What to Know if You’re a Pre-Law Student Considering Paralegal Work

Only about one-third of first-year law students in the U.S. went directly to law school from undergrad. At Yale, only about 15 percent of the law class of 2025 matriculated immediately after graduation. The majority of law applicants choose to take a gap year, or several, prior to applying. And, every year, we receive a lot of questions about the value of paralegal experience for applicants. Should you pursue it in your gap year? In a word: maybe. Let’s review the pros and cons to see if it might be the right fit for you. 

The Pros:

• If you are interested in a career at a law firm, work as a paralegal will provide an up-close view of your life as an associate. You will see what the hours, work, and intra-firm relationships will look like.

• You’ll build a personal network within the firm, which may benefit you as you go through the recruitment process.

• While your work as an early-career paralegal will be administrative in nature, you will develop skills that will benefit you in law school and beyond including legal research and writing.

• You’ll earn a reasonable salary, and some firms pay for paralegals to attend LSAT test preparation courses. You may even be able to continue working throughout law school if you attend a local university and have time. 

The Cons:

• As mentioned above, your early-career paralegal work will be more administrative than substantive in content.

• Paralegal experience is fairly common among law applicants, so you will want to find additional ways to stand out. Inquire about taking on a challenging long-term research project at your firm or a leadership role in a firm-wide charitable initiative.

• If you need to earn money to pay for law school, jobs in industries that you’re interested in (e.g. tech, finance) may provide meaningful and challenging experiences, while also  paying you a higher salary.  

LSAC and ABA Announce Development of Adversity Metric for Law School Admissions

LSAC and ABA officials, in collaboration with The College Board, recently announced an ongoing effort to develop an adversity metric for law schools. The metric will be available for use in admissions, and will “contextualize” applicants’ experiences. A similar metric, created by The College Board for college-level admissions, provides insight into the quality of an applicant’s neighborhood and high school. 

During the announcement, Council Research Director, Elizabeth Bodamer described the project’s purpose. “There are thousands of law school applicants each year who have journeyed through barriers, and in spite of it all, have made it through,” Bodamer said. “The big question is: How do we capture this context?” 

While the metric will capture environmental factors impacting an applicant, such as the quality of schools attended, Bodamer explains that it is not able, or intended, to capture the totality of an individual’s experiences. However, in the wake of the 2023 Supreme Court decision disallowing the use of race in admissions, many law schools updated their essay prompts to provide applicants the opportunity to share these formative, individual experiences. 

LSAC officials are already using the metric alongside 2023 admissions decisions to analyze its potential impact. One early insight compares admissions into law school from “high-challenge colleges” versus “low-challenge colleges.” Among low-challenge schools, which are those with higher graduation rates and higher per-student spending, almost all applicants gain admission to law school. Meanwhile, significantly fewer applicants, less than two-thirds, from high-challenge schools receive acceptances. 

Building Your List of Law Schools? Rankings Aren’t the Only Thing to Consider.

With nearly 200 ABA accredited law schools out there, picking 12 to 15 to apply to can feel daunting. We can’t tell you that rankings don’t matter (spoiler alert: sometimes, they really do!), but we can tell you that there is more to consider than just published rankings. Below, we’ve explored some other relevant factors to keep in mind.  

Rankings and Prestige. There’s been a lot of buzz over the past year about the efficacy of rankings. While rankings should not be your only metric, they are relevant. For students who know that they want to pursue a federal judicial clerkship or a position in a big law firm post-graduation (most 2022 graduates entering large law firms went to a school in the US News Top 20), attending a top-ranked law school can provide significant benefit. 

According to ABA data published in Reuters earlier this year, over 20 percent of the 2022 law graduates at Stanford, Yale, and the University of Chicago (top schools in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Law Schools ranking) obtained federal clerkships upon graduation. But this does not mean that securing such a role would be impossible without having attended a “top” school. Several law schools outside of the top 20, including University of Alabama, Notre Dame, and Baylor, have also placed many students in federal clerkships. 

We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the rankings, paying particular attention to the metrics and outcomes that mean the most to you. They are a productive starting point for further investigation. And be sure to take a look at Princeton Review’s Category-Based Rankings, which can provide helpful insight into the various components of the law school experience (Best Classroom Experience, Best Career Prospects, Best Quality of Life, etc.). 

Career Placement. If you know what type of career you would like to pursue after law school, dig into the employment placement reports of each school you are considering. Where are graduates getting internships and jobs? Which organizations regularly come to campus for on-campus recruiting? Data is also available for easy comparison on the Law School Transparency website. 

