Straight from the Experts

A: (MT): It is important that you live within your means, make any credit payments on time, and minimize your debt – including paying off your credit card balances – before you go to law school. A large proportion of the financial aid you will need for law school will be loans that depend on your credit score. You must have good credit to qualify for the best loan rates.

(TH): Many law schools offer merit-based financial aid. Eligibility relies heavily on your undergraduate grade-point average and LSAT score. Other law schools offer need-based financial aid to applicants with demonstrated need. Hard work and planning may increase your chances of taking advantage of some of these forms of financial aid. Excessive credit card debt may negatively impact an applicant’s eligibility for some forms of financial aid.  Resist the urge to use your credit card to pay for certain purchases unless you have the ability to pay the debt down or in full before you begin the process of applying to law school.

(PB): Here is a checklist of things to do while you are in college and law school to be cost conscious. If you remember to live like a student while you are in school, you won’t need to live like a student when you graduate!

• Pay all your bills on time.

• Use your credit cards as little as possible and pay them off every month if you can.

• Put yourself on a budget. Save the receipts for everything you buy for one month, and then sort them by category – coffee, movies, food, snacks, laundry. You will be surprised how much more you are spending than you should. Then try to find ways to eliminate extra costs – buying frozen pizza instead of ordering, bringing coffee in a mug instead of buying a cup every morning, etc.

• Buy everything on sale only! And carefully evaluate what you really need rather than what you want. No extra expenses, like vacations, flat screen TVs, designer clothes. All that will have to wait because you now have to save, save, save!

• Get a FREE copy of your credit report from all three credit agencies each year to ensure that your credit report is accurate. You might be able to resolve a dispute if your report is incorrect, but it can take a long time for it to be removed. 

• Finally, find a job over the summer that pays well. You want to try to earn as much money as possible to reduce what you will need to borrow.

A: MT: Law schools are interested in increasing the diversity of the legal profession. We are all looking for candidates who will make great lawyers, and having diverse experiences can enhance a candidate’s application. While we do not give a preference to applicants based on race, ethnicity, or gender; during the general application process, we give consideration to how candidate’s backgrounds or experiences have had an impact on their preparation, interests, and contributions to the law as substantiated in the application.

TH: While law schools value diversity and are aware of and troubled by the small percentage of some racial and ethnic groups in law school, it is important to note that there is no free ride to law school. You must work hard to make yourself a competitive and desirable applicant. Do well in undergraduate school, give yourself ample time to prepare for the LSAT, acquaint yourself with the overall application process, and apply early. It is also important to note that some law schools are prohibited from asking about and considering race in their admission process. You should not take this to mean that these law schools are not interested in attracting diverse candidates.

PB: First, the more diverse the classroom composition, the better and more interesting the discussions will be. Second, the legal profession does not have enough lawyers representing all facets of society. Third, as our country continues to become more diverse, we need people to explain, assist, and represent everyone.
For each of these reasons, law schools are sensitive to the underrepresented populations. While no one admitted to law school gets a free pass, the goals and the mission of the school and the needs of society, especially in the community where the law school is located, can all be important considerations for law schools.

A: MT: We are looking for highly successful students from all majors, so choose the major that best fits your interests. Because you will need to think critically and write well in law school, if your major does not emphasize these skill sets, use electives and non-major courses to prepare yourself and demonstrate your competency to prospective law schools.

TH: There is no one major that law schools favor, and it is not essential that you major in a law-related field to be admitted to law school. That said, some courses within certain majors have shown to help improve some of the skills needed to succeed on the LSAT and in law school (analytical and critical thinking and reasoning and writing skills). Additionally, applicants who have done well in advanced or rigorous courses may receive some favor in the admission process. 

PB: The suggested classes you’ve included in your question (philosophy and statistics) are good ones to take. You should also look outside your major for courses to strengthen your writing abilities, improve your logic skills, and test your reasoning skills.

There is no perfect prelaw major. Law schools want to see their classes full of people from a variety of backgrounds. This includes interesting and different majors.

You should select an area that is of most interest to you. Also, it should be a major that you could utilize should you decide not to pursue a law degree. You will enjoy your college studies and have higher grades. Better grades develop confidence and show your academic abilities.

For example, music majors tend to do very well in law school. The rules of music combined with the creativity of performance and composition are very similar to the study of law.  And economics is a very popular choice for many law students. There would be no downside to a double major!

A: Michael Treviño (MT): Spend some time with her and other attorneys to learn more about what they do.  Many colleges and universities offer alumni mentorship programs, where they can help match you with alumni volunteers.

