Academic Support starts building the foundation of knowledge and understanding of the structure and content of the legal system, law school pedagogy, and learning theory through its four-week Summer Pre-Law Program. Through instruction in three substantive courses, students are introduced to the Socratic Method and are introduced to legal skills, emphasizing legal writing and legal analysis through a skills orientation component of the program. Participation is selective. Because most students welcome any assistance offered to help them succeed in law, students do not object to being invited to attend the summer program.

The Academic Support Program is designed to assist students who have not been in an academic setting for a number of years and for those making the transition from undergraduate education to professional legal education. The program provides opportunities to analyze and synthesize precedent, interpret statutes, construct policy arguments, and train students to write and speak with clarity and precision.

Three tenured professors, the director of legal writing, two legal writing instructors, and four teaching assistants teach in the summer pre-law program. The dean provides oversight, supervision, and training.