Planning to Attend Law School?

Are you thinking about a career in law? Start by checking out this UM Pre-Law Handbook, which contains information about what you can study as an undergraduate in addition to information about the LSAT and law school admission process.

Additionally, one of your first steps during the planning process is to learn more about the law school application timeline by stopping in the Toppel Career Center for assistance. Our staff can provide you with an overview and your next steps in the process. Additionally, as you begin preparing for your law school applications during your Junior and Senior years, the recommendation is to meet with one of Toppel's coaches to receive the guidance needed. Our coaches at Toppel can assist you with all aspects of the application process, from reviewing the various phases of the application process, sharing what law school admission officers are seeking in candidates, helping you to identify law programs, and providing resources to aid in researching law school programs.

Join the Pre-Law Community: Register here to stay in the know of upcoming pre-law events and opportunities.

Law School Application Timeline for Pre-Law Students

Whether you're a freshman eager to embark on the path to law school or a senior just starting to explore, our timeline is flexible to your needs. If you're starting to explore law school later, don't worry — refer to earlier steps and meet with a career coach at Toppel for personalized guidance. Your path to law school is unique, and we're here to support you along the way.

Accordion Group

Fall

• Meet with a pre-law coach at Toppel to discuss law school interests.
• Join the pre-law community to stay in the know of upcoming pre-law events and opportunities.
• Sign up for Law Hub to receive access to practice tests, legal research tools, law school databases, and law school application aid.
• Meet with your academic advisor to share your pre-law interest and develop a 4-year academic plan, infusing your pre-law interest.

Spring

• Build connections with campus faculty and staff as they will serve as your primary resource for obtaining letters of recommendation.
• Take on an internship or paid job of interest (does not need to be related to law) to gain valuable experiences and essential skills such as leadership, communication, critical thinking, and teamwork.

Fall

• Meet with your pre-law coach to review your academic plan and ensure you are positioning yourself to be a competitive candidate.
• Consider joining a pre-law organization and other student organizations.

Spring

• Create an LSAC Account to begin registering for the LSAT exam. Your LSAC account allows you to complete Law School Applications, track your application status, manage letters of recommendation, and communicate with law schools.
• Refer to Law Hub and this LSAT prep courses and materials resource for current test prep materials.

Fall

• Begin researching law programs to build a list of schools you would like to attend. For researching schools, use the Search for Law Schools – LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved JD Programs.
• Create a spreadsheet using your GPA & LSAT/GRE as a guide to create a “reachable, competitive, and safety schools” list and organize deadlines.
• Register for LSAT exam via LSAC. Take law school application deadlines into consideration when signing up for an exam date.

Spring

• Identify and contact recommenders for letters of recommendation.
• Review resume and personal statement with a career coach at Toppel.
• Take LSAT Exam.

Summer

• If needed, retake the LSAT exam held in the Summer
• Revise and update list of schools based on LSAT scores.
• Follow up with recommenders for the status of your letters of recommendation.
• Request official transcripts to be sent to LSAC (home, high school, and/or study abroad institutions).
• Update your resume and personal statement. Stop by the drop-in career coaching hours at Toppel to get it revised.
• Go to the writing center to proofread your personal statement for grammar, writing style, and spelling feedback.
• Invite multiple reviewers to proofread your revised personal statement before submitting to law school.
• Participate in a workshop focusing on financing law school, where you'll be equipped to complete the FAFSA and CSS Profile/School forms. Don't forget to explore AccessLex financial aid resources and workshops for additional support.

Fall

• Meet with pre-law coach at Toppel to finalize application materials.
• Attend a Law School Forum. Network with law school admissions representatives and gain insight into the application process for different schools. Law schools offer application fee waivers when candidates attend the Law School Forums.
• Sign up and pay for Credential Assembly Service (CAS). CAS simplifies the law school application process for both candidates and law schools. With CAS, your transcripts, letters of recommendation, and any other documents required for each of your law school applications only need to be sent one time to LSAC and are available for 5 years.
• Begin submitting Law School applications in the Fall (latest early Spring) when your application is strongest and has been reviewed by multiple supporting coaches and advisors.