Geography. Where you are located plays an important role in your ability to network. If you know where you want to live post-graduation, consider applying to programs that are within that city or state. Similarly, if your goal is to specialize in a particular field (finance, tech, government) or a specific type of law (public service), consider applying to programs that are located near one of the industry’s hubs. This will likely allow you more opportunities to intern, volunteer, or network during the school year. 

Tuition. Depending on your goals and financial situation, including any undergraduate debt you carry, it may make sense to opt for a lower cost in-state program over an elite institution. Either way, calculate the expected cost-benefit of different categories of schools: private versus public as well as in-state versus out-of-state. 

Medical and Legal Associations Express Disappointment in Supreme Court Ruling on Affirmative Action

Last week the Supreme Court ended Affirmative Action in its 6-3 ruling against UNC and Harvard. The ruling determined that the schools, which used race as a component in admissions decisions, did not adequately justify their use of race and violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.”

The court left some room for nuance noting that a candidate may discuss race in terms of how it played a role in their development. “A benefit to a student who overcame racial discrimination, for example, must be tied to that student’s courage and determination,” Roberts wrote. “In other words, the student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual—not on the basis of race.”

Nationally, many in the medical and legal communities shared their disappointment in the decision and noted their belief that it will negatively impact diversity. Below, we’ve provided highlights of some of the statements released after the decision.

• American Medical Association (AMA): “Today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court undermines decades of progress centered on the educational value of diversity, and will reverse gains made in the battle against health inequities. This ruling restricts medical schools from considering race and ethnicity among the multiple factors in admissions policies and will translate into a less diverse physician workforce. Diversity is vital to health care, and this court ruling deals a serious blow to our goal of increasing medical career opportunities for historically marginalized and minoritized people.” Full statement available here.

• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC): “We are deeply disappointed with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to dismantle its longstanding precedent in the 2003 case, Grutter v. Bollinger, which had recognized student body diversity as a compelling interest permitting the limited consideration of race in admissions. Today’s decision demonstrates a lack of understanding of the critical benefits of racial and ethnic diversity in educational settings and a failure to recognize the urgent need to address health inequities in our country.” Full statement available here.

• American Medical Student Association (AMSA): “In accordance with our Preamble, Purposes and Principles, AMSA remains steadfast in its unwavering commitment to advocating for racial equity in education and healthcare. As future physicians committed to justice and equality, we are profoundly outraged and decry the restriction of affirmative action. We strongly support increased representation of minority students in all levels of education, including colleges and medical schools. By fostering diversity and inclusion, institutions have the power to create more empathetic and inclusive learning environments. Moreover, it has been repeatedly evidenced that diversity within the healthcare workforce and medical education system improves healthcare outcomes.” Full statement available here.

• American Bar Association (ABA): “The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. The ABA has a long history of supporting affirmative action and the consideration of race as one of many factors in law school admissions. We believe it is imperative that colleges, universities and state legislatures find alternative ways to create a diverse and talented student body. Law schools are training grounds for lawyers and play an important role to ensure a diverse bench and bar, which are critical to minimizing implicit bias and inspiring greater public faith in the rule of law.” Statement available here.

• AccessLex Center for Legal Education: Executive Director, Aaron Taylor, told Reuters that the decision, "deprives schools of one of the most effective tools for fostering student diversity."

• Law School Admission Council (LSAC): President, Kellye Testy, told Reuters that the decision will negatively impact law schools’ ability to keep up diversity levels. “All of us in legal education, at bar associations, and in practice are going to have to redouble efforts to make sure the entire pre-law to practice pipeline is better,” she said.

Shorter GRE Available for Test Takers in September

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) just announced that, as of September 22, 2023, registrants for the GRE will receive a shorter test. The refreshed exam will take under two hours, about half the current testing time, and is the first in a series of planned updates to the GRE. The changes are intended to improve the testing experience and reduce test-taker anxiety and fatigue. 

Specific updates to the test include:

• Removal of the “Analyze an Argument” (analytical writing) section

• Fewer questions in the Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning sections

• Removal of the unscored action

• Faster receipt of official scores (8-10 days)

“As we continue to introduce product innovations, we’re committed to balancing two things—maintaining rigor and validity, while improving the test-taker experience,” ETS CEO Amit Sevak said. 

The ABA voted to allow the use of the GRE as an alternative to the LSAT for law school applicants in 2021. The organization has not yet commented on the reduction in the test length and if the changes will impact the ABA’s decision to continue to allow the GRE in law school admissions. 

Law School Admissions Rates Increase for the First Time in Seven Years

AccessLex recently published its updated Legal Education Data Deck, which provides insight into law school trends and outcomes. Some of the key findings are summarized below. 

