Applying to
Law School
Your application should tell the story of who you are, including the background and experiences—both personal and educational—that make you stand out from other applicants. The people in the admission office who are reading applications want to know what you will bring to the classroom, what disadvantages you have overcome, and what experiences have shaped your perspective. These strategies are generally useful regardless of your racial or ethnic background, but they become increasingly important as affirmative action comes under heavy scrutiny. Through your application, you should seek to set yourself apart. To do that you must provide all relevant information about what you can bring to the law school experience.
Yes, there are a lot of lawyers. But, there are not a lot of Latino lawyers, African American lawyers, Asian lawyers, Native American lawyers. Minorities are still greatly underrepresented in the legal profession. 
What is involved in applying to law school?
Take the test—but not until you’re ready. It’s important to take the test as early as possible before law school application deadlines. (These deadlines may vary, so you should contact individual schools that interest you to find out what their application deadlines are. Plan to take the LSAT in either June or October, ideally.) Allow yourself plenty of time to take practice tests under timed conditions. Think in terms of months, not weeks.
Registering with LSAC.
As a law school applicant, you will need to register with the Law School Admission Council before you take the LSAT and apply to individual law schools. The easiest way to register (and get more information about the application process) is through our website.
Writing a personal statement.
Each candidate to law school has something of interest to present. The essay or personal statement, a required part of all law school applications, is your opportunity to tell the admission committee about yourself. Be brief, be factual, be comprehensive, and be organized. You are a storyteller here. You want a living person—you—to emerge. This is your chance to become vivid and alive to the reader, to demonstrate your ability to write and present a prose sample in a professional manner. Any noteworthy personal experience may be an appropriate subject for your essay. You must do more than simply state it; describe your experience briefly but concretely, and tell why it had value to you, whether it is a job, your family, a significant accomplishment, or your upbringing. If you have overcome a serious obstacle in your life to get where you are today, by all means let the admission committee know about it.
Once You Are in Law School
Once you are in law school, you will encounter a difficult but manageable academic program. Most law schools offer academic assistance to students who encounter difficulties while in law school. Very often minority student groups will advise, assist, and support newcomers. Most minority students perform successfully in law school; they are also able to make effective use of their law degrees, whether practicing law or following other career avenues.
Law students and practicing attorneys tell their personal stories in the following videos produced by LSAC:
Journeys: Minorities and the Law School Experience
African American Lawyers: Role Models and Trailblazers
Believe and Achieve: Latinos in the Law
Indian Lawyers: Translators of Two Worlds
For additional information, click on the links below:
- Office of Diversity Initiatives
- Frequently Asked Questions About Minority Status
- What You Should Know About the LSAT
- Applying to Law School
- Get a Jump on Financial Aid
- Opportunities in Law for Minority Men and Women
- Tips and Resources
- Statistics on Minority Enrollments (Charts)
- MILE Registration
- Change the Odds
- View Videos
