Preparing for law school is very individualized, there is no required major and no prerequisite courses.  The University of Iowa has lots of opportunities for you to explore what interests you and find a major you really enjoy.  We encourage you to think about what you like, what you are good at and careers you would be interested in if you did not pursue law school. 

While there are no required courses for law school, The American Bar Association recommends that you focus on core skills and broad areas of knowledge.  Ask your advisor to help you find courses that will develop close reading skills, critical thinking, writing and analytical skills. 

Get involved – one of the great things about a large university such as the University of Iowa is an abundance of student organizations, volunteer, and employment opportunities.  Consider what you really enjoy and ways to develop your leadership and professional skills. 

Focus on your GPA, one of the most important factors in your law school application.  Utilize academic resources to help you keep your GPA high from the start. 

Your first year is also a great time to expand your exploration of law school and the legal profession. Attend pre-law events on campus, check out pre-law organizations and explore online resources. 

It is never too early to begin to research and gain understanding of the legal profession. By researching the legal profession early, you will gain valuable insight into the kinds of work that attorneys do and the types of skills you will need to develop. In addition, you will gain familiarity of the legal system, vocabulary, and law school curriculum. You may find an area of law that really excites you or you may find that law school is not the right fit for you. 

Places to start learning more about law school and the legal profession:

• Above the Law is a blog and podcast that gives news of the profession in a more entertaining way. 
• I Am The Law Podcast is a series of podcasts that explore different areas of law, allowing listeners to hear firsthand from an attorney practicing in that area. 
• The Law.com ALM Morning Minute newsletter provides updates about many interesting legal cases.

What do Attorneys do?

Attorneys provide legal advice and representation for individuals and companies in criminal and civil matters.  Law is necessary for all aspects of government, personal, and business matters.  Lawyers can find themselves involved in deals involving millions of dollars or settling life and death issues.

Daily work can look like: 

• Reading about legal precedents, spending hours or months reading to prepare for a case.
• Writing contracts, briefs, and other documents from scratch.
• Planning and conducting depositions, which can comprise thousands of pages of testimony.    These depositions will need to be read, analyzed, and refined into usable documents. 
• Traveling to meet with clients, listening to their challenges and working to come up with solutions. 

• Appearing in court on a regular basis (Litigation Attorneys), or rarely appearing in court (Transactional Attorneys). 

   You can find a full list of legal specializations here. 

Attorney salaries vary greatly depending on the area of work. You can find more information about salaries here. 

Once you have explored the legal field and decided being a lawyer is the right profession for you, it is time to research law schools. 

To begin researching law schools, think about where you would like to live, study and work.  This can help you narrow down a very long list of schools.  You can find many online options to help you begin your exploration. 

                American Bar Association Standard 509 Disclosures

                Law School Transparency - Discover Law Schools             

                Law School Admissions Council - Choosing a Law School

                XplorJD

                The Stern-Wilson Bool of Law School Lists 

Once you are feeling a little more comfortable exploring law schools, attend an in-person law school event such as the LSAC Forums. 

You can also attend information sessions for the schools you are interested in.  Law schools host these events and you can usually find online options as well as in person events.    If you are unable to attend scheduled events you can also reach out to the schools to schedule an individual visit. 

