How to Get Into a Top Law School

So you want to get into a good law school? The exact requirements for admission to law school vary slightly from school to school, but the basic process is the same everywhere.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• College degree and transcripts
• LSAT Score
• Letters of Recommendation
• Resume
• Personal Statement
• Application Fees (or Fee Waivers)

1. Improve your college grades. Undergraduate grades usually count for anywhere between 10% - 50% of the law school admission decision, so if you are still in college student, any effort to improve your cumulative undergraduate GPA will help.

2. Earn your college degree. All ABA-accredited law schools in the United States require that students have a least a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.

3. Register with the Law School Admission Council (www.lsac.org). The Law School Admission Council - a national non-profit organization - is the body that administers the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and administer the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS). Both the LSAT and the LSDAS are required for admission to virtually all U.S. law schools.

4. Study for the LSAT. The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a very difficult test. It accounts for anywhere from 50% - 90% of the law school admission decision, so any score improvement helps your chances of admission. LSAT study courses and books can be helpful, but make sure to do some research on them first - just because the study course provider is famous doesn't necessarily mean that they provide the best product for the best price.

5. Sign up for and take the LSAT. After you have registered with the LSAC and studied for the LSAT, sign up for a time to take the LSAT. The LSAT is offered four times a year. The vast majority of test-takers take the LSAT in June. If you can, you should take it in June, which gives you the opportunity to re-take it in the Fall if you need to improve your score before applying to law school in Fall or Winter.

6. Register for LSDAS and submit materials. The LSAC administers the LSDAS, a service that collects certain application materials from you and distributes them to the law schools you've applied to. Most law schools require that you use the LSDAS service. LSDAS will distribute your LSAT score when it's available. They are also the place where you will send your official college transcripts and your letters of recommendation. You should solicit letters of recommendation from college professors and/or employers who know you well and can speak to your ability to be a good law student.

7. Request and fill out application forms. Each law school has an application form. Some use a generic common application, some have unique applications. Make sure to solicit application materials from all schools you might have interest in to see which forms you need to fill out.

8. Draft resume and personal statement. Draft a resume detailing your professional, academic, and volunteer activities. Write a personal statement (around 2 pages) for each law school to which you will apply. Your resume and personal statement should be written in a way that cohesively tells a story about who you are and why you are a good candidate for law school.

9. Submit all materials and cross your fingers.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have any criminal or academic sanctions in your past, write an addendum to your application that in detail explains what happened, what you did to remedy the situation (or what punishment was issued) and what you learned from the incident. Don't be too defensive. Explain the fact, apologize (if appropriate), and move on.
• If you have overcome any unique hardships or disabilities in your past, describe these in an addendum to your application. This is not an opportunity to cast yourself as a victim, but rather to impress admissions officials with your ability to face and overcome adversity.
• If you don't do well on the LSAT the first time you take it, decide whether to take it again. It is only worth re-taking if you actually improve your score. If you don't know why you did poorly and don't have a plan for improving your score, you could harm yourself more than helping by taking it again. If you can come up with a plan to improve your score, definitely re-take the test, but know that your two (or more) scores will be averaged.
• Do not try to excuse a poor LSAT score by saying "I'm not good at standardized tests" or "This score isn't representative of my abilities". First, this argument isn't encouraging to admissions committees that know you'll have to take intense law school finals and the standardized bar exam in the future. Second, the LSAT is a major piece of evidence admissions committees use to determine admission. If they were to give you a waiver on this score, they wouldn't have the information they need to compare you to other applicants.

Resources

• PowerScore LSAT Prep Bible
• Kaplan LSAT 2009 Book & CD-Rom
• Richard Montauk's - How to Get Into the Top Law Schools

[StreetLaw]

on 2/3/2009 If you're just buying an LSAT Prep book, a used edition should be fine. The test changes every time, but the concepts are the same.

[benlindt]

on 1/14/2009 Hi, What LSAT prep publications do you recommend? Do you think it makes much difference if I buy older editions to save some bucks? Thanks for any direction you can offer.

[rorsich]

on 12/27/2008 My father completed 8 years of Criminology, Psychology, and Criminal Justice..

Great article - 5*s, and recommended you.

Thanks for sharing!!!

[StreetLaw]

on 12/12/2008 Feel free to comment with questions about the law school admissions process and I'll do my best to answer them. I'm a former member of a Top 20 law school admissions committee and a former law school admissions consultant.

[StreetLaw]

on 12/12/2008 Feel free to comment with questions about the law school admissions process and I'll do my best to answer them. I'm a former member of a Top 20 law school admissions committee and a former law school admissions consultant.