Overall, admissions rates increased in 2022. In 2022, 70 percent of law school applicants received at least one offer for admission, an increase of two percentage points from 2021 and the first increase in the admissions rate in seven years. Men maintained a higher admissions rate (71 percent) than women (68 percent), although women continue to make up the majority of law school applicants (56 percent).  Both men and women saw a one percentage point increase in admissions rate in 2022 compared to 2021.

When divided by race/ethnicity, the 2022 admissions rate for White/Caucasian applicants was the highest, with 78 percent of White/Caucasian applicants receiving at least one offer. Most other race/ethnicity groups fell below the average rate (70 percent). Applicants who identified as two or more races (67 percent) or as Asian fared the best (67 percent), while Hispanic/Latino (58 percent), American Indian/Alaska Native (52 percent), and Black/African American (48 percent) gained admission at rates significantly lower than average. 

Average tuition and fees have decreased over time. After adjusting for inflation, average law school full-time tuition and fees have decreased from 2015 to 2022 across all school types. In 2022, the average private school tuition/fees totaled $53,740, while public school resident and nonresident tuition/fees averaged $42,320 and $29,670 respectively. Between 2013 and 2022, the median grant amount awarded to students by law schools has almost doubled, ticking upwards from $15,000 to $22,500 (using adjusted 2022 dollars). 

Future employment opportunities look bright. Among 2021 graduates, 78 percent reported obtaining “bar passage required” employment. This is a small uptick from 75 percent in 2020 and a substantial increase from 68 percent in 2010. The “unemployed and looking” percentage has also reached its lowest point in the years since 2010, at just five percent for 2021 graduates. Additionally, there is strong continued demand for legal employees. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects significant growth in legal positions. Among occupations requiring a graduate degree, law employment falls second only to nurse practitioners with an expected increase of over 80,000 positions between 2021 and 2031. 

American Bar Association Rejects Test Optional Admissions

Yesterday, the American Bar Association’s (ABA) policy making body rejected a bid to remove the law school admissions test requirement from the law school accreditation standards. The vote marks the second defeat of the proposal in six years. 

Potentially allowing law schools to go “test optional” for admissions starting in 2025 created a unique controversy, as both proponents and opponents of the policy argued that it would be harmful to law school diversity. 

“As the debate showed, we all care deeply about diversity, we just have different views on the best way to pursue it. The LSAT is an important tool for advancing diversity. The incoming class of 2022 is by far the most diverse class in history, and more than 98 percent of those students used the LSAT. And this year’s applicants are even more diverse than last year, which bodes well for continued progress. The House vote will ensure that we have additional time for research into the actual impact of test-optional policies on students and diversity, so that any policy changes are based on evidence and data,” said Kellye Testy, the President of LSAC, in a statement after the vote.

Testy’s statement echoed a sentiment shared previously in an open letter penned by 60 law school deans urging the ABA to reject the proposal. The letter called out the potential harm that removing the test could do for diversity in admissions, as it would require schools to depend more heavily on other, potentially more biased, metrics like GPA, recommendations, and the reputation of an applicant’s undergraduate institution.

ABA Moves Forward with Motion to Drop Law School Admissions Test Mandate

On Friday November 18, as expected, the American Bar Association’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar voted to eliminate the standardized test mandate for law school admissions. The proposal will now move to the ABA’s House of Delegates for a final vote in February. If it is approved then, due to a last-minute revision, the removal of the test mandate will still not take effect until the fall of 2025. This revision was enacted to provide law schools with time to consider new ways to gauge student readiness.

This is not the first time that the test mandate’s fate has been brought before the ABA’s House of Delegates for a vote. In 2018, the measure was brought to the House, although it was withdrawn prior to the vote, as it appeared unlikely to pass after diversity advocates lobbied House members to reject the proposed change.

Now stakeholders who are, both for and against, overturning the test mandate have aligned their position with the same goal of improving diversity within the legal profession. “It’s very rare that I encounter a situation where the proponents on exact opposite sides of an issue are citing the same issue to support their arguments,” said Joseph West, Chair of the ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. 

Those who wish to see the testing mandate remain, including 60 Law School Deans, believe that the test provides a meaningful way for applicants to showcase their acumen and law school readiness. This allows law schools to take educated chances on students who may have lower GPAs. Without this score, the Deans argue, law schools will not have as much information to gauge a student’s likelihood of success in a challenging academic environment. 

Those who wish to see the mandate overturned argue that standardized tests “perpetuate racial gaps,” and cite research showing that white test-takers tend to perform better on the tests than those from underrepresented backgrounds. 

