Ann Levine, Esq., author of The Law School Admission Game, shares her advice about applying to law school. She talks about choosing a law school, preparing to take the LSAT, getting great letters of recommendation, law school application mistakes, hiring an admissions consultant, and much more.

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Do you need more advice about getting into law school?
Read her book, The Law School Admission Game.

Ann, what are the most important factors in law school admission? How does the LSAT score, undergraduate GPA, work experience, internships — those sorts of things — all factor into the admissions decision?

There’s no getting around it. The LSAT and GPA from undergraduate are the most important factors. Those are the things that get you in the door for consideration. But, it’s the other things that I call “soft factors,” like you mentioned, work experience, internships, but also activities, honors, life experience, diversity — those things round out the application and bump up a person with less competitive numbers and those are the things that make all the difference for people with numbers right in the middle ground.

Talk about choosing a law school. When is it worth going for that top 25 program and taking on that additional debt, over maybe a less expensive state or regional school?

Well, I believe that reputation, location, and cost are the most important factors. Those are the three, when deciding where to attend law school. No one would realistically turn down New York University to go to New York Law School on a full scholarship. To some extent, the rankings do matter. But someone might consider Fordham over a scholarship to Cardozo or Brooklyn because of these factors, and I’m using some New York examples here, even though I’m on the Left Coast, but I think it’s a good example of location being important if New York is where you want to be, because then, even if you can get into the University of Texas, which is ranked higher than Fordham, it may not be worth going to Texas just for the school’s ranking. The exception would be if you want to go into academia or get a federal clerkship, then Texas might be the better choice, but being in New York right after graduation, if that’s what’s important to you, then I think you should value very highly where you’re staying.


After you’ve narrowed down your choices, what steps are involved in applying to law school? I’m guessing that you should create some kind of plan before you start the law school application process.

My book lays out a plan based on what I do with all of my law school admission consulting clients. We talk about setting up a time line, that includes LSAT preparation, obtaining letters of recommendation, sending transcripts, creating a resume, writing the personal statement, choosing schools to apply to, filling out and submitting the applications. It’s very important to map out each of these items because they’re each very time consuming and detail-oriented. I’m a big believer in applying early, and taking advantage of rolling admissions, but not at the expense of a well thought out application and more impressive credentials, so people who are planning on taking the June or October LSAT, should really plan to be submitting their applications before Thanksgiving for that fall.

Talk about preparing to take the Law School Admission Test. Are LSAT prep courses that you see advertised online and in magazines, and that sort of thing, are they worth your time and money, and are there any programs that you hear consistently positive feedback about?

When I first opened Law School Expert in 2004, very few people took commercial prep courses, and when I applied to law school 15 years ago, no one took them. Now I suggest them to everyone, and the good news is there are some fantastic choices that didn’t exist even a few years ago. You don’t have to sit in a big lecture hall, there are online courses with high quality instruction that are very affordable compared to traditional courses, and those traditional courses are taught mainly by college students who happen to get high LSAT scores, but they have very little teaching experience. They simply follow a script. So there are other options, and that’s one thing I like people to know, that they don’t just have to go with the biggest name company they’ve ever heard of. There are also wonderful private tutors available at all price points, from $50 an hour, someone quoted one of my clients recently, $600 an hour, which is ridiculous. It’s very important, before you choose an LSAT prep approach, to do your research, make sure the person or company you choose to work with is experienced and credible, and effective given your particular learning style and schedule. There are a few that I do recommend on the website, and some of those online courses include Atlas LSAT and Knewton LSAT Prep (Show Note: use coupon code “insidersecrets-LSAT” for $100 off — thanks Knewton!). Some of the private tutors, and mind you they’re at all price ranges, includes Steve Schwartz from the Ace The LSAT blog, Inspirica, Advantage Testing, and regional options, as well, for tutoring.

When do you recommend applicants take the LSAT? How do you know if you’re ready to go ahead and tackle it?

Those are two very different questions, and the first I sort of alluded to. Taking the LSAT in February, June or October of the year you plan to apply is ideal. December is a last resort option, and the February LSAT is pretty much off the table as a viable option for people who are trying to start law school in the same calendar year. Even if schools say they accept it, it is not the smart way of doing things. Studying for the LSAT generally requires, in my opinion, 3-4 months of solid preparation, and that means consistent practice exam scores, taking more than a handful of timed practice exams so that you can get a really good indication of actual exam performance. If you haven’t done that, you’re probably not ready to tackle the LSATs.

What if you get your LSAT scores back and they’re mediocre or worse, 140 or 150? Is a low LSAT score a reality check that should cause you to reevaluate your plans? Is there still any hope at that point?

