Pre-Law Track

Lander’s pre-law program equips you with the analytical reasoning, legal writing, and persuasive communication skills essential for a career in the law. You’ll also benefit from expert advising from professionals with real-world experience in law, policy, and public service.

Flexible and Focused Curriculum

Law schools don’t require a specific major, so you have the freedom to study what interests you. At LCM, many pre-law students major in political science because it builds skills crucial for law school — like analyzing legal texts, crafting compelling arguments, and communicating effectively.

Faculty Spotlight: Prof. Tom Rozinski, JD, MA

If you’re thinking about becoming a lawyer, Prof. Tom Rozinski is someone you should get to know right away.

Lander’s pre-law advisor is not just an Ivy League-educated lawyer, policymaker and academic whose engaging teaching style has been written up in The Wall Street Journal. He also leads the New York Association for Pre-Law Advising and has presided over the largest pre-law advising organization in the U.S.

These experiences have given Prof. Rozinski a keen understanding of what law schools look for in applicants. He can help you get on the inside track as soon as you enroll at Lander — and you can tap his expertise after you graduate, too.

If you’re thinking about applying to law school, you can review the information on the pre-law department site, and reach out to Prof. Rozinski. “You don't have to wait until you’re ready to apply to law school to ask for advice,” he says. “Talk to me while you’re planning your courses. My goal is to guide you to the best preparation as well as to the best application. Then I’ll work with you once you get in on things like negotiating for scholarships.”

Applied and Academic Explorations of the Law

LCM offers plenty of ways to explore legal careers through clubs, class, advising, and internships:

Chaburah: Hone your presentation skills in the public speaking club or discuss current events and network with guest speakers in the political science club.
Courses: Practice legal analysis in classes like Civil Rights and Civil Liberties or The Supreme Court and the Constitution. Learn legal theory in Judicial Politics or Introduction to Legal Principles. Let your debate skills shine in Debating Justice.
Advising: Your advisor will help with course selection and a personalized law school application strategy. They can also connect you with LSAT/GRE prep resources, and to current law students who’ll share their insights with you.
Alumni dinners: Network with LCM alumni-turned-lawyers at our annual law dinners. Everyone’s very open,” one student said of his experience. “You can ask them about salaries and stuff that you want to know but can’t talk about with most people.”
Internships and job shadowing: Shadow judges, intern in legislative offices, or gain experience at local law firms. Career Services can help you find an opportunity tailored to your goals. Don’t hesitate to reach out!

Alumni Profile: Jay Goldstein ’04

Jay Goldstein studied business and management at Lander before earning his law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 2007. Now, he’s a successful land use and zoning attorney running his own practice.

“My religious beliefs guide me in running an honest business,” he says. Jay also credits his success to the mentorship of Rabbi Bamberger, which started during his time at LCM. “We formed an incredible bond. I was lucky enough to continue the Torah study with him every night during law school, and for many years thereafter. He helped me as I matured from a kid to a father, and now as a proprietor of my own law firm. The clarity he offered throughout the years has been invaluable.”

Where Our Graduates Are Now

LCM grads thrive at top law schools like Columbia, the University of Chicago, Harvard and UPenn, as well as local schools such as Cardozo, Fordham, and Seton Hall.

Our alumni go on to rewarding careers at law firms, nonprofits, government offices, and corporations, including:

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Greenberg Traurig LLP
New York State Supreme Court
Coca-Cola
U.S. House of Representatives
Orthodox Union
American Jewish Committee

Pathways at Touro

Prefer a law school aligned with observant Jewish values? Touro offers many opportunities to continue your studies within the university system:

Juris Doctor (JD) full or part time at Touro Law Center
JD/Master of Social Work (MSW) dual degree with SUNY Stony Brook
JD/MBA dual degree with Touro Graduate School of Business
Master of Laws (LLM) at Touro Law Center

What You Can Expect From Lander

Aside from small class sizes, experienced faculty, individualized attention, and demanding academics, you can expect alumni connections, support to enter the professional world, and an understanding of what you might be looking for as a Torah Jew raising a family and earning a living.

