Navigating Law School Applications and Admissions

Dr. Carrie Archie Russell, JD, PhD
I earned my bachelor’s degree from Rhodes College in Memphis, my law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and my PhD in Political Science from Vanderbilt University. I have served Vanderbilt in the roles of Program Director for the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, Pre-major Academic Adviser for the College of Arts and Science, Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Political Science, Assistant Dean for the College of Arts and Science and as the Director of Pre-Law advising at Vanderbilt from 2014 to 2025.
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I currently serve as Faculty Adviser to multiple student organizations, including Vanderbilt's Moot Court program. I am an award winning instructor and adviser, teaching Constitutional Law courses (among others) for the Department of Political Science. Before earning my PhD from Vanderbilt, I worked as a Judicial Clerk for Davidson County Tennessee’s Twentieth Judicial District, and continue to remain active in the Nashville and Tennessee Bar Associations as well as the National Association of Pre-Law Advisers.
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I want to help you understand the law school admissions process and determine if applying to law school is the best next step for you in your life's journey. I have eleven years of Pre-law advising experience, helping thousands of applicants gain admission to multiple law schools, successfully negotiate scholarship offers and identify which Law Schools best position them to help reach their professional goals.
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Now, I want to take that knowledge and help everyone considering a life of public service understand the law school application process and submit the strongest application possible. Lawyers have the capacity to change the world for the better. In our Constitutional Democracy - once you graduate from law school, you will then pass your state's bar exam. Then, in order to practice law, you will swear an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. The Rule of Law needs you. Let me help you get there.