

Law school tuition at Wake Forest Law School is $115k annually (calculated from semester costs). The total cost of attendance, including tuition, fees, and living expenses, for the 2022-2023 academic year was $78,744. While Wake Forest University School of Law does not offer need-based scholarships, most students receive some form of merit-based scholarship.

Notable Alumni

Wake Forest Law School has produced numerous distinguished alumni, including:

Reid Hunter, a music lawyer who has represented artists such as John Mayer.
Kenneth D. Bell (J.D.)
William Earl Britt (LL.B.)
James P. Cain (J.D.)
Elizabeth Kay Dillon (J.D.)
Jay Hayes (LL.B.)
Bo Hines (J.D.)
Malcolm Jones Howard, (J.D.)
Woodrow Wilson Jones (LL.B.)
Cheslie Kryst (J.D.)
I. Beverly Lake Jr. (J.D.)
Charles H. Norwood Tilley (J.D.)
Samuel Grayson Wilson (J.D.)

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