Related blogs:

New Survey Shows Most Law Schools will Continue Using Standardized Test Scores

Law School Deans Write Letter of Opposition to ABA’s Proposed Recommendation to Drop Standardized Test Requirement

ABA to Vote on Recommendation that Would Allow Law Schools to Drop Admissions Test Requirement

Tips for Acing the Law School Interview

Most law schools don’t interview their applicants. But among those who do, an admissions director or alum will typically conduct a 20 to 30-minute behavioral interview where they will assess your interpersonal traits, commitment to and aptitude for the study of law, and your interest in and potential to contribute to the school/community. They will also want to ensure that your interview is consistent with your application.

Begin preparing for your interview by thinking through your most meaningful experiences that will help demonstrate your skills and abilities in the areas of critical thinking, leadership, and teamwork, as well as those that reinforced your commitment to the study of law. As with your personal statement, you’ll want to show the interviewer your strengths and potential through specific examples, rather than limiting your content to claims.  

Below, we’ve compiled a list of common interview questions, by type, to help you with your preparation. 

Know yourself. This interview is about giving the admissions committee a view into who you are. Think about your interests, passions, and underlying motivations.

• Tell me about yourself. You’ll want to prepare an elevator pitch (consider a one-minute version, as well as a three-minute version) that provides an overview of your background and interest in law school. What have been some of your most meaningful experiences, that reinforced your commitment to the study of law?  Why? Are there specific experiences that prompted an evolution in your perspective so notable you want to include them here too? What led you to make certain academic and professional decisions? 

• Why Law School? Your response to this question should demonstrate your interest in the study of law. You’ll want to highlight key experiences in the areas of critical thinking, ideally in an academic or legal setting, that reinforced your desire to attend law school. Prepare also for related questions such as: Why now? What is your legal dream job? Where do you see yourself in ten years?

• What has been your most meaningful academic or professional accomplishment to date? Why? Prepare to speak confidently on any of the experiences you have listed in your application materials. What did the experience teach you about yourself? How did it challenge you? How did the experience reinforce your interest in pursuing law school? How did it change or reinforce your views of the legal system—and your desired role within it—in the U.S.?

• Would you change anything about your undergraduate education? Why? 

  If there is a red flag pertaining to your undergraduate education (for example, a semester with a low GPA or a transfer between schools), this may present a good opportunity to address it.  Without making excuses, emphasize what you learned from the experience and/or point to other areas of your academic record that are much more indicative of your ability to compete in a rigorous academic environment. 

  If you do not have a red flag to address, you may want to talk about that missed opportunity to study abroad or take a class in philosophy. Did an early disappointment ultimately inspire you to change your path to pursue law school after graduation? Be sure to link your chosen topic to qualities related to your law school candidacy. Prepare also for related questions such as: Why did you choose your undergraduate institution? What did you enjoy most about your undergraduate education? 

Understand your fit with the school. You must prove to the interviewer that their law program is the perfect intersection between where you’ve been and where you want to go. Do your homework and be prepared to discuss how your past experiences and future goals have inspired your interest in their offerings. 

• Why [specific school]? Look at the mission of the school, student organizations, courses, faculty, research and experiential learning opportunities, and come to the interview prepared to explain how you would engage. Keep in mind also that law schools are integrated in their local communities, so consider your fit here too. Do you have a particular interest in working within the state, or in a rural/urban environment? Did the location of the school impact your decision to apply to this program? Why? Prepare also for related questions such as: What do you hope to gain from our law school? What hesitations do you have with our program? 

Share stories. Use stories from your life to show your interviewer who you are, how you’ve grown, and what you will bring to the incoming class. Spend some time brainstorming and reviewing anecdotes that can be tailored to different behavioral questions and demonstrate the qualities law school admissions committees are looking for. 

• Tell me about a time when you challenged the group consensus. Tell me about a time when you came up with an innovative solution to a problem. To respond to a situation-based question, use the SAR (Situation, Action, Response) model. Spend about 20 percent of your response on the situation, and the remaining 80 percent on the actions you took and what resulted/what you learned. The SAR model also applies to a question like: What is your greatest weakness?  You will want to spend 20 percent of your response on the weakness, and 80 percent discussing the actions you took/are taking to improve, and what the results have been/what you’ve learned since beginning your improvement plan.

• What is your greatest strength? How would you sum up your leadership style? For questions where a simple claim would seem to suffice for a response, always take it a step further. Make a claim, THEN back it up with a specific example to illustrate that claim—in a group project, professional/intern experience, or extracurricular role.

