Law Schools Are Recognizing the Value of LSAC’s LawReady™
Earlier this year, we introduced LawReady™, a new, holistic pathway to law school, and we’re already hearing from law schools about how beneficial they expect the program to be. We are thrilled at the response from law schools, who share our vision that the program, once it launches in fall 2023, will improve student outcomes by meeting undergraduate students earlier in their academic journeys and broadening access for even more individuals to consider law.
More than 60 law schools have signed on to become early adopters of LawReady, meaning they have agreed to consider LawReady as part of the holistic admission process. The list includes a diverse set of schools including public and private institutions from across the country who have underscored their dedication to innovation in legal education. A full list of the early adopter schools can be found here.
Although the early adopter deadline has closed, law schools can still sign on as participating law schools and signal to students that they will consider the program in the admissions process.
What law schools are saying
Representatives from early adopter schools expressed appreciation for LawReady’s alignment with LSAC’s mission and confidence in LSAC’s expertise to design the program. This initiative builds on LSAC’s years of experience in supporting law schools with a range of assessment, educational and candidate recruitment resources.
LawReady is an undergraduate program that will equip students with the skills needed to succeed in law school. The program will expand the pool of qualified law school applicants and will reach students sooner in their academic journeys.
“UCLA Law School is excited to be an Early Adopter law school with LSAC’s new LawReady Program,” said Robert Schwartz, dean of admission at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law. “UCLA Law takes great pride in our holistic admissions review process, and we view the LawReady program as another tool we can use to evaluate an applicant’s ability to succeed in law school.
“Prospective students often ask us how they can gauge if law school and a legal career is the right path for them. We believe that the LawReady program will be an excellent tool for these students to learn more about the legal profession.”
LSAC expects LawReady to address many of the challenges and barriers that aspiring law students face. What’s more, after completing the program, students will know what to expect when reaching law school, thanks to the support LawReady provides with navigating the application process, as well as the mentorship and networking opportunities built into the LawReady program.
In addition to equipping more students with the skills and support needed to pursue legal education, we believe LSAC’s LawReady will provide a valid and reliable alternative to the LSAT for law school admission in the future.
Andrew Perlman, dean and professor of law at Suffolk University Law School, said this is one aspect of LawReady that drew Suffolk Law to sign on as an early adopter.
“Suffolk Law has always had a commitment to giving promising students from every possible background an opportunity to pursue a transformative legal education,” Perlman said. “LawReady has the potential of providing us with a valid and reliable alternative [to the LSAT] that can advance our founding mission.”
With the help of LawReady, LSAC will continue strengthening its support of law schools by ensuring students are prepared academically and have a strong understanding of how to navigate the path to law school and a legal career. LawReady is the latest way LSAC is upholding its mission of supporting students in their learning journeys from prelaw to practice.
Vivian Bowden is the senior vice president for schools and institutions at the Law School Admission Council.