David E. Van Zandt on Northwestern Law Admissions, Interviews, Work Experience, and Legal Career Success

^{Last Updated: September 2026}

What makes a strong law school applicant beyond grades and standardized test scores? How important are professional experience, communication skills, leadership, teamwork, and an applicant's ability to explain why a particular law school fits his or her goals?

These questions were central to a wide-ranging Top-Law-Schools.com interview with David E. Van Zandt, former dean of Northwestern University School of Law.

Although this interview was originally conducted in 2008, many of Van Zandt's observations remain relevant to prospective law students. He emphasized professional maturity, communication, teamwork, leadership, project management, sound judgment, and the importance of understanding how legal education connects to long-term professional success.

Some Northwestern-specific admissions practices, statistics, and academic programs discussed in the original interview reflected the school at that time and may no longer apply. Applicants should therefore treat those details as historical context and verify current Northwestern Law admissions requirements directly with the school.

Students preparing applications may also find Top-Law-Schools.com's law school personal statement guidance useful when developing essays that communicate their experiences, goals, and individual strengths.

Editor's Note: This interview was originally published in 2008. References to Northwestern Law admissions procedures, statistics, degree structures, programs, or other school-specific practices describe the school at that time and should not be treated as current admissions requirements. Prospective students should verify current requirements directly with the law school.

What Did David E. Van Zandt Look for in Northwestern Law Applicants?

Van Zandt explained that strong academic credentials were important, but they were not the only characteristics that mattered.

He valued applicants who demonstrated strong interpersonal skills, communication ability, maturity, ambition, sound judgment, and the ability to work effectively with people from different backgrounds and perspectives.

Professional experience also played an important role in Northwestern's admissions philosophy at the time. Applicants who had already worked in professional environments often brought practical perspectives to the classroom and could draw on experiences involving teamwork, organizational responsibility, deadlines, clients, and project management.

For today's applicants, the larger lesson is that a law school application can demonstrate far more than academic performance.

Employment, internships, research, volunteer work, leadership positions, entrepreneurship, extracurricular activities, and other responsibilities can help show how an applicant solves problems, works with others, and handles responsibility.

Why Are Communication Skills Important in Law School Admissions?

Van Zandt placed significant value on admissions interviews because they could reveal qualities that grades and written application materials did not always show.

An interview could help an admissions committee evaluate how an applicant communicates, responds to questions, explains experiences, and interacts professionally.

These abilities matter because the practice of law is fundamentally communication-driven. Attorneys routinely communicate with clients, colleagues, courts, opposing counsel, business executives, regulators, and other professionals.

Even applicants applying to schools that do not require interviews should recognize that communication skills affect nearly every part of the admissions process, including:

Personal statements
Résumés
Recommendation letters
Admissions interviews
Email correspondence
Scholarship interviews
Future employment interviews

Communication remains equally important after law school. LawCrossing's article on the skills attorneys need to thrive in today's legal industry discusses communication, collaboration, leadership, and adaptability as important professional competencies.

Does Work Experience Help With Law School Admissions?

Van Zandt believed professional experience could contribute valuable maturity and perspective to legal education.

Applicants who have already worked in organizations may have experience dealing with deadlines, competing priorities, workplace relationships, clients, supervisors, teamwork, and accountability.

However, simply having a job is not necessarily what makes work experience valuable.

Applicants should consider what their experience demonstrates.

Strong examples may show:

Increased responsibility
Leadership or initiative
Project management
Problem-solving
Client interaction
Teamwork
Professional judgment
Career direction
Ability to perform under pressure

Students applying directly from college can demonstrate many of the same qualities through internships, campus organizations, research, athletics, public service, volunteer work, entrepreneurship, or part-time employment.

The most important point is to explain what the experience taught you and how it contributed to your development.

What Makes a Strong Law School Personal Statement?

Van Zandt emphasized that the personal statement should help admissions officers understand something meaningful about the applicant that cannot be learned simply by reviewing grades, test scores, or a résumé.

A strong statement might discuss an important professional experience, leadership responsibility, intellectual interest, challenge, achievement, or experience that influenced the applicant's goals.