Apply Point’s Tips for Success

• Outline the key points and experiences you would like to discuss within the behavioral interview and take responsibility for bringing up these points. It is most helpful to review all of your application materials again, and highlight those stories that will showcase your abilities and strengths in the areas of critical thinking, leadership, problem solving, and teamwork, as well as those experiences that reinforced your commitment to the study of law. 

• Nearly every response in a behavioral interview should include a story, even those that don’t ask you to recall a specific situation. This will not only make your interview more compelling and specific, but it will be much more memorable to the interviewer. 

• Speak about any recent accomplishments or events not included in your application. Continue to improve your candidacy even after you’ve submitted your application.

• Be proactive about bringing up red flags or weaknesses in your application. Address these head-on during the interview because they will inevitably come up within the admissions committee’s discussions. Rather than make excuses, talk about what you’ve learned and how you will continue to improve moving forward.

• Practice delivering your responses to interview questions aloud, and be sure to limit most responses (to behavioral interview questions) to between 1.5 and three minutes. Ask us for a list of behavioral interview questions so you can practice and prepare. 

• Prepare two to three school-specific questions for the interviewer that demonstrate your interest in and enthusiasm for the program.  

• At the end of the interview, thank your interviewer, reiterate to them if their program is your first choice, and send a hand-written thank you note.

Related: Law School Interview Practices

Law School Admissions Officers Express Preference for LSAT Over GRE Scores

Last November the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar voted in favor of allowing law schools to accept GRE scores in place of the LSAT for admissions decisions. However, a recent Kaplan survey suggests that law school admissions officers still give admissions preference to students who submit LSAT scores. 

Kaplan’s survey respondents included representatives from 25 schools that accept both LSAT and GRE scores from applicants. Of these, 13 reported an admissions advantage for students who submit LSAT scores and the remaining 12 reported that they view the tests equally. None of the schools expressed a preference for the GRE. 

Jeff Thomas, Kaplan’s Executive Director of Legal Programs, summarized the survey results: “What Kaplan’s survey shows is that while there is some definite movement to accept the GRE among law schools, there’s still not full acceptance. Of the schools we spoke with that accept scores from both exams, half say that applicants who submit LSAT scores have the edge over GRE applicants. In fact, no law school we spoke with gives the edge to GRE applicants. Some admissions officers noted the LSAT is created specifically for law school admissions so they have more faith in it, while the GRE, as its name suggests, is much more of a general exam. Schools also treat LSAT students more favorably, giving quicker admissions decisions to LSAT applicants, and scholarship awards exclusively to LSAT applicants. Our research suggests it will be at least several more years before law schools fully warm up to the GRE.”

The survey also provided an opportunity for law school admissions officers to write narrative responses. These direct quotes, while anonymous, offer additional insight into how admissions officers view the two tests. 

Some express a greater faith in the validity of the LSAT’s predictive value for an applicant’s performance in law school. 

“The GRE does not breed confidence in me to put my professional reputation on the line. (I still have bills to pay….) The primary reason why we are including the GRE as an option is because the faculty of this institution didn’t want to ‘fall behind’ the law schools. Well, how do we know where those other law schools are going? How do we know that that direction is the direction that we need or want to take?”

“The advantage to the LSAT is that it is established, accepted universally, and unique to law school. The vast amount of data and history gives it predictive value. Individually, there can be a benefit to someone who can perform better on the GRE, but in terms of competing in a pool, it is still relatively unknown in law schools.” 

“Individuals with an LSAT score will probably need to wait less time to receive an admissions decision. This is because the individuals who evaluate the application for admission have more faith in the validity, reliability and minimization of standardized testing bias that accompany the LSAT.”  

“From my own experience, the GRE is a glorified SAT that doesn’t actually tell us anything about a prospective student’s ability to be an effective law student. The LSAT’s not perfect, but it’s a much better diagnostic tool.” 

Others suggest that taking the LSAT is more indicative of a commitment to law school and the legal profession, as opposed to the GRE which may imply that an applicant is considering law school among other graduate options. 

“For now, we believe that applicants most interested in attending law school will take or have taken the LSAT. Considering the high focus on the cost of law school, graduate debt load, and volatile employment outcomes, we think it is prudent to admit students who have been preparing for law school over time. In addition, there is data that asserts the GRE has the same bias as other standardized tests, so it remains to be seen whether it will result in a significant increase in diverse applicants overall.” 

Finally, another admissions officer pointed out that the LSAT is the preferred test when it comes to determining who will receive scholarship funds.

“We do not offer robust scholarships to GRE only applicants.” 

