College of William & Mary - Marshall-Wythe School of Law

William & Mary, in Williamsburg Virginia, has enjoyed a long and successful history since its founding in 1693, and its public law school, the William & Mary Law School, still “offers a great value for the quality of education.” William & Mary faculty are celebrated by students as “fantastic and willing to help the students rather than focusing on their own research,” though many are “oftentimes the preeminent experts in their field.” “Learning the Erie doctrine,” one student explained, “from the man that pioneered the theory of horizontal Erie is a once in a lifetime experience.” Nonetheless, they “routinely hang out in the lobby and discuss classes or just to interact causally with the students,” and students rarely find them intimidating. There is a “great mix of seasoned faculty and younger faculty who are all at the top of their respective legal fields,” which contributes to the school’s “forward thinking and innovative approaches to legal education” with “a great balance of both theory and the practical hands-on.”
There is a wealth of opportunities here for practical development. Students love “the very specialized electives where you can surprise yourself by how much you learn while at the same time possibly discovering a new passion.” Additionally, “there are countless opportunities to get practical experience via externships and clinic experiences” that become “integral in getting summer internships.” Students report leaving “first year having experience doing client intake and client interviews.” Students say that the school’s Legal Practice Program, “including ‘Legal Writing’ and oral presentation skills, has taken great strides evolving over the past few years in order to best suit students’ needs and prepare us for the world of practice.” The program includes “numerous adjunct professors” who provide “interesting insight.” And while “the legal writing program has its problems,” “the administration truly wants to hear feedback from students and continues to make successful changes to provide meaningful training for practice.” These efforts “to give students an opportunity to become great writers and practitioners” seem to be paying off. One student reported that, “during my 1L summer externship, my supervising attorneys were very impressed with how advanced my legal argumentation and writing skills were.”
Students are pleased with facilities and resources, finding that “there are always available seats in the library, and study room reservations are easy to make.” Technologically equipped classrooms help to “create a comfortable learning environment,” and “the actual law school building is also lovely with great nooks and crannies for studying.”

William & Mary “has a great community feel and a lot of opportunities to get involved—including five reputable law journals.” The school emphasizes the “idea of a Citizen-Lawyer,” Thomas Jefferson’s founding mission to create lawyers who contribute to society and live up to a high moral code, and “is exemplified by faculty and upperclassman.” Students remain close “despite being graded on a curve,” and create a friendly “cooperative atmosphere,” without “cut-throat” competition. They develop a close “community (which isn’t a word often associated with law school),” and “the upperclassmen are supportive” and provide “outlines, career advice, [and] networking” opportunities.” While it is impossible to “really eliminate competition at law schools ([full of] a bunch of type-A weirdos who are graded on a mandatory curve),” one student jokes, “William & Mary really has reduced the competition significantly.” Yet, this collective fondness and involvement in each other’s lives sometimes develops a penchant for gossip: “Since we’re such a small school, people learn each other’s business very quickly,” and “we are pretty gossipy.” While Williamsburg may be small with “ only three to four ‘law school’ bars,” students make up for it “with Public Service Fund and school-sponsored events.” “If you want a place that you can focus on law school but still have an outlet for fun, this is the place to be.”