By: Danica Propst

West Virginia Wesleyan College offers students the opportunity to become familiar with the legal field and possible career paths through the Legal Studies minor that many can take alongside their majors. 

The Legal Studies minor requires 18 credit hours over the course of any undergraduate degree to be obtained upon graduation. Core classes for this minor that you must take five of include Technical Writing, Legal Environment of Business, Criminal Law & Procedures, Argument & Evidence, American Legal History, Constitutional Law, and International Law & Human Rights. 

Students must also take an interdisciplinary elective from a range of subjects such as Business, Criminal Justice, Economics, English, Gender Studies, History, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology. Many students are able to meet this requirement while taking courses required for their major or general education requirements. 

The Legal Studies minor is more than just courses in your schedule. Events are hosted by the chair of the minor, Dr. Alexis de Coning, a professor in the Communication Department, every semester to help students make connections to important professionals in the legal field and develop a deeper understanding of possible career paths after graduation. 

“It’s a role that largely centers around advising and having conversations with students, and one of the communication courses that I teach, Argument and Evidence, is part of the new curriculum for the minor. I think that the curriculum as a whole emphasizes written and oral communication, which is very in our wheelhouse as communication scholars. I also welcome the opportunity to get to know students outside of my concentration for a more rounded collegial experience,” Dr. de Coning said regarding her new position as chair.

In the fall semester, there have been two events hosted by the Legal Studies program, which included a presentation by the WV Intermediate Court of Appeals Judge Thomas Scarr and a conversation with WVWC alum, attorneys Mike Bush and Maggie Lohman. 

Judge Scarr is one of the first three judges  to be appointed to the WV Intermediate Court of Appeals (WV ICA) by Governor Jim Justice, as the court was established in 2022. The WV Supreme Court of Appeals has historically visited the larger schools in WV, such as WVU and Marshall, to give presentations about the judicial system and have interactive events with students. 

“The ICA is a fairly new court, only 2 and half, 3 years old, and because we are a new court, we had a desire to educate as many people as possible about what we do and why we were created,” Judge Scarr stated.  

The WV Intermediate Court of Appeals decided to “fill a gap in education” previously left by the WV Supreme Court of Appeals by visiting smaller public and private schools once per term. So far, they have made visits to Concord, Fairmont State, Davis and Elkins, and West Virginia Wesleyan College. 

The Legal Studies Program at WVWC is working hard to introduce its students to as many opportunities as possible that will expose them to what is taking place in the local and federal legal community, as well as providing them with a well rounded education to help them as they move forward in their future career paths. 

Photo from courtswv.gov of WV Intermediate Court of Appeals.

Pictured (from left to right): Judge Charles O. Lorenson, Chief Judge Thomas E. Scarr, and Judge Daniel W. Greear.