Pre-Law FAQ
In short, law school is expensive. Costs vary greatly among schools. Tuition may range from $10,000 to over $30,000 per semester. This does not include additional expenses you will incur. Cost of living will vary from city to city, but you will need to factor in housing, food, books, and transportation to and from 草榴社区.
You should consider law school a full time job. You will likely not be able to work much during law school, particularly in your first year as you adjust to the schedule and rigors of law school. Many law school students do work in the summer for law firms to earn money, though taking an unpaid internship for experience is also an option.
There are also broader based financial aid resources you may want to consult. A good starting point for exploring financial aid options is the 鈥溾 page on the LSAC website. This website includes information on obtaining loans and on law school .
You should also familiarize yourself with the programs available through Access Group, a nonprofit organization formed to make financing more accessible to law students. The website provides specific information on law school loans.
Another organization, , provides a databank of nearly 800 scholarship opportunities and writing competitions at their website. Federal information on financial aid loans can be found at the website.
There is no formally recognized system of law school rankings. All accredited law schools will provide you the opportunity for a solid legal education. Qualities of a law school that appeal to one applicant may not be as important to other applicants. Many law schools promote specializations in various areas of law and may offer specialized legal clinics to provide advanced law students an opportunity to engage in the supervised practice of law. Location is also important, as prospective legal employers (law firms, government agencies, etc.) tend to recruit from nearby law schools.
That said, higher ranked law schools may offer opportunities for more prestigious clerkships and job opportunities than would be available at schools not as high in the rankings. A good rule of thumb as you consider the merits of various schools is to review carefully the schools' most recent bar passage rates and employment rate. The allows you to research this data in a single search.
Law schools are required to include on their websites information on the 75th percentile, median, and 25th percentile GPA and LSAT scores of their most recent entering class (though there is no set location on their website where this must be included). This information is also commonly available on a variety of law school-related websites, such as the .
A criminal conviction will not prevent you from attending law school, but it may adversely affect your ability to become a member of the bar in the state in which you ultimately hope to practice. Most states have character requirements that must be met before potential lawyers may sit for a state bar exam. For example, in 草榴社区 the Bar Rules require that every applicant to take the Bar examination be an individual 鈥渨hose conduct justifies the trust of clients, adversaries, courts and others with respect to the professional duties owed to them."
Conduct manifesting a significant deficiency in the honesty, trustworthiness, diligence or reliability of an applicant is a basis for denial of admission.鈥 A criminal conviction, with the exception of a minor traffic violation, will be 鈥渢reated as cause for further inquiry before the bar examining authority decides whether the applicant possesses the character and fitness to practice law.鈥 See . In evaluating eligibility, the Bar will consider factors such as the recency and seriousness of the conduct underlying the conviction.