Law School

Is law school for me?

People are interested in attending law school for a number of different reasons.  The key question you should ask yourself is whether law school is for you.  There are a few things to keep in mind as you engage in this self-inquiry.  First, law school is a huge investment - both emotionally and financially.  As a result, you need to move beyond the mystified image that you might have about law school and begin to ask the hard questions of yourself well before the middle of applying or after you have assumed a sizable loan debt.  In addition, talking to law students and lawyers about their experiences will offer you a better idea of what pursuing a law degree entails.  A legal education will draw-on and develop a broad set of skills that range from oral advocacy to counseling.  While the emphasis on these skills is designed to train students to be lawyers, a legal education gives you versatile skills that you can apply to careers in other fields that require analytical thinking, negotiation, advocacy, counseling, research, investigation, writing, or teaching.

Once you have made the decision to pursue a law degree, the next step is to begin the preparation process.  Preparing for law school is necessary not only to make you a strong candidate when applying to law school but also to help you succeed once in law school.

Most Commonly Asked Questions

When should I begin preparing?

It is never too early to begin preparing.  Because grades are such an important aspect of the application process, you want to choose classes that interest you and increase the likelihood that you will do well.  In addition, you may want to take smaller, seminar-type classes that allow for a lot of student-teacher interaction, since you also need to identify prospective faculty members to write letters of recommendation.  The Honors Program, located in A-311 Murphy Hall, and the Student Research Program, http://www.college.ucla.edu/ugresearch/index offer students opportunities to work closely with professors.

Preparing for law school not only entails taking classes to build your analytical skills, doing internships to add to your resume & conducting research to get letters of recommendation, it also involves researching what different schools offer and deciding what your priorities are when choosing schools to which to apply.  You need to determine what you are looking for in law schools.  Is it diversity?  Is it a small student-faculty ratio?  Is it job placement after graduation?  Is it a certain specialty?  To help you make this determination, you may want to attend the law school forum that is held at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott very year.  This law school forum is advertised in the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) LSDAS (Law School Data Assembly Service) Information Book.  You should consider attending the forum prior to the year you wish to apply so you can ask the different law schools questions without the additional time pressure of having to apply that year.

What is the best major for law school?

UCLA does not offer a pre-law major with good reason.  Law schools, unlike medical schools, do not require that applicants take a certain set of courses.  Instead, law schools accept a diverse pool of applicants who major in anything from electrical engineering to political science to film and television.  Law schools do not focus on what your major is but rather look at your cumulative grade point average as an indicator of a person’s likelihood of succeeding in law school.  Do not major in political science solely because you think the admission committee will look more favorably on this major than it would on philosophy.  Choose a major you find interesting and intellectually stimulating.  If you choose a major that does not entail much writing, we strongly suggest you use your electives to take writing courses.  Otherwise, you will be at a disadvantage in law school, especially in your legal writing course.

What classes do you recommend I take?

A highly popular course for students interesting in pursuing a law degree is English Composition 131A - Law & Politics.  If writing is not one of your strengths, the tendency is stay away from writing courses.  Instead, it is better that you take smaller enrollment writing classes.  These writing classes enable you to receive more individualized attention so you can strengthen your writing skills.

Regardless of which major you choose, however, you may also want to take a course that uses the case study method to give you a feel for reading cases.  Political Science Constitutional Law courses often offer this opportunity.  You should first check the course syllabus or ask the professor teaching the course.  There are also courses offered by the Professional Schools Seminar Program that expose you to reading cases.  Logic classes are also recommended, in particular Philosophy 9 - Principles in Critical Thinking and Philosophy  31- Logic.

Do law schools only use an applicant’s LSAT score and grade point average (GPA) as criteria for admissions?

No.  While law schools focus on the applicant’s GPA and LSAT score, they also look at the student’s entire application, which includes letters of recommendation, a personal statement and a resume.  As a result, it would be to your advantage to supplement your curriculum with activities that demonstrate leadership, creativity, responsibility, analytical skills, and research ability.  For example, conducting research demonstrates initiative on your part as well as skills admissions committees feel will make you highly successful in law school.  Also, doing an internship.  Furthermore, there is the added incentive that conducting research provides an opportunity to work closely with a professor from whom you can later ask for a letter of recommendation.

