ATTENDING LAW SCHOOL IN THE U.S.A.
By SL2College Editorial Board
Going to law school in the U.S. is a major decision. The U.S. legal system is very different from the Sri Lankan and the British systems. Law school in the U.S. represents a significant commitment in finances, time and foregone income. Further, if you opt to take the bar exam in the U.S. upon graduation, the results determine your options of where you live and practice law. This article aims to answer frequently asked questions (FAQs) about law school in the U.S. and which U.S. law schools are for you. The article will consist of two segments that will appear in consecutive weeks.
DECIDING WHETHER TO APPLY FOR A U.S. LAW DEGREE
The First Step to Obtaining a U.S. law degree
Unlike most law programs in the U.K. and Sri Lanka, law school in the U.S. is a "graduate professional" program, as are medical schools and business schools. This essentially means that you need an undergraduate degree (BA or BS) in order to qualify to apply to law school. Students with an undergraduate degree can apply for the law degree program, which is called a J.D (Juris Doctor) degree. However, if you have an L.L.B, or an equivalent undergraduate law degree, you may apply for the L.L.M or Master of Laws program. The J.D is usually a three-year program, while an L.L.M is a one-year course of study.
Can foreign students study law in the U.S?
Yes, foreign students from any country can definitely pursue a degree in law in the U.S. provided they have the necessary qualifications. There are three main types of international students studying law in the U.S. They are:
1. International students who obtained undergraduate degrees in the U.S and are now looking to pursue a graduate professional degree in law (the J.D)
2. International students who obtained undergraduate degrees outside the U.S. and are now looking to obtain a J.D
3. International students with an L.L.B who are applying for masters and doctorate programs in law (the L.L.M and S.J.D, respectively).
One thing to keep in mind when applying for a J.D. is that most law schools only enroll 2-5 foreign students per class for the J.D class. This means that you are competing not only with U.S. (domestic) students for a spot in a 100-300 person J.D class, but you are also competing for one of 2-5 spots available to foreign students. Unlike most undergraduate colleges, the majority of law schools do not take pride in the statistic "percentage of international students in the class"; therefore you need to convince the admissions office that your reasons for applying to a U.S. law degree are compelling enough to merit your being offered a place that would ordinarily go to a domestic student. The other aspect of being an international student with a U.S. law degree is that you need to decide, or at least think early on about where you will take your bar exam. You can decide to take the bar exam in your native country or in the U.S. If you decide to take it in the U.S, then you need to decide in which state you will do so. However, you should gather information as to how your U.S. qualification will serve you in your home country were you to take your bar exam there. In addition you should take into consideration that as a foreign student you are not eligible for federal (U.S. government) loans and that you will need a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to co-sign any private educational loans. So it is wise to think about how you, as a foreign student, will supplement any aid award you receive from the law school that you decide to attend.
However, do NOT assume you will get an aid award! Unlike undergraduate colleges, most of which are very generous with student grants and scholarships that do not need to be repaid upon graduation, the majority of graduate schools and graduate professional schools assume that students will finance their education through educational debt and offer you student loans (which need to be paid back with interest upon graduation) instead. The assumption made by these institutions is that you will be able to use your degree to secure a sufficiently well-paying job to make the educational debt burden manageable. Even though most students have no problem paying back their debt, this is still something you as a foreign student should think about.
What should I study as an undergraduate?
You may often hear that social sciences and liberal arts majors like Political Science, History, or English are the best pre-law majors. There is, however, no ideal pre-law field of study. Law schools look for students who can analyze and write effectively. The only 'advantage' gained through the aforementioned majors is that such students are more likely to develop their writing skills due to the heavy writing workload required at the undergraduate level. However, a student with a BS. in biology, physical/natural sciences, computer science, or engineering is equally well "prepared" for law school, and an equally good candidate if s/he has the requisite writing and analytical abilities. The best thing a person can do to prepare for law school is to develop these skills (which will be useful both in law school and in the "real-world") and to achieve good grades consistently in your undergraduate discipline of study. In the event that you are applying to law school with a specific interest and are declaring an intention to focus on a specific area of law (for example intellectual property rights or refugee law), a related undergraduate degree and relevant work experience might be useful in strengthening your application by indicating your previous experience and sustained interest in the subject.
Is law school the right option for me?
Many people make the decision to attend law school because they aren't sure what else they really want to do, and because they think that a law degree will keep their options open and will give them a lot of flexibility in the job market. While it is true that law graduates do end up working in many different industries and occupations, it is important to remember that it is NOT the law degree per se that leads to this. Often these graduates could have ended up working in the same field even WITHOUT the law degree in-hand.
Think about the lawyers you know who are not working in the legal field; there are many people who are doing the same work even though they do not have a legal degree. A law degree does not confer some mythical advantage in the job market. Obtaining a degree in law can be a very expensive, time-consuming, and challenging venture to undertake. So, think carefully about the future career you want, and consider whether having a law degree is the best way to get there.
What should I do if I'm not sure I want to go to law school?