Spring

• Track your application progress through your LSAC account: Applying to Law School Infographic | LSAC.
• Discuss waitlist procedures with pre- law coach and develop a plan. This involves understanding what it means to be placed on a waitlist, the potential implications for your application, and strategies for navigating this phase effectively.
• Visit schools and/or take virtual tours of the schools where you applied.
• Contact programs where you submitted applications to confirm applications are complete and/or submitted.
• Submit financial aid paperwork and apply for scholarships/grants. Additionally, exploring scholarship and grant opportunities tailored specifically for law students can significantly alleviate the financial burden associated with pursuing a legal education. This may include scholarships offered by law schools themselves, private organizations, bar associations, or other legal entities.
• Begin to prepare for possible law school interviews via Big Interview and drop-in career coaching for practice interview sessions.
• Evaluate law school acceptance offers and financial aid packages carefully to make informed decisions regarding your legal education and financial commitments.
• Decide where to pay a seat deposit by the deposit deadline (respective to each individual school).

Available Resources

Social Sciences & Pre-law Career Circle

The Social Sciences & Pre-law career circle is for anyone pursuing a degree in the social sciences and interested in a career in law.

Applying to Law School Infographic

Miami Law Pre-Law Headquarters

LSAT Prep Courses and Instructors

This list provides a variety of options as you identify preparation courses that can teach you strategies that will help increase your LSAT scores.

Toppel Personal Statement Guide

Our personal statement guide will help get you started in creating this important piece of your application.

509 American Bar Association Reports

Utilize these reports when researching and comparing law programs, bar passage rates, and employment outcomes for each program graduating class.

Cognate Search Engine can help you shape a program of learning that is broad, coherent, exciting, substantive, and uniquely your own. This PDF document contains a list of cognates that may be of particular interest to pre-law students.

Above the Law

Pre-law students can use this site to stay on top of trends, news, and insights into the law industry. Additionally, provided articles share tips and strategies for creating your application documents and the law school application process.

UM Pre-Law Organizations

Above the Bar

Above the Bar is a multicultural organization for University of Miami pre-law students to ensure their matriculation into law school. The mission is specifically to educate, elevate, and demonstrate ways to thrive utilizing tools, forums, and platforms.

Debate Team

It is the mission of the debate program at UM to provide participating students a valuable educational activity with a primary emphasis on intercollegiate debate competition. Public debate experience and community service to middle school, high school and developing college programs are important secondary components of the mission of the UM debate team.

Ethics Society

The UM Ethics Society endeavors to spread understanding of ethics and critical thinking throughout society – in law, medicine, politics, business, and all other aspects of life. We will delve into these issues mainly through competitive debate, but also through special programs, panel discussions and collaborations with student orgs.

Model United Nations

The purpose of the Model United Nations Team is to provide opportunities for students at the University of Miami who are interested in developing leadership, diplomacy, research, and debate skills. The students focus on global issues by actively participating in various activities and attending collegiate conferences throughout the nation.

Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity

The purpose of Phi Alpha Delta is to provide undergraduate students with opportunities to learn about the law school admissions process, legal institutions, and careers involving law. The goal of Phi Alpha Delta is to present students with sufficient information for them to make informed decisions about applying to law schools and eventually becoming professionals in the field of law.

Sociology and Criminology Club

We offer a positive learning environment for students with an interest in the fields of sociology and criminology. We regularly have guest speakers and are involved in events such as Relay for Life and Walk a Mile in Her Shoes.

UM Mock Trial

UM Mock Trial is a competitive team in the American Mock Trial Association national circuit that works towards fostering interest and growth in the fields of litigation and trial advocacy, as well as providing a unique, learning-through-doing experience.

FAQ

Law graduates have diverse career opportunities, including becoming attorneys, judges, legal consultants, policymakers, and corporate executives. Legal education sharpens analytical skills, critical thinking, and the ability to construct and deconstruct arguments. Law students learn to approach problems methodically and think on their feet, benefiting many aspects of life and work.

When considering what to major in or what classes to take for applying to law school, it is essential to understand that law schools accept applicants from a wide range of academic backgrounds. However, some majors and classes can be particularly beneficial such as Political Science, History, English, Economics, and Philosophy. These classes are commonly chosen by pre-law students because they often involve rigorous critical reading, writing, and analytical thinking, which are crucial skills for law school.