That’s a great question. The most popular blog post I ever did on my LawSchoolExpert.com blog addresses this very question, very low LSAT scores and when to give up. First of all, there’s a big difference between a 140 and a 150, but if your first score is below a 150, evaluate your study plans. Did you prepare adequately, like I just described? Could you do more? Then retake the LSAT with a different, hopefully better, preparation system. But if you did prepare well and this score is in line with how you do on standardized tests, and you really don’t feel you can do better, than choose to apply to law schools that are appropriate for your numbers and see what happens. I have a client with a 151 this year who was admitted to UC Hastings and another with a 149 who got into three top 50 schools. Doesn’t happen often, but for the right person, it’s not out of the question. If you’ve taken the LSAT three times and you can’t get above a mid-140s score, in 99% of the cases, this really means you should reevaluate your plans because the LSAT really has statistically been proven, to a large degree, to predict performance in law school, so it might be a good indication that you might want to reevaluate.

Ann, talk about letters of recommendation. What kind of letters, and from whom, are law schools looking for? How many are you going to need and are there any kind of recommendations that may actually work against you?

Oh yes, so let’s start with the number of letters. The Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) lets you store five letters of recommendation, but you really only need a minimum of two and three is ideal. It’s important to pick these people wisely. The substance is more important than the prestige of the person writing the letter. You really want to pick someone who has evaluated you in an academic or professional setting. A family friend whom you never worked for is going to write a terrible letter. I don’t care if it’s a senator or a judge. If they can’t add substance to your application, it’s a worthless letter. It will end up making you sound more privileged than capable. So those are definitely the kind of letters that could work against you.

What about an employer who basically says, write something up and I’ll sign it?

That’s the best employer ever, kiss your boss. Seriously. Write up the letter, use a lot of really credible, fantastic details and facts to show how amazing you are, and I include a lot of information on this, I think a whole chapter in the book, on letters of rec and how to write a really good one.

What’s your advice about creating a resume that really stands out and puts you head and shoulders above the other candidates? What do you think should be on it, and I guess more importantly, what should never be on it?

I think the resume is the most overlooked opportunity to tell a law school about yourself. A good law school resume lays out for the reader how you’ve spent your time. Not just professional or legal experience, but all of your passions and pursuits, including travel, whether it’s running marathons or volunteering. Don’t just list organizations, titles and dates. Describe your accomplishments. Use details and quantify your success. How many employees did you oversee? How many hours a week did you work while in school? These are the things that really add meat to your application. I urge people to include pretty much everything they’ve done since high school graduation, no matter how menial the job. Hours worked while in school, activities, honors, internships, language skills, significant travels, all good stuff. Music abilities and significant interests. Just never, ever put anything from high school in a law school resume.

Is it possible to have been a great student, maintained a 3.9 GPA at a tough school, aced the LSAT, received some killer recommendations from a couple of your professors, and then blow it all on a poorly crafted personal statement?

This absolutely happens. Carelessness and arrogance are not qualities sought after in law students or attorneys, believe it or not. The top law schools don’t have to take your 3.9 and 175 LSAT. There have lots of equally qualified and more interesting and detail-oriented, serious and focused candidates knocking at their door who actually put time into crafting strong materials. Law school admission officers want to have a sense of who you are and what you’re all about. They want to know that the person that will share their hallway and parking lot next year will be sincere, motivated, friendly, interesting, and will really add something to the class. That’s really the key to a successful personal statement, no matter where your numbers are.

What if you get wait-listed, what does it really mean? Should you just hold tight, or are there things that you can do to maybe tip the odds in your favor?

There are absolutely things you can do. Just yesterday, one of my clients got into her dream school off the waiting list. Her GPA and LSAT were at the school’s 25th percentile, and she wasn’t even on the priority waiting list. But now she’s going to a top ten law school, because she demonstrated in a professional and impressive and relentless way that she would absolutely attend if admitted. There are absolutely things you can do. If you sit back and do nothing, you will not be picked from the wait list.

What about online law schools? You see them advertised everywhere. Are there any that are respectable options for students who can’t attend traditional law schools because maybe their grades aren’t so great or maybe they can’t relocate?

I am an expert on ABA law schools, and I don’t know a lot about online law schools. I do have friends who graduated from California Bar accredited schools, and who have thriving law practices. Some are even judges. I actually recently posted an interview on the blog with one of these friends who talked about how she built her own solo practice in family law after graduating from a California Bar accredited school, so if people are interested in the difference between California Bar accredited or online or an ABA school that might be really helpful for them, but this is actually not something I address in the book since it’s definitely outside my area of expertise.

Do you think that not graduating from an ABA program might hurt your chances of getting a job at a prestigious firm later?