When should I take the LSAT?

The LSAT is offered four times a year - in February, June, October, and December.  It is essential that you choose a date that allows you ample time to prepare for the LSAT, particularly if you find the LSAT difficult.  Most people opt to take the test in October because studying for it does not conflict with the academic year.  Also, taking the October test means you have the entire summer to prepare vigorously for it.

Should I take a LSAT preparation course?

Most people take some type of preparation course.  Because taking a prep course is costly, you may want to first take a practice test available in the LSAT/LSDAS Information Book to determine whether you stand to benefit from such a course.  If you score relatively high, feel comfortable with the LSAT, and possess enough self-discipline to study on your own, you may opt not to invest in taking a prep course.  If, however, you decide you will benefit from taking a prep course, the next decision is which prep course to take.  This decision will depend on what techniques work for you and how much structured assistance you need.  We strongly suggest you do research as to what each prep course has to offer to determine which best suits your own study method.  Some courses offer more in class instruction time.  Some have a library of resources at your disposal.  Some give more actual LSAT tests in test taking conditions.  Be sure to do your homework as to what each prep course has to offer.  To maximize the benefits of taking a prep course, you may want to choose to take it when you have the least amount of commitments.

Should I take a year off between graduating and entering law school?

This is an individual choice.  Some students choose to go straight into Law school without taking a break because they do not want to interrupt their momentum of being in the  “school” mode.  A number of students, however, choose to delay entering law school for a year or more after graduation.  Such a delay may allow you to put your goals into perspective, to travel, to accomplish some project of personal value, or just to separate yourself from academic pressures for a while.  In addition, if you apply to law school after graduation, then the law schools will also see your transcripts from your senior year.  Many students also choose to work during that year off.  The decision to postpone going to law school by taking a year or more “off” can have anywhere from a neutral to a slightly positive impact on the strength of a candidate’s application.

If you decide to delay your legal studies, you should not apply to law school during your senior year.  If you do apply and are accepted, and then seek to postpone your admission, many law schools will not reserve a place for you in some future class. 

Even if you are not going to law school the following year, you may wish to take the LSAT during your senior year.  Your score normally will be kept on file at LSDAS for five years you may repeat the test if you wish, and both scores will be forwarded to law schools.  In addition, it is a good idea to obtain recommendations from professors before you leave the area.

TIMELINE

The law school application process ideally begins during your junior year or in the year prior to your anticipated attendance at law school.  We recommend the following checklist of procedures.

Fall of Junior Year

1.  Meet with a pre-law advisor to discuss your interest in legal education and learn about resources concerning the field of law.

2.  Attend meetings with law school representatives who visit UCLA.

3.  Identify prospective faculty members who you would like to write a letter of recommendation for you.

4.  Think about doing an internship or conducting research.

5.  Attend pre-law society meetings (prelaw@ucla.edu).

Spring of Junior Year

1.  Pick up the LSAT/LSDAS Information Book which contains essential information and material, including:

               * LSAT/LSDAS Registration Form and envelope

               * Additional LSDAS Law School Report Form and envelope

               * Request for Information Cards

2.      Set aside time to prepare for the LSAT through using a workbook on your own or taking a commercial course to familiarize you with the LSAT.  The LSAT/Registration Packet contains LSAT preparation material, including a sample test that we recommend that you take.  In addition, you may order past tests from the LSAC .  Most students have not taken a test of this nature in several years, and it is helpful to reveiw format, practice speed and self-pacing. 

3.  Before you leave for the summer, talk with professors and other potential recommenders about preparing a letter of recommendation for you.  It is desirable to have at least two academically oriented recommendations, at least one of which is from a professor familiar with your writing skills. 

4.  Review your transcript.  Arrange to get a copy of your transcript once spring quarter grades are reflected.  This will give you plenty of time to check for incomplete, unreported grades, errors, etc. that might appear, and to correct them before sending your transcript to LSDAS.

5.  Attend workshops on writing a personal statement and other related topics. 

Summer - Prior to Senior Year

1.  Prepare a list of law schools that are of interest to you.  Include information about programs, requirements for admissions, clinical offerings, placement information, and opportunities for structuring your own course of study if that is of interest to you.