                University of Iowa College of Law Admissions Events

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Law School

• Admissions Criteria – The two most important factors in your law school application are your GPA and LSAT score.  When you are researching schools, you should find out the following information: median GPA/LSAT, 75^th percentile GPA/LSAT and 25^th percentile GPA/LSAT.  When you are applying, consider applying to several in the median GPA/LSAT range, several in the 75th percentile or “reach” range, and several in the “safety” range or 25^th percentile.  There is no correct number of schools to apply to – but think about applying only to schools you can really see yourself attending. 
• Geography - Where would you like to live? Have you considered where you would like to practice law?  70% of attorneys end up working in the state where they attended law school.  (Geography is not particularly important if you are considering law schools in the Top 14 because of their strong national reputations.) 
• Employment and Bar Passage – You should research available data about the types of employment graduates go into and whether they use their law degree.  You can find this data in the “Standard 509 Information Reports” or through Law School Transparency.  There are “Bar Passage Required” jobs which require you to be licensed to practice law and “JD Advantage” jobs which do not require that you practice law but having a law degree could be a hiring advantage.  You should think seriously about a school that shows that only 50% or fewer graduates get jobs that require bar passage. 
  You will also be able to find data to show what fields of law students go into, areas like public interest, regional law firms, national firms, clerkships etc.   The National Association of Law Placement (NALP) is a great resource for information related to legal employment and the job market. 
• Cost of Attendance & Return on Investment – Law school is expensive, and you should carefully consider the amount of debt you take on and what range you can expect your future salary to be. 
  As you begin to consider scholarship offers from schools, be sure to look at the bottom-line cost of attendance.  Don’t just compare scholarship amounts.  Be sure to also consider cost of living for each school. 
  Salaries can be different from school to school as well as what area of law you practice in.  Be sure to research what your potential debt to income ratio could be and if that is worth it.   The US Department of Education College Scorecard can provide data in this area. To find law school data, search for the school, click on fields of study>show all available fields of study>law-first professional degree. 

From researching law schools, you learned that law school is expensive, so you will need to consider how you will pay for it. Two primary forms of financial aid in law school are: “merit-based” aid, which are scholarships based on your academic marks, test scores and possibly other forms of achievement, and “need-based” aid which is based on your financial need.  Most scholarships awarded in law school are “merit-based”. 

You should plan on filling out the FAFSA early in the year prior to attending law school. 

• Merit-Based Financial Aid – most merit-based aid is awarded based on an applicant’s GPA and LSAT score.  Typically, you will be notified of the award when you are accepted. However, some schools may wait and make decisions later.  Interviews for scholarships are becoming more common and you should plan on attending those if invited. 
• Some schools may place conditions on their merit-based scholarships, and you should consider those as you determine where you will attend. Very restrictive conditions may be hard to satisfy, and you could risk losing your scholarship – make sure you understand all conditions. 
• Some schools may have a pool of money for need-based aid. To become eligible for that you will need to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  Some schools may have their own private internal process. It also varies from school to school as to whether you need to submit your parents’ income. Make sure to check the financial aid page of each law school you are admitted to for specific information

Financial Resources

“AccessLex institute is a nonprofit organization committed to helping talented, purpose-driven students find their path from aspiring lawyer to fulfilled professional.”  They provide numerous financial resources for students. 

• Paying for Law School
• Ask Edna
•  Student Loan Calculator 

• Scholarship Databank   - outside scholarship databank

   

• Law School Admissions Council - Paying for Law School 
  • Paying for Law School: A Preliminary Guide
  • Admissions Dean - outside scholarship databank
  • Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
    • Fact Sheet: PSLF and Public Interest Law
  • Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAPS)
    • Comparison of LRAP Programs for T14 Schools
  • Financial Aid & Negotiating Scholarships
  • Financial Resources for Non-U.S. Citizens
  • Public Service Fellowships

Commonly, students believe they must go straight to law school after undergrad, when in fact only about 1/3 of law school students go straight from college to law school.  That means most students have some time off between college and law school. 

The experiences people have can be anything you can imagine and there is no right or wrong path.  While most people work, that work does not have to be law-related. Take the time between college and law school to confirm that law school is the right choice for you and to build professional skills.  Some people will choose to work in law-related jobs to confirm their interest in the law; this will not, however, offer you an advantage in the law school admissions process. Law schools don’t consider legal experience over other areas of professional experience. You should think about your professional experiences in terms of your personal and long-term professional goals. 

The Pomerantz Career Center is here to help you explore your professional opportunities before law school. 

Other types of experiences that students will consider are volunteering with services organization such as Americorps, the Peacecorps, Teach for America or other experiences.  To search for opportunities, check out www.serviceyear.org . 

Other students will opt into graduate school or fellowships prior to law school, which allow for studies into specific areas of law such as intellectual property. Others travel and study abroad. 

Learn more about Fellowships at the Office of Scholar Development. 

Talk with your advisor about whether time off is the right choice for you. 

Junior Deferral Programs 
Several law schools offer programs that allow for college juniors to apply and commit to the program but require them to take time off between college and law school.  Typically, these programs require students to submit a plan for that time off. 

Harvard Junior Deferral Program

Columbia Law School’s LEAD Fellowship Program