Pre-Law Advising is available to all students in the College of Liberal Arts through Liberal Arts Career Services. To make an appointment, please call 512-471-7900. Please read the Pre-Law Handbook in its entirety before meeting with the Pre-Law Advisor. The Handbook includes an application timeline as well as frequently asked questions.

Pre-Law Services can help you:

• Determine whether being a lawyer is a good career path for you
• Figure out ways to prepare for the LSAT
• Research law schools
• Put together a law school application that highlights your unique qualities
• Revise and finalize your resume and personal statement

The law school application process can be pretty daunting, so you'll want to get started on the various components approximately one full year before you intend to begin law school.

Components of Your Law School Application

Law School Admissions Test (LSAT)

The LSAT is only offered four times per year. Ideally you'll take the test in June or October at the beginning of your senior year. Your goal is to only take the LSAT once since many schools average multiple scores. Plan to prepare for the LSAT several months in advance.

Transcript(s)

You are responsible for sending transcripts from every U.S. school where you've received college credit. This includes dual enrollment during high school, summer school at a community college, as well as study abroad programs if you attended the foreign university for a year or longer. See the Law School Admissions Council website for details LSAC will calculate a cumulative GPA based on all of your undergraduate coursework, not just your time at UT Austin.

Letters of Recommendation

Plan to submit 2-3 letters of recommendation to the Credentials Assembly Service at LSAC. You must supply your recommenders with a special form that includes your account information. The form can be downloaded from the LSAC website and it must be mailed with your letters. It takes LSAC up to two weeks to process your letters, so ask your recommenders to send the letters well in advance of deadlines! Ideally professors will write your letters of recommendation, but internship supervisors are also acceptable.

Personal Statement

This essay is typically 2-3 pages long (double-spaced) and should be customized based on each law school's application instructions. The Pre-Law Advisor is happy to discuss potential topics with students and also provides personal statement critiques once students have completed a rough draft.

Resume

Resumes included in law school applications can be over a page long. There isn't a specific format you must follow, but you can include details about extracurricular activities, as well as academic projects, volunteer work, foreign language skills and more. The Pre-Law Advisor provides resume critiques upon request.