Applying to Law School:

What You Need to Know

An undergraduates guide for a successful future in Law

School.
So You Want to go to Law School?
Why?
Why are you considering Law School? You should have a serious drive and the internal
motivation to commit yourself to 3 years of intense study.

Advising
Before making any serious decisions, schedule an appointment with your Universitys Pre-Law
advisor. They can give you detailed information on what to expect from the application process,
how to prepare for the LSAT, and everything you need to do in preparation for applying to law
school.

The Pathway to Law School

What should you study as an undergraduate?
There are no specific undergraduate majors required for admittance into Law School; however,
many fare much better on the LSAT than others. Many undergraduate institutions offer Pre-Law
as a major for students that know they will be attending law school, but there are pros and cons
to this major.

Pros of the Pre-Law Major:

The major may familiarize you with the teaching styles and material that you will
encounter in law school, which will give you an advantage.
It helps prepare students to take the LSAT.
It shows early commitment to a legal education.

Cons of the Pre-Law Major:

Law Schools may see it as an easy major.

Many prestigious colleges do not offer Pre-Law as a major.
Law Schools want their classes to be diverse in their educational backgrounds.

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The American Bar Association (ABA) suggests that the majors of History, English, Philosophy,
Political Science, Economics, and Business are all helpful in preparing students for law school.
History students are familiarized with the development of nations, politics, and history of legal
systems, and achieve a thorough understanding of how these things affect society. English
majors acquire skill in reading, writing, and critical analysis through studying literature and
conducting research, which translates well to education and careers in law which require critical
thinking and analysis of legal documents. Philosophy majors are prepared for law school through
their studies on thoughts and worldviews, and development of skills in creating logical
arguments. A political science major is very helpful for law school entrants, as they have become
well-versed legal and political systems, policies, and law. Finally, business and economics majors
have developed skills of analyzing data to reach solutions, and critical thinking that are beneficial
to lawyers.

While there are certain majors that provided skills that are necessary to the law profession, and
lead to success in law school, these are not requirements. Whatever you choose to major in, make
sure that it is something that you are passionate and motivated for, and can excel in.

Choosing Schools to Apply To

Research!
Conduct in-depth research about potential schools. Consider:

Location Where do you want to be?

Admission requirements (LSAT scores, GPA, etc.)
Rankings
Reputation within legal professions
Alumni employment
Alumni Bar Exam results
Alumni satisfaction with education
Tuition Can you afford it? How much debt are you willing to accumulate?
What kind of law do you plan to practice?

This information can be found on law schools websites, in brochures, USA News rankings,
etc.

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 Campus Visits
Campus tours are the best way to get the feel of a school.

Taking the Law School Admission Test

(LSAT)

What is it?
The Law School Admission Test focuses on testing your aptitude for law school; how well you can
perform the thinking that will be required of you.

The LSAT includes five 35-minute sections of multiple-choice questions that are scored. These
are:

1 Reading Comprehension
1 Analytical Reasoning
2 Logical Reasoning

The LSAT also includes two 35-minute sections that are unscored. These are:

Variable section (usually testing future formats/questions).

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 Writing sample. This sample is not scored, but it will be sent to all law schools that you
apply to.

General Information
The registration cost for the LSAT is $180.00.
You can register for a test date through the Law School Admission Council at LSAC.org.
In order to apply for law school for the following Fall semester, the LSAT must be taken by
December.

How to Prepare
Study guides, books, and practice tests are available for purchase through multiple publishers
and platforms.

Complete practice questions and get to know the subjects and types of questions. As you get
closer to your test date, begin taking practice test. Take practice tests under the required time
constraints.

Top 10 Law Schools in the United States

#1: Yale University
Location: New Haven, Connecticut.
The Law School is located in the center of Yales campus, in downtown New Haven. The
campus has a rich history since the schools establishment in 1824.
Students: 632
Tuition: $59,865
This does not include personal expenses, housing, books, travel expenses, Yale Health
Services Coverage, and any other expenses that one may have.
Financial Aid applications for an upcoming academic year are due the Spring before that
academic year begins.
Post- Graduation Employment (2016 Graduating Class):
% of Graduates
Law Firms: 42.78% Public Interest: 9.28%
Business and Industry: 4.12% Judicial Clerkship: 37.11%
Government: 4.12% Education: 2.58%
Yale Law School offers 12 different areas of interest in which course are offered:
Administrative Law Constitutional Law
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 Corporate and Commercial Law IT and Media Law
Criminal Justice Law and Health
Environmental Law Law Teaching
Human Rights Law Legal History
International Law Public Interest Law

#2: Stanford University

Location: Stanford, California
Students: 579
Tuition: $58,041.
Tuition does not include living expenses, personal expenses, books, medical costs, and
other necessary expenses.
Post- Graduation Employment (2016 Graduating Class):
% of Graduates
Law Firms: 54.55% Public Interest: 6.82%
Business and Industry: 5.11% Judicial Clerkships: 27.84%
Government: 5.68% Education: 0
Areas of Interest:
Academia Law and Public Policy
Clinical Legal Education Law, Economics and Business
Criminal Law Law, Science and Technology
Health Law and Policy Public Service and Public Interest
International and Comparative Law Law
Stanford Law School has a specialty in Public Interest Law through the John and Terry
Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law that offers students a wide variety of
access to the world of Public Interest Law. Through the John and Terry Levin Center, students
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can participate in Pro Bono work, research, International Public Interest Initiatives, externships,
and obtain greater access to careers in Public Interest and Government.

