Pre-Law Advisor

Mr. William E. Thro, University Counsel and Assistant Professor of Government

"The guidance of my pre-law advisor, professor Thro, was key to my success in the law school admissions process. Professor Thro and I walked side by side throughout every aspect. He offered words of encouragement during my pre-LSAT jitters, read numerous drafts of my personal statement, and applauded my acceptance to the University of Virginia. Needless to say, his mentorship was impeccable, and I would have been lost in the law school process without him." – Chalana Williams ('09), University of Virginia School of Law '13

William Thro is an accomplished appellate advocate and constitutional scholar. As State Solicitor General of Virginia from 2004 to 2008, he was responsible for the Virginia state government’s U.S. Supreme Court litigation (except capital cases) as well as lower court appeals involving the constitutionality of statutes or politically sensitive issues. He argued two cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and thirty-two cases in the lower appellate courts. He was on brief for six cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and seventy cases in the lower appellate courts. A recipient of two National Association of Attorneys General Best Brief Awards, he has co-authored eleven U.S. Supreme Court amicus briefs on the merits and more than fifty briefs at the petition stage. 

His scholarship focuses on constitutional law in education contexts in both the United States and South Africa. In addition to co-editing four books, he has authored or co-authored three monographs, 10 book chapters and more than 40 articles in scholarly journals. He currently serves on several editorial boards and regularly speaks on constitutional and educational law topics throughout the United States and South Africa. He is a fellow of The National Association of College and University Attorneys -- the organization’s highest honor for legal scholarship and contributions to higher education law.

Mr. Thro’s J.D. is from the University of Virginia where he was a published member of the Virginia Law Review and research assistant to constitutional law professor A.E. Dick Howard. He received his BA (summa cum laude) from Hanover College where he was both a Harry S. Truman Scholar and U.S. Senate Youth Scholar. He earned his MA with Honours from the University of Melbourne, Australia, while studying as a Rotary Foundation International Ambassadorial Scholar.