• Law School Websites: Information on median GPA, LSAT scores, acceptance rates, and demographics.
• The Law School Admissions Council (LSAC): Data on LSAT scores and GPA statistics.
• Law School Transparency: Information on admissions, employment outcomes, and tuition costs.
• ABA Standard 509: Comprehensive reports on all relevant data for prospective students.

• Application Form and Fee
• Personal Statement or Statement of Purpose
• Undergraduate Transcripts
• Letters of Recommendation
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Standardized Test Scores (LSAT or GRE)
• Optional Addenda
• Writing Samples
• Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Subscription

Most students apply to 6-10 schools, considering factors such as prestige, location, specialization, GPA/LSAT compatibility, financial aspects, bar passage rates, employment outcomes, student culture, and leadership opportunities.

Most students begin studying 3-6 months before their intended test date, especially if planning an intensive preparation program to get a high score. Since students ideally take the LSAT the summer between junior and senior year, they should consider studying starting the summer between sophomore and junior year.

No, Toppel does not assist with LSAT preparation. However, we recommend a variety of resources (both free and at a cost) that students might consider when studying. Toppel does not endorse one test prep resource or tutor over another and asks students to make sure they do their research before choosing a test prep resource. The LSAC offers many free resources to help students prep for the LSAT.

This answer depends on what law schools you want to apply to, as LSAT score requirements vary by school. Consult the previous year's 509 disclosure reports for LSAT and GPA percentiles of your target schools. Ideally, students will want to be above the 25% percentile. If they are not, it is not an automatic deal breaker based on other factors about the student found in the application. Scores below 145 can make acceptance challenging.

Consider retaking the LSAT if you believe your score will improve. Assess whether retaking the test will delay your application and if your current scores meet the requirements of your preferred schools. Many students take the LSAT 2-3 times.

LSAC: Offers free waivers to take the LSAT exam, Credential Assembly Service (CAS), and application fees for ABA-approved law schools based on income. Some law schools offer application fee waivers directly to candidates who meet certain criteria. Some law schools also hand out application fee waivers at the LSAC Law School Forums to encourage students to apply to their respective schools.

Many law schools explicitly prohibit the use of ChatGPT or any generative AI for writing personal statements. Students often must sign statements affirming they did not use such technology. Therefore, it is not recommended to use ChatGPT for law school applications. Check out the Toppel Personal Statement Guide to get started.

• Early Decision: Binding application; accepted students must attend. You must withdraw any applications submitted to other law schools if accepted.
• Early Action: Non-binding; students can apply to multiple schools and decide later.
• Regular Decision: Standard application process with no commitment until acceptance. This is a standard application offered by most law schools.

• Academic readiness: gap year can provide time to strengthen academic weaknesses and habits.
• LSAT Preparation: gap year can help you study and obtain the LSAT score that you are looking for.
• Work Experience: gap year can help you gain relevant work experience, primarily in the field of law as a paralegal and/or legal aide to see if the career field is fitting.
• Personal Development: gap year can be an opportunity for personal growth and self-discovery, better preparing yourself for law school.
• Financial Considerations: gap year can help you create a solid financial plan to save and/or pay for law school.

*Law schools do NOT view your application negatively if you take a gap year, if it was productive and beneficial to the preparation for law school, and is clearly evident in the applicant’s resume and addendum.

• Merit-Based Scholarships (based on GPA and LSAT scores)
• Need-Based Scholarships (may need to show proof of income/needs)
• Law-School Specific Scholarships (funded by alumni, endowments, donations, etc.)
• External Scholarships (student may need to research different programs and organizations that offer this)
• Federal Student Aid (needs-based)

Summer Experience Programs & Institutes for Pre-Law Students

• University of Miami Summer Legal Academy for Undergraduate Students
• University of California Davis School of Law
• Cornell University Pre-Law Summer Program
• Duke Law D.C. Summer Institute on Law and Policy
• Yale Law School LaunchPad Scholars

Please visit this site for additional programs and information.

Recommended Courses to Consider

For additional information about pre-law events, email Toppel at toppel@miami.edu.

Toppel Career Center

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