He also cautioned against generic applications.

Applicants should avoid simply turning their résumé into paragraphs. A personal statement works best when it gives the admissions committee insight into the applicant's motivations, perspective, judgment, or development.

For additional guidance, see Top-Law-Schools.com's Law School Personal Statements Advice.

Should Applicants Tailor Their Applications to Individual Law Schools?

Van Zandt encouraged applicants to understand what made Northwestern distinctive and to explain why those characteristics fit their academic or professional goals.

That principle applies to virtually every law school application.

Applicants should research factors such as:

Curriculum
Clinics
Faculty
Practice-area strengths
Geographic location
Employment outcomes
Student organizations
Joint-degree opportunities
Experiential learning
Career services
Alumni networks
School culture

A strong application should show genuine understanding rather than simply inserting a school's name into a generic essay.

The goal is to demonstrate why the institution makes sense for the applicant's particular objectives.

Why Do Leadership and Teamwork Matter for Future Lawyers?

Van Zandt argued that strong legal analysis alone does not guarantee success in legal practice.

Lawyers frequently work as members of teams involving other attorneys, paralegals, experts, accountants, consultants, executives, clients, and other professionals.

As a result, successful attorneys may need a combination of legal and professional capabilities.

Van Zandt highlighted competencies such as:

Legal analysis
Written communication
Verbal communication
Leadership
Teamwork
Project management
Strategic thinking
Quantitative understanding
Cross-disciplinary collaboration

These skills become increasingly important as attorneys assume greater responsibility for clients, matters, teams, and organizations.

LawCrossing's guide to transforming attorney experience into leadership opportunities explores how attorneys can develop leadership through communication, mentorship, strategic thinking, visibility, and initiative.

Why Is Teamwork Important in Legal Practice?

Law school is sometimes viewed as a highly individual environment centered on grades, examinations, and class rankings.

Legal practice, however, is often collaborative.

Major litigation matters, corporate transactions, investigations, regulatory projects, and other sophisticated assignments may involve large teams of professionals.

Attorneys therefore need to communicate clearly, meet deadlines, coordinate responsibilities, identify problems, and understand how their work fits into a larger strategy.

Applicants can demonstrate these skills by discussing situations in which they:

Coordinated people with different responsibilities
Resolved disagreements
Managed competing deadlines
Helped a team reach a goal
Assumed responsibility when problems occurred
Explained complex information
Improved a process
Supported colleagues or classmates

Specific examples are generally more persuasive than simply stating that you are a strong team player.

What Should Applicants Know About JD/MBA Programs?

Van Zandt discussed Northwestern's JD/MBA program as part of the school's broader interest in connecting legal and business education.

The specific admissions procedures and program structure discussed in the original interview reflected Northwestern Law at that time and should not be assumed to remain unchanged.

However, the broader question remains useful: When does pursuing a joint degree make sense?

Applicants considering a JD/MBA or another combined program should evaluate:

Career objectives
Additional tuition
Time required
Opportunity cost
Recruiting opportunities
Academic workload
Whether both credentials are genuinely necessary

A joint degree can provide valuable interdisciplinary training, but students should evaluate it based on specific professional goals rather than assuming that an additional degree automatically creates greater career value.

Historical Perspective on Northwestern's Approach to Legal Education

The original interview also covered Northwestern Law's former "Plan 2008" initiative and Accelerated JD program.

These programs should now be viewed primarily as historical examples of the school's efforts at the time to reconsider how legal education could better prepare students for professional practice.

Van Zandt argued that law schools should pay close attention to the skills employers and clients expect attorneys to possess.

His broader point was that legal education should develop more than knowledge of legal doctrine.

He believed lawyers benefit from abilities involving communication, management, leadership, teamwork, strategic thinking, quantitative analysis, and understanding organizations.

That underlying issue remains highly relevant: What combination of legal expertise and professional skills prepares attorneys for long-term success?

What Skills Do Legal Employers Value?

Van Zandt emphasized that employers need lawyers who can do more than identify legal rules and analyze cases.

Lawyers must translate legal knowledge into useful advice.

