CHAPTER 9.2 
GATHERING LAW SCHOOL INFORMATION 


 

TOPICS

 

  • LINKS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL
  • LINKS
  • SOME USEFUL WAYS TO GATHER INFORMATION 
  • LAW SCHOOL PROFILES (To be added)
  • LAW SCHOOLS IN THE NEWS (To be added) 
  • THE LAW SCHOOL RECRUITMENT FORUM
  • VISITING LAW SCHOOLS
  •  

    ESSENTIAL LINKS

     
    THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO ABA APPROVED LAW SCHOOLS is 879 pages of joy (or at least 879 pages of valuable information) and is absolutely essential to everyone gathering information about law schools. The 2011 edition (published circa early May) costs about $26. Almost all of this book is available for free on the internet. To view or obtain a copy do one of the following:
  • View for FREE ON THE LSAC WEBSITE (Part of the material is in PDF)
  • ORDER BY PHONE; call 215-968-1001 (after they pick up, click 0 to talk to a representative). .
  • ORDER ONLINE.  

    Information About Law Schools. The Law School Admission Council lets you SEARCH ALL LAW SCHOOLS to gather information about a particular law school. This webpage gives access to pages 78-831 of The Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools and is absolutely essential. 

    FIND LAW SCHOOLS THAT CAN BE YOUR SAFETY SCHOOLS, CAN BE YOUR STRETCH SCHOOLS, ETC.
  • .SEARCH FOR LAW SCHOOLS BASED ON UNDERGRADUATE GPA AND LSAT SCORE can, for example, quickly help a prelaw student classify law schools into the three categories: safety, competitive, and stretch. Use of the website is strongly recommended. 
  • Boston College's LAW SCHOOL LOCATOR 25-75 categorizes law schools based on their admission sandards. If you want to search by state, GPA, or LSAT, click Advanced Search Options (just after the colorful grid) ends.  

    ACCESS TO LAW SCHOOL RANKINGS   .
  • This website has a chapter devoted to LAW SCHOOL RANKINGS
  • TOP-LAW-SCHOOLS provides law school rankings.
  • The Internet Legal Resource Guide has several data rich websites: 
       THE RANKING WEB INDEX and RAW DATA LAW SCHOOL RANKINGS.

    ACCESS TO LAW SCHOOL NAMES BY LOCATION OR BY ABA STATUS  .
  • GEOGRAPHIC SEARCH BY REGION  .  .
  • CANADIAN LAW SCHOOLS   .   .

  • EASY ACCESS TO THE
    HOME PAGE OF LAW SCHOOLS

     
  • ALL ABA-APPROVED LAW SCHOOLS  .
  • ALL ABA-APPROVED LAW SCHOOLS THAT ARE PRIVATE  .

  • MESSAGE BOARDS

     
    Law school admissions message boards: A haven of support in a cutthroat field.  University students are flocking to these prolific law school message boards to seek and give LSAT and application advice and to simply revel in a community of (sometimes) like-minded individuals. The collegial and helpful environment fostered on the boards is counterintuitive in such a fiercely competitive field. Students applying to the same law schools edit each other's personal statements. LSAT takers share study tips. Law students spend hours responding to questions about their schools. Sure, there are fights and bickering. But for the most part, law school message boards are filled with love and support between anonymous posters either vying for the same few spots at prestigious law schools or already attending them.
         The TOP-LAW-SCHOOL FORUM has more than 16,000 members and the LAW SCHOOL DISCUSSIONS WEBSITE, which students say has lost considerable ground in recent years to Top- Law-Schools, boasts more than 37,000. Both boards have more than a million posts. 
              The preceding is from The [University of] MICHIGAN DAILY.


    VISITING LAW SCHOOLS

     

    Ideally the best time to visit a college or university is when it is in session. For many, this ideal time will be exactly one of during January or during spring break.

    Tufts University Pre-Law Advising Program has the following recommendation: "No amount of research into the quality of a law school faculty, the size of the library, and its curriculum will take the place of a visit to a law school you are interested in attending in order to discover first hand what the physical facilities and surroundings are like, how students regard one another (unpleasant or cooperative?), and what the faculty/student relations seem like. If you can afford to visit law schools, it's a must before deciding."
     
    The
    UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS PRE-LAW ADVISING OFFICE says, "Of course, visiting law schools is the best way to learn about them. Visits can tell you much more than catalogs ever will. If you are accepted at more than one law school, make every effort to visit each school before deciding which one to attend."
         "When you visit a particular school, call the admissions office and ask them to help you plan a visit. If school is in session, ask if you can sit in on a class. Talking to current students will give you a good 'feel' for the school."
         "Before the visit, make a list of the things you want to find out about. Check your list during the visit to make sure you haven't forgotten to ask any questions."  

