Incoming first-year class enrollment climbs again at Wayne Law

Wayne State University Law School welcomed 138 first-year students for fall semester, a 5 percent increase over last year’s class of 131 students.

This is the second consecutive year of enrollment growth. Last year, first-year class enrollment increased 10 percent over the previous year.

In addition, this year the law school welcomed 10 transfer students to its second-year class.

The new first-year class includes students ages 21 to 42 who hail from 36 undergraduate colleges and universities, including Bryn Mawr College, University of Michigan and University of Notre Dame. They pursued 45 undergraduate majors, including anthropology, biology, chemistry, economics, electrical engineering, journalism and philosophy. All but 10 students are from Michigan.

Fifteen of the new students are in Wayne Law’s evening program, 13 are in a combined program of day and evening classes, and 110 attend the day program.

“We are proud that not only have we posted an enrollment gain for the second straight year, we also have continued to increase the caliber of our incoming students,” Wayne Law Dean Jocelyn Benson said.

The median LSAT score of the incoming class is 157, and the median grade point average is 3.45, up from 3.42 last year.

Admitted students were chosen by the Wayne Law Admissions Committee based on academic achievement, potential and a varied array of personal attributes.

The first-year students chose to attend Wayne Law for their own array of reasons.

For first-year law student Charles Aaron Hayden IV of Auburn Hills, it was the alumni.

“Over the summer I talked to multiple alumni and what stood out to me was that each alumni I came across talked as if we were family,” he said. “There was a strong pride that came with being a Wayne Law alum.”

Hayden, who earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration of sport management from Adrian College, aspires to work as general counsel for a professional sports team.

“I wanted to go to a law school that felt like home and would set me up to succeed in the near future,” Hayden said. “The next thing that brought me to Wayne Law was the idea of being a part of the rejuvenation of Detroit. Detroit has so much potential and is continuing to grow. With that being said the market for lawyers is only going to continue to grow with the success of the city.”

First-year law student Mignon Lott of Detroit, who volunteers with the Wayne County Community Action Agency, chose Wayne Law because of its convenience and location. She also appreciates Wayne State’s commitment to Detroit.

“Wayne State’s growth and advancement in the city of Detroit has shown its commitment to the citizens through expansion, collaboration and inclusion,” she said.

After law school, Lott plans to be an advocate for children.

“I hope to gain a better understanding of the state and city’s political structure in order to be an advocate for the children of the city through the education system and the Department of Recreation,” she said.

Lott holds a bachelor’s degree in fisheries and wildlife from Michigan State University.

For first-year law student Ian Perrotta of Hamtramck, it was the faculty and staff that convinced him Wayne Law was the right choice.

“I chose Wayne Law because it was obvious the staff and faculty cared about the success of their students, and the legal education I’d receive would be top notch,” Perrotta said. “The campus’ close proximity to my home in Hamtramck as well as the school’s generous scholarship offer sealed the deal.”

Perrotta is a Hamtramck city councilman, owner of Trixie’s Bar in Hamtramck and a reporter, copy editor and web manager of The Hamtramck Review.

“After attending Wayne Law, I hope to gain the necessary skills to objectively and critically analyze a wide variety of problems and be able to solve them accordingly. I also look forward to connecting with people on both a personal and professional level,” Perrotta said.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in English writing and political science from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.