We have a strong alumni network you can rely on, and a powerhouse Career Services department that will prepare you for the workplace and help you start your career.
Our mentoring program can match you with an alum currently in the field, to mentor you and answer any questions on your career.
We host career night dinners each year, where alumni come back to campus and gather around the dinner table with you, to help you get an inside view of their career with real talk about the profession.
No disconnect between your morning in the Beis Medrash and your afternoon in a college classroom. Torah infuses everything we do and the shiur course you’ll take on Jewish Business Ethics is one example of the balance and coordination you’ll find here.

Suggested Courses

SPLN 101 - Fundamentals of Speech (3 credits)

Techniques of public speaking. Includes the delivery of several speeches during the course of the program.

EBAN 101 - Principles of Accounting I (3 credits)

Introduction to the double-entry system of debits and credits, journal entries and general ledger accounts, steps leading up to financial statement preparation and format of financial statements. Also included are studies of merchandising companies and determination of inventory balances and cost of goods sold, and an introduction to the accounting treatment of various assets and liabilities. US accounting standards (GAAP) are contrasted with international standards (IFRS).

EBAN 102 - Principles of Accounting II (3 credits)

Focuses on partnership and corporate accounting, as well as statements of cash flow and financial statement analysis. Complex partnerships and corporate issues are introduced. US accounting standards (GAAP) are contrasted with international accounting standards (IFRS). Prerequisite: EBAN 101.

EBEN 102 - Principles of Microeconomics (3 credits)

An introductory course covering issues relating to individual economic units: namely, the individual consumer, the individual firm, the individual factors of production—land, labor, and capital. Topics covered include, but are not limited to, price theory, price determination through equilibrium, supply and demand, analysis of consumer demand, utility theory and 129 marginal utility, consumer equilibrium, indifference curve analysis, analysis of supply, theory of production, pricing in perfectly and imperfectly competitive markets, types of imperfect competition, anti-trust laws in the U.S., and distribution of income.

LLEN 201 - Advanced Expository Writing (3 credits)

Intensive practice in expository writing, with special emphasis on the preparation and composition of research papers.

LLEN 202 - Creative Writing (3 credits)

The writing of short fiction: study of writing techniques in contemporary literature; class discussion and analysis of student manuscripts.

PHIN 211 - Logic (3 credits)

Techniques for testing the validity of arguments and recognizing fallacious reasoning. Syllogisms, truth tables, and natural deduction.

POLN 101 - Introduction to American Politics (3 credits)

This course studies (i) the current state of American politics, including the leading issues of the day, (ii) the historical and constitutional foundations of the national government, and (iii) the major institutions of the federal government, including Congress, the presidency, and the judiciary. In depth-analysis of the Congress probes policy-making and organization of the Congress and it evaluates the performance and functioning of Congress as a representative institution. Additional segments of the course deal with public opinion, the media, and American political economy.

POLN 310 - The Supreme Court and the Constitution (3 credits)

The role of the Supreme Court in the American system of government. A study of major constitutional problems that have arisen in the light of representative Supreme Court decisions. Prerequisite: POLN 101 or permission of instructor.

POLN 311 - Introduction to Legal Principles (3 credits)

This course examines whether the law is or should be guided by moral principles and, if so, what these principles ought to be. It considers the ideals of punishment and whether punishment should be devised so as to provide retributive justice or to advance social utility and deterrence. Students are introduced to some of the major schools of legal thought and to principles underlying some of the major bodies of law or constitutional law, in particular the relationship between democracy and constitutional law. Prerequisite: POLN 101 or permission of instructor.

POLN 222 - International Law (3 credits)

A case study approach to the nature, role, and function of international law. Special attention is given to the origins and sources of international law and to its role in the contemporary international relations.