About LawReady

LawReady, a bold new LSAC initiative, will offer undergraduate students an opportunity to explore a future legal career and pursue a legal education via a holistic pathway to law school admission. The program is designed to help undergraduate students develop the skills necessary for success in law school, navigate the admission process, and build a supportive network – all as part of their regular undergraduate experience.

Program Overview

The program is designed to improve student outcomes by helping undergraduate students in three key areas: 

• Developing and demonstrating mastery of the skills necessary for success in law school
• Building awareness of the legal profession and law school experience while equipping students with tools for navigating the journey from admission to a career in law
• Increasing feelings of inclusion and belonging in pursuing a law degree and legal career by providing strong support networks to assist students throughout their legal education journeys

Building on LSAC’s years of experience in supporting law schools and prospective law students with a range of assessment tools, educational resources, and recruitment programs, LSAC’s LawReady hopes to broaden access for even more individuals to consider law and address many of the challenges and barriers that prospective law students face. 

A Chance to Explore

The program meets undergraduate students earlier in their academic journeys, giving them the chance to explore the possibilities of law school before making a long-term commitment.

Building Skills Early

By incorporating the program into their undergraduate education, students develop the skills and support they need to help them define, pursue, and succeed in their educational goals.

Valid and Reliable

LawReady equips students with the skills needed for law school success, making it a valid and reliable pathway for admission in the future.

Components of the LawReady Program

The Academic Pillar provides:

• A roadmap for students in terms of academic courses aligned to skills and abilities critical for law school success (aligned courses can count toward major and/or graduation requirements) 
• A series of assessments to track student’s progress and proficiency across key skills and abilities
• Skill-building that prepares students for success in law school and beyond

The Navigation Pillar provides:

• Resources to explore different pathways to law and justice careers
• Mentorships, experiences, and activities to help inform students’ future educational and career decisions
• Support for applying to and preparing for law school

The Community and Engagement Pillar provides:

• Access to student success workshops and events
• Creation of peer and affinity groups to provide opportunities for students to connect with like-minded individuals at their institution and nationally
• Increased feelings of inclusion and belonging in pursuing a law degree and legal career

How We Built the LawReady Program

LSAC is working with law schools, undergraduate institutions, students, leaders in the legal profession, and other stakeholders to develop LawReady. This initiative builds on LSAC’s years of experience in supporting law schools and students.

LawReady Advisory Committee

We have assembled a group of exceptional leaders and thinkers from legal and undergraduate education and the legal profession to help advise and shape LawReady.

Meet the Advisory Committee

Higher Education Design Partner Institutions

We are honored to be working closely with several design partner schools — undergraduate institutions that are helping us shape the program to make sure it truly meets the needs of students.

Pilot

The pilot for LawReady launched in the fall of 2022 at four participating undergraduate institutions: Cornell College, George Mason University, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and the University of South Alabama. In the spring, the pilot began at two additional undergraduate institutions: The University at Albany – State University of New York and Dillard University. Students enrolled in the pilot program took the LSAT at the beginning of their program and are taking two courses — designed to foster skills that will help them succeed in law school, which include:

Concurrent Validity Study

As a way to ensure the validity of LawReady measures, we’re planning a concurrent validity study to investigate the validity of the LawReady measures for use in law school admission. We are currently recruiting first-year law students to participate in this study, which will examine the relationship between performance on the new LawReady measures and law school outcomes, particularly first-year law school GPA.

Learn More about the Study

Questions About the LawReady Program?

For more information about LawReady, email LawReady@LSAC.org.