GETTING INTO LAW SCHOOL
The first step in getting into law school is the successful completion of a four-year degree at an undergraduate institution such as Queens. Most schools do not have Pre-Law majors, as law schools do not encourage them. Any major can be used as a springboard for law school, but some common ones used by aspiring law students include Political Science, Philosophy, History, English, Psychology, Business Administration, Communications, International Studies, and American Studies. Many undergraduate institutions, like Queens, have pre-law concentrations or minors that can be used to develop skills that are useful for a legal career. In most cases, these concentrations can be taken with any major.
When reviewing law school applications, schools will take into account a variety of factors:
1. Grade Point Average: As a general rule, anything under a
3.00 is questionable. Anything above that puts one in a fairly
strong position.
2. Scores on the LSAT: Along with GPA, these scores are the most
important factors examined. As a general rule, anything below 150
is questionable. Anything above 160 puts one in a very strong
position. For information on the LSAT and to register, go to
www.lsac.org. The LSAT is given four times a year, in February,
June, October, and December. You should generally take the
LSAT at least six months before the application deadlines at the
schools to which you are applying.
3. Strong letters of recommendation: These can mitigate problems in
terms of GPA and LSAT, but they only take you so far.
4. Internships: A solid legal (or related) internship can be an
important plus, especially if you have strong letters of
recommendation from that internship.
5. Extracurricular Activities: In general the more involved you were
as an undergraduate student, the better. Especially note activities
that may be directly relevant to law school, such as Moot Court,
Model UN, debate, etc.
6. Communication Skills: Strong writing skills are important for law
school and applicants should make the most of any opportunity to
demonstrate them.
7. Academic Rigor of Major Field: While selection of undergraduate
major does not matter that much, certain majors are known to be
difficult, while others are known to be easy. A high GPA in an
easy major may not take you as far as a decent GPA in a
difficult major. You may also want to emphasize courses you
took as an undergrad that were particularly relevant to law school
(Constitutional Law, Business Law, etc.), especially if you did well
in these courses.
8. Other Factors: Anything that separates you from the crowd is
helpful. Also, anything that might explain a less than spectacular
performance in other areas. For example, if you had to work
throughout your undergraduate career, that might be useful to
point out, since it probably reduced your opportunities to engage
in extracurricular activities.
Most law programs are three years. In your first year, you take a standard set of required courses. This is generally seen as the most difficult year, as the amount of reading is very high and professors are most demanding. In your second and third years, the difficulty wanes, as you move into more elective courses. Upon successful graduation from law school, you are awarded the degree of juris doctorate (JD).
However, even with your JD, you are still not a full-fledged lawyer. You still have to take the bar exam in the state in which you desire to practice. This exam is given a couple times a year in every state over the course of several days. The exam generally consists of a combination of multiple choice and essay questions. Different states have different levels of difficulty regarding their bar exams. New York, for example, is known for having a particularly difficult exam. A key statistic to look at when choosing a law school is the passage rate for the bar among recent graduates of the program.
Once you pass the bar, you are a lawyer. If you practice for five years in any given state, you can, with a few exceptions, move into any other state without having to re-take the bar. Some states do say, however, that if you ever failed the bar in their state, you cannot practice in that state without passing its bar exam.