Become not just an influential lawyer and leader, but one who uses your influence for service and for good.

The legal profession demands a profound commitment to community engagement and responsibility. Therefore, Valparaiso Law is dedicated to imparting not just skills and knowledge, but also values, a sense of self and a commitment to service. Our University’s Lutheran heritage means that we train attorneys who are ethical, people-focused and service-minded. In fact, Valparaiso Law was one of the very first law schools to institute a pro bono graduation requirement, under which every student must complete at least 40 hours of pro bono service in order to graduate.

As a result, prospective employers know that Valparaiso Law is not a “lawyer factory,” but rather an institution and community deeply invested in preparing graduates who — because of their passionate commitment to the profession to which they have been called — are hard-working, trustworthy and successful attorneys.

“The law is a profession about helping and empowering people, and when you arrive at law school, you’re beginning your professional career. More is expected of you — more is demanded — because when you enter the legal profession, you are not only responsible for yourself, you are responsible for the welfare of others.”
— Professor Ivan Bodensteiner

Develop enduring core competencies, with thorough training in the foundational concepts of legal history, theory, and practice.

Inevitably, both the substance and the practice of law will change over time. Technology will evolve; new legislation will emerge. As an attorney, your career path will likely change, too; you’ll develop new interests or specialty areas; you’ll relocate to a new geographic region; you’ll work in a new business setting.

However, no matter how the profession may develop or your career may unfold, certain core competencies will be required in any work you do as an attorney: critical thinking and questioning; analytical reasoning; and the intellectual creativity it takes to solve problems and find answers where none have existed before. These are the competencies we teach at Valparaiso Law.

Also among our core competencies are the “people skills” that are absolutely essential to the practice of law. In this environment, you will learn to communicate effectively, lead resourcefully and hold yourself and those around you to the highest possible standards — for the good of the entire community.

“Students will often say, ‘I don’t want a bunch of theory; I want the practical stuff.’ What I say in return is: ‘The most practical thing I can give you is a solid foundation in theory.’ The practice of law changes so quickly; you will only be prepared if you know how to think, how to read, how to talk, how to write, how to reason.”
— Professor Bruce Berner, Seegers Professor of Law

Gain advanced skill in legal research and writing—the skill set that hiring partners rank as most important when evaluating prospective associates.

While most law schools require only one year of legal research and writing coursework, Valparaiso requires three — providing you with the kind of comprehensive skill development that allows you to demonstrate to prospective employers that you will be an extraordinary asset to their organizations from your first day on the job.

Writing courses at Valparaiso Law are taught by tenured professors with prestigious publication records. Our legal research program consists of detailed training in both library and computer methodologies. Our students have access to the largest legal library in Northwest Indiana, and you can request one-on-one sessions on research strategies from our professional law librarians.

The research and writing skills you learn at Valparaiso will be indispensable to your post-graduation marketability. Since inefficient research squanders valuable time, and many legal databases carry usage fees, inadvisable searches are wasteful and costly. Thus, legal firms and practices seek new associates who already know how to make efficient use of research resources. As a Valparaiso graduate, you will be one of those associates.

A recent survey conducted by the American Bar Association revealed that legal writing and legal research — both library and computer — are among the top five most important skills for new hires.

Encounter truly personal teaching and learning, distinguished by a focus on you and your education.

Valparaiso differs from other law schools because our faculty and staff have made a pedagogically purposeful choice to be concerned with individuals. We believe that the quality of your legal education begins with the quality of instruction and attention you receive from your professors, so we deliberately keep the size of the student body small and retain faculty who are not only accomplished lawyers and scholars, but dedicated teachers.

Above all, Valparaiso professors are committed to your education. This includes understanding your particular skills and interests; knowing when and how to challenge you; advising you in mock trials, Law Review and other activities; and setting time aside for explanation or consultation.

Our faculty’s extensive scholarly and practical experience will also enhance your education. If you’re interested in sports law, you can study with the only attorney to ever face USADA and win. If you’re interested in animal law, you can study with a professor who served as Guardian/Special Master to Michael Vick’s dogs. If you’re interested in elder law, you can study with one of the authors of the Uniform Power of Attorney Act.

In your search for the best legal education, you will find no better preparation for the legal profession than that afforded by Valparaiso’s faculty. What’s more, you will find no group of professionals with such an extraordinary breadth of experience and expertise who are dedicated to preparing you for success.