The best way to decide if law school is right for you is to talk to people: current lawyers, law students, and people in other professions you're considering. The lawyers and law students can tell you about their average day, and you can consider if that's what you want to do. Some lawyers will allow you to "shadow" them at work and get an inside look. Talk to lawyers and law students who are from different branches of law. To assume that a corporate and a criminal lawyer's take on the law is identical would be erroneous! Explore the many career possibilities in law before deciding to go ahead with law.
An alternative method of deciding is to take some time off after college to gain work experience in the relevant field. Either work at a law firm or in another job area you're considering. The hands-on experience is the best way of figuring out what you like and dislike. If the uncertainty about whether to go to law school persists, take more than one year off. The hitch in taking only a year off from college is that by the time application season (September onwards) rolls around you've only been out of college a few months and that's often not enough time to make a decision. If you're quite certain that you want to go to law school and only want to give yourself a breather to focus on your application and to get some hands-on legal experience, then a year off can be a great experience.
Take time to explore other career options. In case you're considering marketing, spend some time talking to professionals in that field and picture yourself in their shoes. If you find it a better "fit", then maybe you don't need an expensive law degree after all.
Does taking time off before law school strengthen my application?
Annoying as it is, the answer is 'it depends'. If you take time off to pursue something that is linked to the field of law, then it can strengthen your application and shows admissions officers that you are passionate and knowledgeable. But time spent in an unfocused manner, moving from job to job, field to field, can make admissions officers think that you are unfocused and unmotivated. Some exploration and fluctuation between jobs is normal; too much, and you might end up looking like you can't commit and is indecisive.
For some students whose grades and scores are mediocre, taking time off and working in a related field can help give the application more depth and deflect attention from the poor scores. If you think your college grades are less than stellar and that they don't reflect your capabilities (perhaps you're not the sort of person who does well on exams but you ARE great at hands-on work), then time spent on professional endeavours emphasises your talents in that capacity and shows that you are more than just your grades. As for how long you should take off, that depends on what you do and how you explain it in your application.
What people with law degrees actually do
For every lawyer who changes his/her mind and opts to become a schoolteacher, entrepreneur, or writer, there are many who work in the legal field. The average, recent law graduate has a choice of private practice, government work, jobs with non-profits, foundations and advocacy groups, or as in-house counsel for businesses. In most countries the nature of private practice has a geographic dependency. Firms in the main cities have a higher percentage of corporate law, tax law, real-estate law while the smaller towns may have more in civil or criminal law work. Additionally some firms specialise in litigation while others in advocacy work and some others in international law.
THE PROCESS OF APPLYING TO LAW SCHOOL
The law school application process is multi-staged.
- Create an online account at the Law School Admission Council website at www.lsac.org. LSAC is a centralised hub for all your law school questions and application needs. You can research law schools, read about the admission process and register for the LSAT and LSDAS (both described below) here.
- Register, prepare, and take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). The LSAT is a half-day standardised test required for admission to all American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law schools, most Canadian law schools, and many non-ABA-approved law schools. It provides a standard measure of reading and verbal reasoning skills that law schools use when assessing applicants. The test is administered four times a year at locations around the world. Since Sri Lanka has no test site, students would have to travel to Singapore or India (the closest locations). Register early to ensure your first-choice foreign test centre is available. You can register for the LSAT by phone, mail, or online through the LSAC website.
- Research law schools, decide which ones to apply to, and list out application deadlines and special requirements (ABA-LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools available at www.lsac.org is a good resource). Some law schools require a submission of a separate Dean's Certification form from your undergraduate dean while others require an additional essay. Make sure you allow enough time to complete each application.
- Register for the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS), available through www.lsac.org. Almost all ABA-approved law schools require that you register with LSDAS which centralises and standardises undergraduate academic records to simplify the law school admission process. LSDAS prepares a report for each law school to which you apply. That includes:
- An undergraduate academic summary
- Copies of all undergraduate, graduate, and law/professional school transcripts
- LSAT scores and writing sample copies
- Copies of Letters of Recommendation processed by LSAC
- LSDAS registration also includes access to electronic applications for all ABA-approved law schools.
- Request your undergraduate college to send official transcripts directly to LSAC. Processing time for U.S. and Canadian transcripts is approximately two weeks. Since international transcripts take longer, allocate approximately four weeks.
- Approach referees to write recommendations and send them to LSAC or the law schools. The LSAC online account can be used to print pre-filled Letters of Recommendation (LOR) request forms to give potential referees. Processing LOR's take up to two weeks.
- Apply to law schools electronically via LSAC or by mail (depending on yours and the law school's preference). Schools will then request your LSDAS report from LSAC
- Each school you apply to needs its own report. If you are applying to 10 law schools request 10 reports from LSAC. Make your request as soon as your LSDAS report is ready and soon after submitting your application to ensure that the reports are ready to be submitted as soon as a law school requests one.
- The LSAC online account can be used to confirm that the reports were sent to law schools, check your file status online, and monitor the status of your applications.
Now that you have the basics to start with, all you future lawyers should get cracking!
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