#3: Harvard University

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Students: 1,771
Harvard Law School is very large compared to others.
Tuition: $60,638
Post-Graduation Employment (2016 Graduating Class):
# of Graduates
Law Firms: 349 Public Interest: 48
Business and Industry: 29 Judicial Clerkship: 137
Government: 18 Education: 7
Areas of Study:
Law and Government Law, Science, and Technology
Law and Business Criminal Justice
International and Comparative Law Law and History
Harvard Law School has Clinical and Pro Bono Programs that are available to students to
provide experience working under licensed attorneys. Pro Bono services are provided to clients
that are not able to pay for their legal services.

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 #4: University of Chicago
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Students: 603
Tuition: $61, 626
Post-Graduation Employment (2016 Graduating Class):
% of Graduates
Law Firms: 67%
Business and Industry: 1.4%
Government: 5.6%
Public Interest: 6.5%
Judicial Clerkship: 19.1%
Education: 0.5%
Course Group Offerings:
First Year Courses: Contracts, Torts, Health Law
Property, Criminal Law, Civil Intellectual Property, Technology,
Procedure. and Entrepreneurship Law
Administrative Law International and Comparative Law
Clinical Courses Jurisprudence and Legal Theory
Criminal Law and Procedure Legal History
Commercial, Business, and Labor Skills, Legal Practice, and Ethics
Law Taxation
Court, Jurisdiction, and Procedure Multi-Disciplinary Courses
Family Law, Property Rights, Torts,
and Insurance

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 The University of Chicago Law School offers programs for student in legal research and
writing, international study trips, leadership development for first year students, and Pro Bono
service opportunities.

#5: Columbia University

Location: New York, New York
Students: 1, 234
Tuition: $65,260
Post-Graduation Employment (2016 Graduating Class):
# of Graduates
Law Firms: 311
Business and Industry: 12
Government: 17
Public Interest: 18
Judicial Clerkship: 23
Education: 0
First-Year Studies :
Civil Procedure Legal Methods I and II
Constitutional Law Legal Practice Workshop I and II
Contracts Property
Criminal Law Torts
Foundation Year Moot Court First-Year Elective
 #6: New York University
Location: New York, New York
Students: 1,369
Tuition: $61,622
Post-Graduation Employment (2016 Graduating Class):
% of 485 Graduates
Law Firm: 74.06% Judicial Clerkship: 5.86%
Business and Industry: 2.93% Education: 0.42%
Government: 4.81% Military: 0.21%
Public Interest: 11.72%
Areas of Interest:
Cities and Land Use Immigration
Constitutional, Civil Rights, and Intellectual Property and Innovation
Democracy Labor and Employment
Corporate and Commercial Law and Security
Criminal Justice Legal Theory, History, and the
Environmental Social Sciences
Family, Gender, and Sexuality Litigation and Procedure
Global and International Regulation and Public Policy
Human Rights Taxation

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 #7: University of Pennsylvania
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Students: 749
Tuition: $59,382
Post-Graduation Employment (2016 Graduating Class):
Law Firms: 180 Public Interest: 11
Business and Industry: 21 Judicial Clerkships: 33
Government: 8 Education: 0
First-Year Requirements:
Civil Procedure Criminal Law
Constitutional Law Legal Practice Skills
Contracts Torts
The University of Pennsylvania Law School highly values their approach to cross-
disciplinary approach to legal education that educates students in field of business, social work,
health, technology, etc.

#8 (tie): University of Michigan Ann Arbor

Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Students: 929
Tuition: $56,844 (in-state), $60,090 (out of state)
Tuition does not include living and personal expenses, books, travel, etc.
Post-Graduation Employment (2016 Graduating Class):
# of Graduates
Law Firms: 197 Public Interest: 34
Business and Industry: 15 Judicial Clerkship: 60
Government: 32 Education: 2
Areas of Interest:
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 Antitrust Japanese Law
Environmental and Natural Litigation and Alternative Dispute
Resources Law Resolution
European Law Refugee and Asylum Law
Michigan Law has 28 different areas of interest within their curriculum, the rest can be
found at http://web.law.umich.edu/CurriculumInterestAreas/home.aspx.

