LSAC Newsletter Page 2
LSAC Sponsors Future of Legal Education Conference at FIU
On April 12 and 13, legal education leaders gathered at Florida International University in Miami for the Summit on the Future of Legal Education and Entry to the Profession. The event, cosponsored by LSAC, jump-started a conversation about how best to align law school admissions, legal education, bar requirements, and the practice of law, laying the groundwork for a broader conference, The Rule of Law in America, to be convened in the fall by LSAC. Millions of Americans have unmet legal needs, from criminal defense to civil litigation to the need for everyday legal documents. At the same time, public-sector funding for legal services has been reduced and law school remains financially challenging for many potential students, particularly when the nature and number of jobs for law graduates are being affected by technology, globalization, and other forces. The Summit and the upcoming conference are the beginning of an LSAC initiative to bring together leaders from diverse sectors to rethink how we are building the justice pipeline and to develop a blueprint for improvements in access to justice for all Americans.
Registration Open for First-Ever July LSAT Administration
Registration is brisk for the new July administration of the LSAT on July 23. The final day for registration is June 13. This is a nondisclosed Monday test that begins at 12:30 pm in hundreds of test centers throughout the US. Registration will open in late May for the September 2018–January 2019 LSAT administrations (PDF).
2018 Summer Workshops—Save a Date
Each summer, LSAC hosts a series of regional workshops to provide information to law school admission professionals on narrowly focused topics that are of current interest to the law school admission community. These workshops provide an excellent opportunity for professional development and continuing education with very little cost, as participants pay only for their own travel. LSAC’s Services and Programs Committee is working to determine the topic for the 2018 Summer Workshops. The workshops are tentatively scheduled for the following dates and cities.
| Date | City |
|---|---|
| July 20, 2018 | Washington, DC |
| July 24, 2018 | Los Angeles, CA |
| July 25 or 26, 2018 | Chicago, IL |
2018 Admission Newcomers Workshop
The Newcomers Training Workshop is offered each September in Philadelphia and will take place this year on September 5–8, 2018. This four-day, intensive course introduces newcomers to the fundamentals of the complex world of law school admission. Key topics include the LSAC Statement of Good Admission and Financial Aid Practices; use of the LSAT; data services offered by LSAC; recruiting, marketing, and publications; diversity in law school; legal issues in admission; and more. It also helps new admission professionals to develop an invaluable professional network and to get to know the LSAC staff members who support their work. The Newcomers Planning Work Group prepares and presents most of the sessions for this workshop. The 2018 Newcomers Planning Work Group is being chaired by Michelle Heck, Missouri. Members of the work group include April Fox, Tulsa; Lisa Gear, Southwestern; Matthew Kerns, Arkansas—Little Rock; Nicholas Jamison, Vermont; Jimmi Nicholson, Kentucky; Tom Shaffer, Roger Williams; and Rebecca Scheller, Wisconsin, ex officio.