Law School Applicant Volume Drops After Last Year’s Historic Spike

According to Law School Admission Council (LSAC) data released over the weekend, law school applicant volume for the 2021/2022 admissions cycle has decreased by 9.8 percent from last year and by 9 percent from two years ago. The data compared both applicants and applications as of February 26, 2022 to the same time period for the two preceding application periods. The number of applications submitted also decreased by 8 percent compared to last year; however, they have increased by a staggering 22 percent compared to the same time period two years ago. This suggests that while the number of applications has dropped compared to last year's historic surge (although by a smaller percentage than the decrease in applicants), prospective students continue to submit applications to more schools than they did in previous years. 

As of February 26th, the number of submitted applications to private schools has seen a more significant decrease (-9.3 percent) than for public schools (-5.3 percent) compared to last year. Of the 199 ABA approved law schools, 106 schools reported a decreased application volume compared to last year, 84 reported increased volume, and nine schools report no change. 

The number of applications has also decreased across all ethnicities. The smallest decrease has been among those identifying as Asian (-3 percent) and Hispanic/Latino (-3.1 percent). The largest decreases has been among Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (-14.8 percent), Canadian Aboriginal/Indigenous (-12.1 percent), and Caucasian/White (-12 percent) applicants. 

The numbers are not yet final, with many schools’ final submission dates occurring in early March, however the LSAC report notes that, at this point last year, 73 percent of the preliminary final applicant count had been received. This suggests that these patterns are likely to hold through the remainder of the application cycle. 

A Compelling Diversity Statement will Strengthen Your Candidacy for Law School

Let’s start with some context around the importance of diversity within the legal profession. The ABA recently published a piece on why diversity matters in the law, defining diversity as “... more than just racial or ethnic diversity. The concept of diversity encompasses all persons of every background, gender, race, sexual orientation, age, and/or disability.” The article goes on to provide the perspectives of leaders within the legal industry on the importance of diversity, which we have excerpted below. 

Find the full text here. 

• Public confidence. “[R]acial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession is necessary to demonstrate that our laws are being made and administered for the benefit of all persons. Because the public’s perception of the legal profession often informs impressions of the legal system, a diverse bar and bench create greater trust in the rule of law.” (ABA)

• Quality of legal decisions. “A diverse legal profession is more just, productive, and intelligent because diversity, both cognitive and cultural, often leads to better questions, analyses, solutions, and processes.” (ABA)

• Competitive advantage. “A demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion can be a key aspect of a law firm’s competitive advantage when it comes to recruiting and retaining talent and pitching certain clients. Clients receive the highest quality service when their legal teams are drawn from professionals mirroring the diversity of the marketplace.” (Tiffani Lee, Partner, Holland & Knight, LLP)

• Path to leadership. “In order to cultivate a set of leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry, it is necessary that the path to leadership be visibly open to talented and qualified individuals of every race and ethnicity,” (Justice O’Connor, Ret., noting that the nation’s leaders often come through the legal system)

• Thought leadership. “Their unique backgrounds help to ensure that a 360-degree approach is used to analyze each issue. Having a diverse legal team helps to eliminate the possibility of bias affecting your final decision.” (Robin Wofford of Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP, who also serves as chair of the National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms)

For these reasons, and many more, it is critical that law schools and the legal profession are representative of the larger population. So, what does that mean for your application to law school? It means that you will want to craft a diversity statement that will show the reader your ability to connect, grow, thrive, and meaningfully collaborate in diverse environments and/or explore how you will contribute to the diversity of the incoming class. Of course, you want the piece to strengthen your candidacy, so if it feels forced or inauthentic, or if the prompt seems limited to those who identify as a racial or other minority and does not apply to you, it is best to leave it blank.  

In brainstorming possible experiences or anecdotes to include, ask yourself the following questions: 

• What traits or characteristics make you unique? 

• In what way might you be able to offer your law school cohort an unconventional perspective? 

• What are some collaborative situations in which you have experienced discomfort? Did you work with an international group on a project in an academic or professional setting, or have an internship in a foreign country where no one else in the office spoke English?

• What are some experiences that prompted an evolution in your perspective? Did you participate in a volunteer project serving an underrepresented clientele or provide services to those with disabilities or unique obstacles?

• How are your experiences likely different from those of other candidates? Did you take an unusual career path prior to applying to law school? 

Once you have a thorough brainstorm, we can help you to further develop a story that communicates to admissions committees your ability to contribute to a dynamic and diverse learning environment and grow from others’ perspectives. 