Traci Howard (TH): You are very fortunate to have someone in your life who is a practicing lawyer! Ask your aunt whether it would be possible to shadow her for a few days over the summer to begin familiarizing yourself with the ins and outs of law practice. Shadowing a practicing attorney can be a great way to find out what lawyers do! Keep in mind that certain practice areas may provide different experiences, so try to reach out to other attorneys practicing in different areas to find out how their work differs from your aunt’s.

Pamela Bloomquist (PB): Think about you – do you like to talk or debate? Or would you rather write? Do you like research? If you like to debate, you may want to meet with a litigator or trial lawyer. If you like writing, meeting with attorneys who draft contracts might be helpful. If you like research, talk with a judge’s clerk.

Start by asking your aunt whether you could follow her for a day or two at her office.  Hopefully, she can let you accompany her on a normal day, and then again for special meetings. 

Go to www.LSAC.org, Special Interests, Office of Diversity Initiatives, to read about other special programs that explain the profession.

Go to http://www.abanet.org/op/pipelndir/home.html and click in your home state to find out about local programs you can contact to get in touch with attorneys.

Finally, arrange a visit to a law school. Sit in on a class and definitely talk with students. This will give you ideas about what happens in law school, how the profession works, and what may peak your interest.

A: MT: This does not preclude you from going to law school, though be sure you disclose this information on your law school applications – there is a section provided on most applications for this purpose.

TH: No. This does not mean you should abandon the idea of going to law school, as one DUI will not usually preclude you from going to law school. First, you should contact the bar association in the state in which you would want to be admitted to ask about any limitations for admittance to the moral character portion of the bar. Second, you should contact the law school(s) to which you plan to apply to inquire about their policy regarding admitting students with DUIs. Most law schools ask you to disclose these types of incidents on your admission application. It is important that you respond to these questions fully and honestly.

PB: If this is your only encounter with the law, you should not forget about law school. All law schools will ask about criminal records, and most are primarily concerned about the type of conviction, or how often the person has been in trouble. Make sure you disclose everything to the law school. 
Nearly everyone has done something of which they are not proud, but you can move on and grow from the experience.

A: MT: Nearly every aspect of public life is affected by the law, so there are significantly more areas than criminal law. Finding the type of law that best fits your interests involves many factors, including where you wish to practice (demand for particular types of law can be influenced by geography and an area’s needs), as well as your own skill sets and expertise (e.g., patent lawyers often have a science or technical proficiency). 

TH: There is a wide range of areas of law practice that may be of interest to you. I’ll touch on a few, but there are many more than I have room to list. The increased reliance on the Web to distribute information, goods, music, etc. has forced an interest in intellectual property, telecommunications, and entertainment law.  The ever-increasing attention paid to protecting the environment has fueled people’s interest in environmental law. Current issues related to foreign policy, immigration, and human rights have made international law another area in high demand right now.  To check out all the different fields of law, click here.

PB: The type of law in demand changes as rapidly as the news – really! Real estate, bankruptcy, and contract lawyers are always in demand. Intellectual property, sometimes called patent law, is very popular because of technological advances. As the population ages, elder law and health law are other types of law that will experience growth.

If you really like the courtroom, you could consider working for the prosecution – the other side of the bench from representing the people accused of crimes. Or you could go into civil litigation, where you represent people who were harmed in some fashion but not criminally. Examples would be a breach of contract, insurance issues, or a problem with a consumer product.

A: MT: You can ask professors from your first or second years, though usually students ask professors in upper-division courses that tend to be more advanced and demanding, so there is often a greater opportunity to stand out. Meet with your professors during office hours while a student in their course, so they have a greater opportunity to see how you think. In the courses where you do your best work, ask those professors whether they would be comfortable writing a strong letter of recommendation.

TH: The more recent your letters of recommendations are at the time you apply, the better. Older letters of recommendation may not be as effective because they may not reflect improvements and growth made during the last two years of college. Classes taken during the first couple of years of college are generally entry-level courses and not as rigorous as the more advanced major-level, upper-division courses.  Additionally, a professor from three to four years back may not remember you or your work as vividly as is necessary to write a strong and effective letter. 

To make yourself stand out to a professor, you should first focus on doing well in the class. Recommenders who are not confident about a student’s ability to be successful in law school usually do not write effective letters of recommendation. Professors are generally more eager to write a strong letter of recommendation for someone who did extremely well in class and someone they know. Additionally, you may want to set up an appointment with your professor at the end of the term to express your interest in going to law school and ask them whether they would be comfortable writing a letter of recommendation for you. 

PB: Try to keep in touch with your favorite professors. Stop by their offices and update them on your activities. Let them know now that you are thinking about going to law school and hope they can be a recommender.

If possible, try to take another class with them as a junior or senior. They can then see how you have matured both as a person and as a student. This scenario provides the best letters of recommendation.