2.  Request catalogues, admissions material, and financial aid information from the law schools using postcards or the Request for Information Cards contained in the LSAT/LSDAS Information Book.

SENIOR YEAR

September - October

1.  Meet with a pre-law advisor in order to:

               * Determine an appropriate range of law schools to apply to.

               * Have your rough draft critiqued for content, logical flow and grammar.

2.      Conclude arrangements and requests for your recommendations shortly after you return.

3.      Subscribe to the LSDAS service.

4.    Request that the UCLA Registrar’s Office send your transcript to LSDAS.

5.    Take the October LSAT.

November

1.  Send complete applications to schools.  Applications can be obtained by writing to individual law schools of interest, on the web sites of individual schools, or by purchasing the LSACD application, which has all 181 ABA approved Law School Applications on one CD-ROM.  Have all applications (including LSDAS Report and letters of recommendation) complete and in mail by Thanksgiving.  Law schools begin to consider applications soon after Thanksgiving under rolling admissions policies, so it is greatly to your advantage to have your applications complete and on file by then.  This will also make it easier on you, and will give you time to correct any problems that might occur at the law school, such as the misfiling or loss of required forms.  Exercise extreme care in completing application (see “The Application Process” section).  All narrative material should positively reflect the quality of your writing skills.  Where possible, type all applications. 

2.  If you sat for the LSAT in October, you will receive your scores in mid to late November.

3.  Each November the Law Services sponsors the Law School Forum at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott, attended by representatives from over 100 national schools.  You may wish to attend the Forum in your junior year to collect catalogs and information, and certainly will want to attend in your senior year to ask specific questions of the law school representatives.

December - January

1.  Scrutinize very carefully any reports you received from Law Services.  Pay careful attention to the LSDAS summary of your transcript.  Perform your own calculations and report to Law Services immediately any discrepancies that may occur.

2.  It is your responsibility to see that law schools to which you have sent information have indeed received it.  If you do not receive a notice from a school to which you have sent information, call the admission office, and find out whether your file is complete.

3.  Take December LSAT if you did not take it in October.

April - May

1.  Wait for responses.

2.  Most law schools require a deposit to reserve a place in their classes.

The Application Process

To have a complete application on file, you must submit the law school application along with a personal statement, supportive letters of recommendation, and a Dean’s letter when required.  To enhance your application, you may enclose a resume and/or any other attachments with your application.  We suggest that you complete these steps by the end of November, allowing you too submit the applications well before the deadlines.

Applying early (i.e., by the end of November) will greatly increase the likelihood of your admission, provided your profile meets a school’s admissions criteria.  It will not guarantee your admission to a particular school, but applying early will get you thorough consideration.

It is important for you to research schools to determine which one will offer you the type of environment most conducive to your success.  Relying on general notions of prestige or reputation is not enough.  Suggested resources include:

               * 1996 NAPLA Supplement: Law School Programs, Publications & Admissions Data

               *  Inside the Law Schools

               * Looking at Law Schools

               * The Official Guide to U.S. Law Schools - Available at A-334 Murphy Hall or Lu Valle Commons

When evaluating law schools consider these factors:

1.  The School: Does the school have a national or more regional reputation?  Is the school more traditional or non-traditional in its approach to legal education?  What are the aims, direction, and purpose of the school?  How flexible is the curriculum in allowing you options of your interest (e.g., dual-degree programs)?  What types of clinical offerings, internships, externships are there?  Are there enough clinical slots to accommodate student demand?  Is the school a public or private institution?  What is the school’s grading system?  Is the school known for certain specialties (e.g., environmental law)?

2.  The Faculty:  How accessible to students are the faculty?  What is the student-faculty ratio?  What are the credentials of the faculty?  What are the particular strengths of the faculty?  What is the composition of the faculty? 

3.  The Student Body:  What are the size, composition, and background of the student body?  How competitive/non competitive is it?  Is it a small school or large school?  Are classes large?  Does the student body exhibit an esprit de corps?

4.  Placement:  Where are graduates of the school being placed geographically?  What kinds of positions and salaries are they being offered?  What assistance is given for locating summer and part-time work?