Law Schools See Spike in Applicants

The law school application surge is real. Data released on April 22, 2021 by the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) shows that applicants for the 2021-2022 school year are up 20.0 percent compared to the same date last year, and up 15.8 percent compared to two years ago. The data also shows that applicants, likely in response to uncertain conditions, are applying to more schools, as the number of submitted applications is up 31.6 percent compared to last year, and up 27.9 percent compared to two years ago.

When early figures emerged showing a jump in applications for the upcoming school year, some speculated that applicants submitted their materials early due to COVID-19 lockdowns. However, at this point in the admissions cycle, the number of applicants for the 2021 school year, which still has weeks remaining for some schools, already exceeds the total number of 2020 applicants. Additionally, as of April 21st, there are well over 10, 000 more applicants in 2021 than there were at the same time in 2020. According to law.com, if these trends continue, this is likely to be the largest applicant pool since 2011.

The quality of this year’s applicants is also proving formidable. The number of students receiving top scores on the LSAT increased significantly compared to last year; applicants reporting scores between 175 to 180 on the LSAT doubled, jumping from 721 to 1,442. The number who scored between 170 to 174 also increased by 54.1 percent, and 28 percent more applicants reported scores in the bands 160 to 164 and 165 to 169.

Also worthy of note is that the increase in applications is consistent across most racial groups. The number of Black/African American, White, and Hispanic/Latino applicants all increased by about 20 percent this year compared to last (22.3 percent, 20.8 percent, and 20.6 percent respectively). The largest spike, 57.2 percent, comes from Puerto Rican applicants followed by Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders at 31.7 percent. The number of Asian applicants increased, but by a smaller percentage than average at 13.7 percent. A prepared statement put forth by LSAC described these increases with optimism, “We are seeing strength across all demographic groups and locations. This year looks good in terms of having a robust and diverse legal education pipeline of candidates eager to use the law to create a better world. That’s good for our society.”

Admissions officers have struggled over how to react to the influx of highly qualified candidates this cycle. Many schools expanded their wait lists and made fewer outright acceptances. Notre Dame Law School, despite making fewer admissions offers, made headlines over its decision to offer admitted students seats in its class on a “first come, first served” basis to avoid over-enrollment. On April 6, 2021, Notre Dame’s admissions officers told admitted students that the incoming class was 67 percent full and that students would need to reserve their seat with a deposit or risk losing it. Just a few hours later, the admissions team informed students that the class was at 80 percent capacity and, by the end of the day, announced that all seats had been filled and the remaining students who had been admitted would be moved to a “continued interest” list.

While there are likely many reasons behind the jump in applications, law.com notes that admissions officers and consultants are pointing to both political and economic events of the past years, including: police killings of African Americans and the resulting national focus on racial inequalities, Trump’s presidency, national discourse on immigration policy, as well as the economic impact of coronavirus and the difficulty of finding strong entry-level employment. The article also notes the added convenience of registering and taking the LSAT-flex.

Most likely, the highly competitive nature of this admissions cycle will carry over into next year as many competitive applicants unable to find a seat among their top-choice schools, will reapply in the fall. According to law.com, over 28,000 have already registered to take the June LSAT with weeks left in the registration period.

New Department of Education Data Shows that Only 11 Law Schools Report Positive Debt-to-Earnings Ratio for First-Year Graduates

Late last week, the American Bar Association Journal reported that “most law students earn less money per year after graduation than the amount they borrowed for law school.” This is based off data recently released by the U.S. Department of Education. The article goes on to share that graduates from only 11 law schools reported higher median first-year earnings compared to median federal debt for graduates in 2015 and 2016. Further, the median debt-to-income ratio among law schools is 1.86, which means that graduates took out a median of 86 percent more in loans during law school than the median amount received in their first year working after graduation; median debt upon program completion for graduates was about $110,000 and median first-year earnings were about $53,000. 

Using the same Department of Education data, Law.com published a debt-to-earnings ratio for the U.S. News and World Report’s Top 14 law schools, as well as for New York-based law schools. We have compiled the data into some charts below for both the top-ranked, as well as NYC-based schools. They show the debt-to-income ratio, median first-year earnings for graduates, and median federal debt incurred for 2015 and 2016 graduates. It is important to note that these data points do not include private loans, loan interest, or borrowing for undergraduate or other graduate programs. So, the ratios may show slightly more positively than the full debt-load that many law school graduates are facing.