#8 (tie): University of Virginia

Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
Students: 893
Tuition: $56,300 (in-state), $61,300 (out of state)
Tuition does not include livings expenses, books, etc.
Post-Graduation Employment (2016 Graduating Class):
% of Graduates
Law Firms: 69.3% Public Interest: 3.7%
Business and Industry: 1.9% Judicial Clerkship: 18%
Government: 6.8% Education: 0
Course Concentration Areas:
International and National Security Environmental and Land Use Law
Law Race and Law
Communications and Media Law Public Policy and Regulation
Human Rights and Civil Liberties
University of Virginia School of Law has 18 different concentrations of courses, which can
all be found at http://content.law.virginia.edu/academics/concentrations.
 #10 (tie): Duke University
Location: Durham, North Carolina
Students: 676
Tuition: $59,912
Post-Graduation Employment (2016 Graduating Class):
# of Graduates
Law Firms: 148 Public Interest: 6
Business and Industry: 5 Judicial Clerkship: 41
Government: 13 Education: 3
Degree Requirements:
First-Year Courses Regularly Scheduled Courses: Law
Ethics School courses/seminars, clinics,
Upper-Level Writing regularly scheduled courses at another
Professional Skills law school accredited by the ABA,
study abroad credits.
Additional information regarding degree requirements and specific courses can be viewed
on the Duke Law website.

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 #10 (tie): Northwestern University
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Students: 661
Tuition: $59,850
Post-Graduation Employment (2016 Graduating Class):
# of Graduates
Law Firms: 168 Public Interest: 13
Business and Industry: 18 Judicial Clerkship: 23
Government: 12 Education: 2
Concentrations:
Appellate Law International Law
Business Enterprise Law and Social Policy
Civil Litigation and Dispute Technology, Innovation, and
Resolution Entrepreneurship
Environmental Law

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Different Law Professions

Corporate Lawyer
Corporate Lawyers are responsible for ensuring that business transactions are legal. They
handle contracts, operations, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, project finance,
corporate securities, and generally oversee the legal business of companies. Some work for law
firms, while other work in-house for corporations.

Criminal Lawyer
Prosecutors

Prosecutors are attorneys that bring trials against those that they believe to have
committed a crime, they represent justice in criminal trials . They must investigate, charge with
the crime, and bring the trial to court. Prosecutors that are United States Attorneys must be
appointed by the President for regional offices, and have assistant prosecutors that work under
them. State prosecutors are called States Attorneys, and are appointed by voters or the governor
of their state.

Defense Attorneys

Criminal defense attorneys represent clients that have been accused of crimes. Public
defenders are criminal defense attorneys that are employed by the government. They prepare
and argue cases for their clients, which requires research of evidence, statutes, codes and
precedential judicial rulings to formulate their defense. Then, an argument strategy is prepared
and adapted in the courtroom. They will also negotiate plea bargains, and argue appeals.

Family Lawyer
Family lawyers are hired to deal with legal issues of family relationships, including divorce,
guardianship and child custody, paternity, and emancipation. Family lawyers have skills in
negotiation, discussion, and persuasion, and their jobs consist of composing legal documents,
participating in mediation, and advising clients.

Immigration Lawyer

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 Immigration lawyers advise and represent clients on matters dealing with immigration.
They handle matters such as employment visas, deportation, citizenship, green cards, and
political asylum. Communication and people skills, foreign language, and analytical skills are
highly valued in the immigration law profession due to the close interactions with foreigners.

General Practice Lawyer

General practice lawyers are not limited to a particular specialty, they usually are fluent in
multiple types of law, such as family law, property law, administrative law, and business law.
General practice law firms are more likely to be found in smaller communities, and often
represent clients that have lesser legal issues.

Judge
Judges are the presiding authority over court cases. Their job is to enforce courtroom
procedure, hear allegations, witness testimony, rule on evidence, and much more within the
courtroom. Their main jobs is to hear cases, rule on questions of law, decide guilt/innocence and
sentencing in criminal cases, and determine the general outcome of cases that reach the
courtroom, while providing mediation between the arguing parties.

Qualities Required in the Field of Law

Reading and Listening

Lawyers must be detailed readers and listeners, in order to retain information necessary
for cases. Reading skills are vital because lawyers spend a significant amount of their time
analyzing texts such as case briefs, contracts, subpoenas, court documents, etc. They often
conduct research throughout their career to find similar cases and legal precedents. They must be
able to take in large amounts of information from lengthy texts and discern the most important,
minute details. They also must be able to listen well to their clients issues in order to form or fight
a case, or just to give adequate legal advice.

Problem Solving

Lawyers must be creative and willing to search for answers, and ask the questions that no
one else has asked. They use their reading and listening skills to gather fine details in their search

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for a solution. Often these details need to be put together like a puzzle in order to form a cohesive
argument for a case.

Writing and Speaking

Writing and speaking are vital to a lawyers career as their goal is to communicate their
thoughts quickly and cohesively, especially in a courtroom situation. Litigation can be highly
stressful, and one must be prepared to argue efficiently and effectively.

Collaboration/ People Skills

Lawyers encounter many people on a daily basis and must be able to communicate well
and collaborate in different situations. Lawyers often work as a team to form and argue cases,
therefore they must be able to delegate roles and communicate their duties effectively. They
must also be able to provide support and counsel for their clients, and be personable in order to
gain the clients trust.

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