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Office Hours

faculty Office hours

 

All Legal Studies faculty are available to speak with current and prospective majors/minors about course selection, major and minor requirements, course substitutions, double-counting requirements, study abroad credits, and all other advising matters.  For declaring a minor and petitions to graduate, please set up an appointment with Professor Abby Barefoot [https://calendly.com/abigail-barefoot/advising]

FALL 2025

FACULTY  Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri.

Joanna Grisinger 
Click here to schedule

10:00-12:00
Zoom 

 9:30-10:30
in person

 
4:00-5:00
in person

Shana Bernstein
Email for appointment

 2:30-3:30
in person

2:30-3:30
Zoom
Nicolette Bruner
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 1:30-3:30

Abigail Barefoot
Click here to schedule




12:30-3:00

Jesse Yeh
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3:00-4:00
9:00-10:00


Law School
Students wanting advice about law school should contact Northwestern Career Advancement. They can provide information about applying to law school, LSAT preparation, and more! Use Handshake to book an appointment with the law advisor there, Lynn Galowich Page.

Legal Advice

Legal Studies does not provide legal advice. For inquiries regarding legal assistance, contact Northwestern School of Law’s Bluhm Legal Clinic by phone (312-503-8576) or email (legalclinic@law.northwestern.edu). Another resource for legal matters is the American Bar Association.


Helpful forms

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Frequently Asked Questions:

How do I declare the minor?

Once you have completed (or are in the process of taking) 206 "Law and Society", you can make an appointment with Professor Abby Barefoot [https://calendly.com/abigail.barefoot/advising]

Before your appointment date, complete a Weinberg Declaration of Minor Formand email it to Professor Barefoot at abigail.barefoot@northwestern.edu for their signature.  During your Zoom meeting, you'll review the minor requirements, and then the form will be submitted to the Weinberg Advising office on your behalf via email.

Once you declare the minor, you will have access to Legal Studies courses during pre-registration, and you will be added to the Legal Studies Majors/Minors listserv.

How do I declare the major?

You must first apply to the major and get accepted before you can declare the major. Major applications are open in the Winter quarter, and you may only apply if you have completed (or are in the process of taking) 206 "Law and Society". Read more about the application process on the How to Apply page. If accepted into the program you will receive instructions for how to officially declare the major.

How do I Petition to Graduate with a major or minor in Legal Studies?

It is recommended that you petition about a year before you plan to graduate. You must submit a Petition to Graduate for each major, minor, and certificate you are completing before the deadline. To complete a Legal Studies graduation petition, follow these steps:

  1. Complete a major or minor worksheet
  2. Complete the appropriate Petition to Graduate:
    1. Online Petition to Graduate Procedure
    2. Petition for additional majors, minors, and certificates - Please use if you’ve already submitted your petition or if you are a McCormick student and wish to petition for a major, minor, or certificate outside of McCormick.
  3. Schedule an appointment with Abigail Barefoot at this link: https://calendly.com/abigail-barefoot/advising and email your major/minor worksheet and the petition form to Abigail.barefoot@northwestern.edu.

    More information about the Petition to Graduate procedure can be found on the Registrar's website. 

How do I drop the minor or switch from a major to a minor, or vice versa?

To drop the minor, or to switch from the major to a minor, simply make an appointment with the Program Assistant.

  • If meeting remotely:
    You will complete a Weinberg Declaration of Minor Form  and email it to the Legal Studies Program Assistant for their signature. After your quick zoom meeting, the form will be submitted to the Weinberg Advising office on your behalf via email.
  • If meeting in-person at the Legal Studies offices:
    You will compete a Declaration form, get it signed, then you’ll take the form to the Weinberg Office of Undergraduate Advising at 1922 Sheridan Road so they can update your record.

In order to switch from a minor to the major, you'll have to go through the major application process. If accepted into the program you will receive instructions for how to officially make the switch.

Note that the double-counting rules for courses change a lot when you switch between the major and the minor. Review the double-counting rules on the Weinberg website.

Can I double-count my Legal Studies courses with another major or minor?

Maybe!

Double-counting rules can get very complicated, but the Weinberg website offers a great FAQs page to help you determine what's allowed. Generally speaking:

  • Legal Studies Majors - may not double-count courses with another Weinberg major or minor
  • Legal Studies Minors - may not double-count courses with another Weinberg major or minor

Note that you may double-count a Legal Studies course if it is counting towards the "Related Courses" component of another major or minor. (Related Courses in other majors are quite rare.)

Legal Studies courses may count towards Weinberg Distribution Course requirements.


If you are not a Weinberg student, the rules could be less strict. You may find that the chart here is very helpful:  double-counting for non-Weinberg students.


If you have further questions about double-counting, please do not hesitate to contact the Program Assistant for help and clarification: legalstudies@northwestern.edu