If you are considering law school, and you will be paying your own way through federal or other loan programs, you will want to assess this data during your school selection period. Ultimately the program that will best fit your needs should balance strong academic rigor and meaningful experiential learning opportunities with your future debt burden. The debt-to-income ratio rankings, as you can see, do not line up exactly with the school’s academic rankings, and the median debt and median earnings should be one of the many factors in your decision-making process. Additionally, these figures may provide insight into how much time you will want to spend researching fellowships and scholarship opportunities that can also ease the total cost of your schooling, particularly if you’re interested in pursuing lower paying career paths, such as public interest law.

For First Time Since 2010, Number of First-Year Law Students Has Increased Meaningfully

New student enrollment at law schools is up 2.9 percent from 2017, according to ABA data released last Friday. The number of first-year law matriculants at 122 schools is the same or higher than last year, while only 81 reported decreased class size. Total law school enrollment is up 1.2 percent from 2017, and enrollment in J.D. related programs, such as LLM, masters, or certificate programs, also increased by 8.2 percent year-over-year.

The increased enrollment is not surprising given the increase in law school applications during the 2017 application cycle, 8 percent, which was the first significant increase in law school applications since 2010. While some schools have ended up with significantly larger numbers of admitted students, others have become more selective. Within the top 25 schools, according to the U.S. News and World Report 2019 Rankings, 24 saw an increase in applications and all but two reported lower acceptance rates for applicants compared to 2017. On average, the acceptance rate for the top 25 was 21.4 percent in 2018 compared to 24.5 percent in 2017. Despite the increased selectivity, most of the top 25 schools did have slightly larger first-year classes than they did the previous year, with increases ranging between 1 and 157 students.

A law.com article predicts, based on early indicators, that the application pool will continue to grow for the 2019 matriculating class. LSAT numbers in June and July 2018 were up 30 percent compared to 2017; a similar uptick in LSAT-takers in the summer of 2017 preceded the higher application numbers seen this year.

Find data from all ABA accredited schools here: http://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/Disclosure509.aspx

Two Additional Law Schools to Accept GRE as Alternative to LSAT

Two additional law schools, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center, have joined Harvard Law School and University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law in accepting the GRE for law school admissions. Georgetown will accept the GRE score as an alternative for the LSAT, for those wishing to matriculate in 2018, while Northwestern will accept the scores for students applying to the 2019 entering class.

Both schools conducted studies to determine the ability of the GRE to predict a student’s success within law school. Northwestern’s study was performed in conjunction with ETS, the administrator for the GRE, and found the GRE to be a strong predictor of success for first year Northwestern law students. Georgetown ran an independent study analyzing over ten-years of students’ academic performance and test scores and found that the GRE scores were equal to LSAT scores as predictors of academic success within the Law School.

The four schools that have opened their admissions process to include the GRE did so in an effort to diversify the applicant pool, as well as to reflect the evolving and multi-disciplinary nature of law. “Georgetown Law is committed to attracting the best and the brightest students of all backgrounds,” said Dean William M. Treanor. “We believe this change will make the admissions process more accessible to students who have great potential to make a mark here at Georgetown Law and in successful legal careers, but who might find the LSAT to be a barrier for whatever reason.”

The GRE is offered more frequently throughout the year and in numerous locations, and is often taken by students considering other graduate level educational options. By accepting the GRE, these law schools are helping to alleviate the financial burden of taking multiple tests for students thinking about different paths. Additionally, it may help to recruit students from “non-typical” law school backgrounds, including in-demand STEM students, international students, as well as those from a wider range of socio-economic backgrounds. When Harvard Law School started the pilot GRE program, then-Dean Martha Minow said, “For many students, preparing for and taking both the GRE and the LSAT is unaffordable. All students benefit when we can diversify our community in terms of academic background, country of origin, and financial circumstances. Also, given the promise of the revolutions in biology, computer science, and engineering, law needs students with science, technology, engineering and math backgrounds.  For these students, international students, multidisciplinary scholars, and joint-degree students, the GRE is a familiar and accessible test, and using it is a great way to reach candidates not only for law school, but for tackling the issues and opportunities society will be facing.”

The ABA held a hearing in July to consider specifying what test(s) are valid for law school admissions, which would change current language requiring merely “a valid and reliable admission test.”  While this could impact the ability for schools to accept the GRE as an admissions test alternative, a decision is unlikely to come in the short term. In the meantime, it appears likely that additional law schools will follow the path of these four and include the GRE as an accepted part of the admissions process.  

While the limited number of law schools accepting the GRE might make the LSAT a safer choice for current prospective law students, the broader lessons and values that these law schools are espousing are worth considering when putting together a law school application. Applicants should consider highlighting STEM minors or academic courses, unusual career or internship experiences, or other unique qualities that might add value and interest within the school’s student body.