5.  Cost:  What is the overall cost of attending the school and living in the surrounding community (tuition, fees, books, housing, food, local and/or long-distance transportation, etc.)?  Is financial aid available?  To qualify, is parents financial information required for all students regardless of age or dependency status?

6.  Setting:  Is the environment of the law school urban, suburban, or rural?  Do you have strong feelings for one versus the other?  Is the library a comfortable place to study and convenient to classrooms?  What is the availability and desirability of housing?

ADMISSION CRITERIA AND SCHOOL SELECTION

The two most important criteria for admission to law school are the applicant’s undergraduate grade point average (GPA) and performance on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).  Information on scores and GPA averages by individual law schools can be found in the LSAC Official Guide to U.S. Law Schools.

The weight placed on the GPA and LSAT will differ from school to school and applicant to applicant, but these numbers only represent part of the selection criteria.  Other factors of importance are your life experiences, letters of recommendation, work experience, and your potential to contribute to the schools educational diversity.

While rankings do exist, use them with caution.  The quality of an institution can be defined by various factors: faculty reputation, percentage of graduates passing the bar examination on the first attempt, faculty/student ratio, job placement, etc.  In additions to “quality,” factors that may be of importance to you include the size of the school, location, cost, and areas of specialty.

THE LAW SCHOOL ADMISSIONS TEST (LSAT)

All accredited law schools in the United States require their applicant to submit scores from the LSAT.  The test is usually offered in June, October, December, and February.  It is strongly recommended that you take the exam no later than October of the year prior to the year in which you would like to enter law school.

The LSAT/LSDAS Registration Packet (available at the Career Center or at  www.LSAC.org) contains all the necessary information and forms for registering for the LSAT.  Early registration will increase the probability that you will be able to take the test at the center of your choice. 

Your scores for the LSAT will be based on the number of questions you answered correctly.  Since there is no deduction for wrong answers, you may guess if you are not sure about a question.

Taking the LSAT more then once is not advisable.  How the schools interpret multiple scores varies.  Be advised that LSAC advises schools that they interpret multiple scores by averaging them. 

THE LAW SCHOOL DATA ASSEMBLY SERVICE (LSDAS)

In addition to their own applications, most law schools require applicants to register with the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS).  The purpose of the Service is to reduce the enormous clerical task that law school admissions committees face each year when they analyze applications.  The LSDAS provides participating schools with a report summarizing an applicant’s college transcripts, LSAT scores, and letters of recommendation

Once you have submitted the LSDAS Registration Form you will need to have a transcript sent to LSDAS from every college you have attended.  LSDAS will send you a copy of the report that sent to law schools.

When LSDAS is summarizing your transcript, your quarter units will be converted to semester units (multiply your units by 2/3 to get semester units) and all grades from A to D will be converted to a 4.0 scale (see the Appendix).  Unlike at UCLA, an A+ is counted as a 4.33.  If you have used the pass/no pass (N/NP) option, your PASS will not be translated into the 4.0 scale.  All your pass units will be totaled separately from the units you received from your courses that have letter grades.  LSDAS then calculates cumulative and annual GPA.  “No Pass” (NP) grades will be averaged in as F’s.

Your LSDAS registration is valid for a 12-month period beginning on the date LASC/LSAS process your signed and completed LSAT/LSDAS Registration Form.  Complete details can be found in the Registration Packet.

THE MASTER REPORT

LSDAS compiles what it known as a “master report” for each applicant that is sent to the schools.  The master report is a one-page profile on your numerical data.  It will list your LSAT scores for each time the test is taken.  It will also list, by school year, where you attended and what your earned GPA was for that given year.  In addition, there is a cumulative GPA and a percentile ranking for the institution from which you graduated.  The master report will list your GPA and what percentage of students from your institution have that GPA or below.  The number of letters of recommendation that LSDAS holds on file for you will also be reported.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Although a student’s performance on the LSAT and his or her GPA are the most important factors in an admission decision, for some applicants, letters of recommendation may separate them from an applicant with an equally impressive record of academic achievement.  If your application should fall into an  “acceptable” category, an actual offer of admission may be given on the basis of letters of recommendation.  Consequently, a good letter may strengthen your application just when you need it. 

