It would be inaccurate to suggest that a single point of view animates the work and teaching of every member of the faculty of the College of William and Mary School of Law. Law professors are intensely individualistic. Yet there are certain core values which are shared by the faculty as a whole. These shared values impart a cohesiveness and an intellectual unity to the educational experience at the School of Law that we believe is unusual in contemporary legal education.
Intellectual distinction is a fundamental attribute of a good lawyer.
Our admission process is sufficiently stringent to ensure that each of our students possesses the intellectual potential for success at the bar. Once enrolled, particularly in their first courses, every effort is made to ensure that the intellectual capacity of our students is tested rigorously and directed along professionally productive lines . In addition, early emphasis is placed upon the acquisition of essential practical skills. While none can doubt the primacy of intellectual rigor in the training of a lawyer, our faculty firmly believes that the education of a complete lawyer must be more than training in the life of the mind . Most lawyers perform many functions in their professional careers.