A blog exploring all aspects of law and legal education — the future of the legal profession, access to justice, diversity and inclusion, testing and assessment, law and technology, and more.
Amena Kheshtchin-Kamel has always been good at telling stories. As a first-generation American, she says she was always drawn to “expressing my voice, and also helping others find their voices.” That was part of what led her to pursue a legal education, and while the kind of storytelling she’s doing now might surprise you, it’s a reminder that a law degree can open doors just about anywhere.
Victoria Esparza saw her life upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a senior studying political science and Spanish at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Esparza hoped to enter law school the fall after graduation. But financial hardships related to the pandemic, and needing to care for her younger sister while their mother worked, forced her to delay her plans.
Kristen Juhan crunched the numbers and found her career wasn’t adding up. She’d majored in business economics in college and was working as a certified public accountant, but it wasn’t as fulfilling as she’d hoped it would be.
Starr Gibens, a third-year student at North Carolina State University, was interested in a legal education before she attended an online Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS) Program. After attending, though, she had no doubt law was in her future.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and this year’s observance of this important event is particularly special: It’s the 75th such observance, and it coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. At LSAC, we’re committed to helping people from all backgrounds, including those with disabilities, pursue their dreams of legal education and add their diverse voices to our justice system.
We recently celebrated two years of LSAC’s “Live with Kellye & Ken” webinars and marked the anniversary by hosting a conversation with Dean Jenny Martinez of Stanford Law School.
Without the ability to host in-person events during the COVID-19 pandemic, law school candidates and admission offices have had to get creative, with virtual office hours, Zoom panels, and other opportunities to connect digitally. LSAC is also embracing those opportunities.
LSAC joins the entire legal community and nation in mourning the loss of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and we offer our condolences to her family and friends.
In line with our ongoing commitment to DEI, we launched the LSAC Justice Hour series. This webinar series explores some of today’s most important issues with a goal of working together for true equity and positive change.
How can law schools ensure that candidates and students with disabilities are getting a fair chance and reasonable accommodations at all times, including this especially unsettling time amid the COVID-19 pandemic?