A Guide To Applying To Law School

By Maral Cavner

1. The LSAT.2. Transcripts from Previous School(s).3. Letters of Recommendation.4. The Personal Statement.5. The Resume.6. Optional Essays and Addenda.

The 6 Components to a Law School Application:

The Law School Admissions Credential service, more commonly referred to as the LSAC, will be your go-to website for all six components of your application. http://www.lsac.org/jd/applying-to-law-school/lsat-cas-

checklist

In other words, you will apply online to each school via the LSAC. They really make it easy on you this way. Fret

not.

6 Components; 1 Website

Through the LSAC you need to:1. Create an LSAC account online.2. Register for the LSAT through LSAC (you also

get your scores through the LSAC).3. Register for the Credential Assembly Service

(CAS). The CAS will generate a report covering: your transcripts, recommendations, evaluations, and applications to each school.

HEADS UP: this report takes awhile to be generated, so register ASAP.

An LSAC To-Do List

The tricky part: unlike many other graduate programs, the required standardized test for law school admittance, the LSAT, is only offered four times per year: June, September/October, December, and February. This 100% dictates when you can apply.

Most individuals take the LSAT in June and/or the September (sometimes held in October) and send in their application directly after doing so. HINT: statistically it is to your advantage to apply as early

as possible, so plan to take the LSAT well ahead of time and allow for the possible need for a do-over test (or two).

Pre-Planning is Key With the LSAT

That very important piece of paper = your transcript. Through the CAS (which you registered for via the LSAC)

you will need to print off a form asking any and all of your undergraduate institutions and places you did graduate work to release and send in your transcript to the LSAC.

Administrative offices are notoriously busy (and sometimes slow) so plan well ahead and allow a couple of extra weeks (ideally) for your transcript to be received and processed by the LSAC.

HINT: check your account on LSAC.org frequently to make sure everything that needs to be received actually has been.

All That Work From Undergrad = A Very

Important Piece of Paper

You will need 2-3 letters/recommenders total. Most schools will allow up to 3, so aim for this

number. Contact the individuals you want to be your

recommenders and ask for a meeting in person, if possible. Ask them if they feel confident in their ability to write

you a good letter. Letters that are not personalized will do you little good (but are still better than not having enough letters).

If they agree, add their name as a recommender in your LSAC account. They will receive an automatic email from the LSAC with instructions for them. HINT: oftentimes this email gets marked as spam.

You can resend it from your account anytime, so follow up and make sure it was received.

Letters of Recommendation

Waive your right to see the letter via your LSAC account. Admissions committees feel more confident in seeing

a letter that they know you have not had influence over.

Follow up with your recommenders: Thank them. Handwritten thank you notes are best. Offer to send them essays, resumes or anything else

that might make it easier for them to write you a good letter.

Thank them again. Once you have all of your letters in, assign the

recommenders to each school via your LSAC account.

Letters of Recommendation: Tips

This is a 2-3 page document in which you get to, as its title suggests, get personal with the admissions committee.

It is also an opportunity for you to showcase your writing abilities, given that most law schools do not allow you to send in writing samples.

This should be obvious, but you need to proofread this document. Errors reflect poorly not only on your writing ability, but also your work ethic.

HINT: studies show one of the best ways to proofread is to read your documents aloud word by word.

HINT: some schools allow for a maximum of two double-spaced pages, others allow for three or more pages. More than likely you will need to create two versions to adapt your statement to these rules.

The Personal Statement

Ann Levine, of LawSchoolExpert.com, says it best that when considering your personal statement, particularly how to pick a topic, to start by surprising the reader: “How? By being insightful. Show them something

they wouldn’t have otherwise known or assumed. Share a surprising or interesting motivation or reaction to something that is on your resume. Rather than just saying “I had this internship and then this one…,” show you learned something from a certain experience. The key words are: depth, insightfulness, and maturity.” Source: http

://lawschoolexpert.com/advice-on-5-major-parts-of-the-law-school-application/

HINT: This is a very helpful blog.

The Personal Statement: How to Pick

a Topic

This is your chance to show admissions committees what you have done with your life (but no pressure).

When in doubt about whether something should be included on your resume, include it. That yard work job shows you are not afraid to get your

hands dirty and do tough work. I.E., you have a work ethic and work ethics are attractive to

admissions committees.

Make sure your formatting looks clean and professional. HINT: the best way to achieve this is to make sure your

formatting is consistent.

The Resume

You should group into the following sections, with most recent activities listed last in each grouping:

Education: including grades and dates of attendance and graduation.

Honors: these can be honors received both in and out of school. Do not assume that committees know what these awards indicate

already and so include brief explanations of what you did in order to receive them.

University Involvement: the activities you participated in during your time in school.

Include any and all leadership positions held, dates of membership, and brief descriptions of each activity and position held.

Community Involvement: the activities you did outside of school. Similar to the university involvement section, include leadership

positions, dates of service (examples: Summer 2014, October 2013-Present), and a brief description of the activity.

Interests: what you do in your spare time, any unique talents, and skills.

The Resume: Formatting Guidelines

Yes, by this point you are likely tired of writing, but effort = interest in an admissions committees’ eyes. So complete all optional essays. Set yourself

apart from the pack in this way. Research each individual school and

personalize your essays to them. Admissions committees will appreciate you

not wasting their time with an essay (from another school) that does not directly address their school’s essay prompt.

Optional Essays

Do not be afraid to submit an addendum to your application! If the application does not have a place for one, email the

admissions office a copy. Make sure to ask for confirmation it was received!

Addendum topics include: Low LSAT scores; Discrepancies between LSAT scores. Character and fitness issues (traffic violations often count so check

with each school to see what you need to disclose). Put facts in each addendum to prove your case.

As examples, if you have a low LSAT score, but a high GPA from undergrad give your GPA and highlight how that number is more representative of your abilities in the classroom.

If you got a DUI or have some other character and fitness issue, give enough information to make clear what happened, describe how you took responsibility for the incident, what you have done to prevent the incident from happening again, what you learned from the experience, and, importantly, back up with facts what a (hopefully) model citizen you have been since the incident.

Addenda

Pat yourself on the back! You have completed a major undertaking! Take some time to relax and treat yourself (if

time allows for it). HINT: do not forget to keep marketing

yourself! Make sure to send in updates to schools if you: Receive new (good) grades; Participate in new activities; Receive awards or honors, etc.

The Most Important Step: Congratulate

Yourself!

Best of luck to you!