The primary concern of admissions committees is the applicant’s potential for successful completion of the curriculum.  Hence, good recommendations should contain factual information about your academic abilities.  Personal characteristics, such as initiative, imagination, resourcefulness, etc., should also be mentioned.  The schools to which you are applying assume you are a person of good character, and they do not need letters that merely reiterate this assumption.  Questions that admissions committees want answered are exemplified by the following:  “How well have you done in a particular course?  How do you compare with all other students who have taken the course?  How long has the course been taught and how many students have taken it?”

SPECIFIC DETAILS ARE NEEDED IN RECOMMENDATIONS not vague generalizations.  You should explain fully the significance of your extracurricular activities and personal awards (academic or non-

academic) to your recommendation writers to insure the mentioning of this information in your letters.  If you have received an award, be sure to explain the qualification for receiving or qualifying for such an award, if it is not commonly known.

A rule of thumb is to obtain at least two recommendations from professors or instructors.  Ideally, one of these should be from a professor familiar with your writing skills.  Letters from employers can be helpful, especially if you have worked for a substantial period of time.  Letters from friends and anyone else outside of the UCLA faculty, however, should be used only as supplementary recommendations.  Some law schools request a Dean’s Letter.  Usually this request calls for a routine certification of the fact that you are a student in good standing.  You should take such requests to the Office of the Dean of Students (1206 Murphy Hall), which routinely completes such forms for UCLA undergraduates.  Law school will certainly not expect you to know the Dean personally.

There are a couple of courtesies you should extend to those you ask for recommendations.  One is to provide them with some written information about yourself - a resume, a transcript, a copy of work you may have completed in their courses, and a copy of your personal statement.  Provide them with a copy of “Information for Author,” a handout available at the Pre-Professional Advising Office.  Most importantly, THANK YOUR RECOMMENDERS.  Remember that these people are doing you a valuable favor.  Certainly, you will thank them in advance when you ask for the letter, but do not forget to follow up with a note of thanks once the recommendations had been written.

Have your letters of recommendation sent to LSDAS after you initiate your subscription.  LSDAS will transmit your letters of recommendation to the schools along with your master report.  If you collected letters at PAO, fill out the appropriate PAO request form and indicate you want the letters sent to LSAC (make sure you include the LSAC letter waiver forms with your PAO request for service these forms are available online at www.LSAC.org or in the LSDAS registration packet).  Most law schools require students to use the LSAC letter service.

WRITING A PERSONAL STATEMENT

The “Personal Statement” is a blanket term used to connote the various essays required by most law schools.  Some law schools request a personal statement concerning each applicant’s background and/or interests in attending law school.  Other law schools simply invite applicants to submit such a statement if they desire, while others may not mention a personal statement at all.  Since the personal statement is a candidate’s only chance to  “sell” him or herself to the admissions committee, attaching a personal statement to an application is strongly recommended.  Most students will apply to at least on school which requests a personal statement and the essay can generally be adapted to work for other schools with few if any changes.

The weight given to the personal statement in the admissions varies among law schools, but from the viewpoint of most admission committees, the personal statement has two important functions.  First, it is a sample of the applicant’s writing style and ability.  Second, it is a source of information about the applicant’s background and objectives.  You should draft your statement with both goals in mind.  The final product should be carefully written, grammatically accurate, neatly typed, and concise.  

Your statement should respond to any specific essay instructions that may be given on the application.  To the extent that the content of the essay is open-ended, your statement should be concrete as possible, making reference to and explaining any significance (positive) factors in your background.  If you have specific ideas about your future career in law, do not hesitate to discuss them.  It is not necessary, however, to have a legal specialty in mind before you go to law school. 

Personal statements usually have the most favorable impact on the reader if they are organized around a particular theme and are logically constructed to emphasize the applicant’s strengths.  Ideally, the reader will believe that the applicant will be a valuable addition to the law school.  Avoid making explicit statements about your strengths, let the narrative of your experiences communicate them.  

Once you have written a first draft of your personal statement, have someone comment on it, an objective edit is almost essential.  Producing a statement that you are ultimately satisfied with may take several drafts.