Absolutely, there’s no question. I mean, if you want to have the most opportunities available to you, you go to an ABA law school, and in 99 out of 100 cases, if you can go to an ABA law school, you do. Now, I live in Santa Barbara, California, and there is a local law school here, a California Bar accredited school, and there’s no other school within 100 miles if you want to go to law school, no other opportunities. So for working adults in Santa Barbara who cannot relocate, it’s what you do. People in Santa Barbara build careers off of their law degrees, but that’s not the traditional way. If you have hopes of working for a big firm or, perhaps for the government or clerking for a judge, then you really need to be aware of what your options will be with that degree.

I know a lot of people recommend hiring a law school admissions consultant to give personalized coaching and one-on-one advice. What things should you look for as far as experience and acceptance track record when deciding who to choose, and how much is it all going to cost you?

I have dedicated an entire chapter in the book to hiring a law school admissions consultant. I include reasons to hire someone and what to look for when hiring. I’ve been a law school admission consultant since 2004, and I’ve definitely heard some horror stories, unfortunately. I think it’s really important to pick someone who has actual experience of being the person who makes admission decisions at law schools, the person who is responsible for rejecting, accepting, wait-listing, awarding scholarships in a law school environment. It’s also important that you get along well with the person, that he or she is responsive to your needs, has a track record of results for his or her clients. If you just want help with your personal statement, the price will be lower, of course, but I help people with the entire admission process on an unlimited basis, every application, every essay addendum, every strategic decision possible, from whether to retake the LSAT, where to apply, all the way through wait-listing and scholarship negotiation. I currently charge $3,500 as a flat rate fee for this service. Other companies charge twice that or more. I would just urge people to beware of any discount services, because you get what you pay for. Personal statement service might start at $300-$500 at most companies to the all-inclusive package that may run as much as $6,000 and I actually saw one company, that I felt was ridiculous, charging $15,000.

Your blog at LawSchoolExpert.com is a fantastic resource. I took a lot of time to look through it and it looks like it would be great for someone trying to navigate the process. What other blogs, forums and other sites are must-reads for aspiring law school applicants?

This is going to seem really obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people ignore this. Law school applicants need to become intimately familiar with LSAC.org — that’s the organization that gives the LSAT, that’s the organization you’re going to go through to manage your applications being sent, your letters of rec, your transcripts. It should absolutely be bookmarked at any law school applicant’s computer. For LSAT advice, the Ace the LSAT blog and the Atlas LSAT blog both are very helpful for technical questions about the LSAT in terms of how to approach certain logic game setups and things like that. The one thing I really urge people, which no one does, is really be careful about using the law school discussion forums and discussion boards, because it can be really toxic and paranoia-inducing, so for most people it’s not a helpful resource. It’s the blind leading the blind, it’s some very intimidating, vocal people, loving psyching other people out who are their competition. The only reason to really go to a forum like that is to find out the dirt on certain LSAT test sites and whether the proctors are good, whether the air conditioning is on at the right time, things like that when you’re choosing LSAT test site location. Otherwise, I do urge people to limit the use of the forums.

Ann, what law school admissions blogs do you follow on a regular basis?

I follow quite a few of them, actually. Every so often when Anna Ivy writes about law school, as opposed to college or MBA, I think she has some fantastic posts. I follow the Atlas LSAT blog. I just try to stay away from the bitter people who are never going to be happy in life and are always trying to find a scapegoat. If someone has negatives to say about law schools, great, but if all they have to say is negative, it just seems a little bit toxic, and I try not to follow those.

Ann, in a nutshell, what are the biggest mistakes you see people making during the law school admissions process?

The absolute biggest mistake is being unprepared with all of it — the LSATs, taking it unprepared the first time, throwing together materials, not knowing what you’re getting yourself into, just not doing your research. The second would be relying on advice from people who have no idea what they’re talking about — well-meaning friend, family members, friends of family members, people who are attorneys who tell you what worked for them 28 years ago. I would caution people about making strategic decisions based on what your parents tell you law schools want to hear. Do your research and use your best judgment as you follow that research.

Any other good advice for someone aspiring to get accepted to law school?

I really want people to evaluate whether this is something they really want to do with their time, their money, and their career. I want applicants to understand the realities of what lawyers do — how hard they work and what they earn. Again, be well informed about what you are getting yourself into. Don’t go to law school just because you don’t know what else to do. I mean, great if someone is paying for you to do that and you have no financial concerns whatsoever, but that person is a rarity, and before you start investing actual dollars into this, know that you’ve done your research and this is the right path for you, or that you really think that it could be the right path for you and you’re sincerely interested in law.

Ann Levine, Esq. is a former law school director of admissions, law school admissions consultant, and the author of The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert. She writes about the law school admissions process at LawSchoolExpert.com.

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