That often means understanding questions such as:

What is the client trying to accomplish?
What business problem is behind the legal issue?
What risks matter most?
Who needs to participate in solving the problem?
How should complex information be communicated?
How can the matter be handled efficiently?
How does the legal recommendation support the client's broader objectives?

These questions illustrate why business awareness, communication, judgment, teamwork, and leadership can become increasingly valuable as an attorney advances.

LawCrossing's Attorney Career Playbook for Long-Term Success offers additional guidance on developing legal skills, communication abilities, professional relationships, and long-term career strategy.

How Much Should Applicants Rely on Law School Rankings?

Van Zandt viewed rankings as one source of comparative information, but not something applicants should use as the sole basis for choosing a law school.

That distinction remains important.

Applicants should consider rankings together with factors such as:

Tuition
Scholarships
Total cost of attendance
Employment outcomes
Bar passage rates
Geographic placement
Practice-area opportunities
Alumni networks
Faculty
Curriculum
Clinics
Student experience
Debt burden
Individual career goals

Top-Law-Schools.com's historical law school ranking guide can help applicants understand how law school rankings have changed over time.

Rankings can provide useful information, but they should be one part of a broader evaluation.

How Should Applicants Choose the Right Law School?

The highest-ranked school is not automatically the best choice for every student.

Applicants should consider where they want to practice, the type of legal work they hope to pursue, the amount of debt they are comfortable assuming, and the opportunities available at each school.

Useful questions include:

Where do graduates work?
What types of jobs do graduates obtain?
How much will attendance actually cost?
What scholarship conditions apply?
Where do I want to live and practice?
Does the school have strengths in my intended practice area?
What experiential opportunities are available?
What kind of student environment fits me?
How strong is the school's alumni network in my target market?

Applicants comparing offers can also review discussions in the Top-Law-Schools.com Choosing a Law School Forum.

What Can Today's Applicants Learn From David E. Van Zandt?

Although the original interview reflects an earlier period in Northwestern Law's history, its broader themes remain relevant.

Long-term legal success requires more than academic ability.

Future lawyers should ask themselves:

Can I communicate clearly?

Can I work effectively with other people?

Can I take responsibility for complicated assignments?

Can I exercise sound judgment?

Can I understand what a client or organization is trying to achieve?

Can I lead when leadership is required?

Can I explain why a particular law school supports my professional goals?

These are useful questions long before an applicant enters law school.

The strongest law school applications do more than demonstrate academic ability. They show how an applicant's experiences, judgment, motivation, and goals can contribute to a law school community and eventually to the legal profession.

Related Top-Law-Schools.com Resources

Law School Personal Statements Advice
Guidance on developing a compelling law school personal statement and communicating experiences, motivations, and goals.
https://www.top-law-schools.com/statement.html

Law School Rankings Over Time
Review historical law school rankings and changes in school placement over time.
https://www.top-law-schools.com/law-school-ranking.html

Law School Admissions Forum
Discuss law school applications, admissions strategy, recommendations, LSAT/GPA considerations, and applicant experiences.
https://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=2

Choosing a Law School Forum
Compare law schools based on cost, scholarships, rankings, employment outcomes, geography, and career objectives.
https://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=1

Related LawCrossing Resources

The Top Skills Attorneys Need to Thrive in Today's Legal Industry
https://www.lawcrossing.com/article/900056396/The-Top-Skills-Attorneys-Need-to-Thrive-in-Todays-Legal-Industry/

How Attorneys Can Transform Experience Into Leadership Opportunity
https://www.lawcrossing.com/article/900057160/How-Attorneys-Can-Transform-Experience-Into-Leadership-Opportunity/

The Ultimate Attorney Career Playbook for Long-Term Success
https://www.lawcrossing.com/article/900056939/The-Ultimate-Attorney-Career-Playbook-for-Long-Term-Success/

Relevant Top-Law-Schools.com Forum Pages

Law School Admissions Forum
https://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=2

Law School Personal Statements Forum
https://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=18

Choosing a Law School Forum
https://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=1

Northwestern and Work Experience Discussion
https://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=131410

Northwestern University Application Discussion
https://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=232674