    Attend prelaw society talks by law school admissions officers and law school deans. 

    During your junior and senior year, attend the on-campus recruiting visits by law school admissions representatives. These representatives meet with prelaw students to give the prelaw students information, catalogs, and answer their questions. Oftentimes many of these visits occur on Career Day and may be called a Law School Forum. This event, If it occurs, usually occurs during the fall semester. If your college does not have something like this, see about attending one at a nearby college. 

  • The internet is a good resource for information about law school and
       can be used to help you make your appropriate choices. .
  • Order law school catalogs from the law school in which you have an
       interest.  
  • Make use of the links given in this section. 
  • If possible, visit law schools which interest you when these law
       schools are in session. If given  the instructor's permission, attend
       some classes. Also talk to some of the law students.Note that most
       law schools do not conduct interviews but are willing to provide
       information and tours. 
  • Attend a LAW SCHOOL RECRUITMENT FORUM.

  •  


    THE LAW SCHOOL RECRUITMENT FORUM

     

    Before applying to law school, consider attending the LSAC (Law School Admissions Council) sponsored LAW SCHOOL RECRUITMENT FORUM. These forums are held in various locations (Washington, DC, New York, NY, Chicago, IL, Boston, MA,  Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, Atlanta, GA, Los Angeles, CA, Bay Area, CA) during the summer and fall.
         If you will be taking an airline to a Law Forum, compare airfares to the various locations of the Law Forum. Sometimes the airfare to the nearest location is not the lowest airfare (for example, it is oftentimes cheaper to fly from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles than from Ft. Lauderdale to Dallas/Ft. Worth. Also note the dates of the Law Forums. For many, a summer visit to the Law Forum (very likely Washington DC) will be more convenient than a fall visit.

    The University of Florida OHLPA Pre-Law Handbook says that "The Law Forum is an opportunity for pre-law students to attend a variety of workshops concerning the application process, financial aid and minority affairs information all in one place over a [one-day or] two-day period. In addition, pre-law students can meet with representatives from about 150 or more law schools across the country to get answers to any questions they may have. Remember, these meetings are non-evaluative and will have no bearing on the admission decisions of the law schools but are a great way to talk to someone face-to-face from each school you are interested in. These representatives typically bring the latest edition of their law school's catalog to this forum. If you are interested in attending the Law Forum, check with the various pre-law student organizations. Often, an organization will reserve a block of rooms at the conference hotel and students will car pool and stay together to help defray their cost of attendance." 

     

    VISITING LAW SCHOOLS

     

    Ideally the best time to visit a college or university is when it is in session. For many, this ideal time will be exactly one of during January or during spring break.

    Tufts University Pre-Law Advising Program has the following recommendation: "No amount of research into the quality of a law school faculty, the size of the library, and its curriculum will take the place of a visit to a law school you are interested in attending in order to discover first hand what the physical facilities and surroundings are like, how students regard one another (unpleasant or cooperative?), and what the faculty/student relations seem like. If you can afford to visit law schools, it's a must before deciding."
     
    The UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS PRE-LAW ADVISING OFFICE says, "Of course, visiting law schools is the best way to learn about them. Visits can tell you much more than catalogs ever will. If you are accepted at more than one law school, make every effort to visit each school before deciding which one to attend."
         "When you visit a particular school, call the admissions office and ask them to help you plan a visit. If school is in session, ask if you can sit in on a class. Talking to current students will give you a good 'feel' for the school."
         "Before the visit, make a list of the things you want to find out about. Check your list during the visit to make sure you haven't forgotten to ask any questions."  

     

    Home
    2015 LAW SCHOOL RANKING
    Is Law School for You?
    Sources of Information
    Preparing for Law School
    Prelaw Enrichment Programs
    2013 Law School Rankings
    2012 Law School Rankings
    UGPA
    LSAT
    UGPA and LSAT: Together
    Other Admission Factors
    When and Where To Apply
      
    When To Go to Law School
    When to Apply to Law School
    Gathering Law School Information
    Law  School Selection Factors
    Number of Applications To Submit
    Where To Apply to Law School
    Making your application look good
    Applying to Law School
    Choosing the Law School
    APPENDICES
    Improving LSDAS and LSAC
    Inforrmation for Prelaw
    MBA Rankings
    Historical Rankings
    Best Research Universities
    FAQ
    2208 Ranking Realtors
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    2009-2012 Changes
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