Welcome to The Leg Up Legal Blog

A blog about law school, the legal profession, the legal industry, legal mentoring, and more...

Updated ABA-Approved Law School Application Deadlines Chart

Are you applying to law school in this cycle and looking for a comprehensive chart of application deadlines? You've come to the right place!

Click HERE for a Google Sheet of all of the application deadlines for all ABA-approved law schools with the following data:

  • School Name
  • City, State
  • Admissions contact email
  • Admissions phone number
  • Website
  • Types of Programs Available (Full-time, Part-time, Hybrid, Accelerated JD)
  • Priority Application Deadline
  • Regular Application Deadline
  • Official Statements on Covid-19

The chart is currently sorted by Application Deadline date. Be sure to check all of the application deadlines. 

If you are just now starting to think about applying to law school, and you're hoping to start law school this fall, please watch this video for our advice on applying now: https://youtu.be/DzNhoTcodHI.

If you've already applied to several schools, but you're hoping for better scholarship offers, you may want to apply to more schools so that you can use any...

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Do’s and Don’ts When Writing Your Personal Statement

So, you’ve decided to apply to law school. Law school applications require a personal statement! Your personal statement should explain to the law school why law school is the next reasonable step for you. Writing about yourself without a clear topic can be really difficult for some people so here are some do’s and don’ts when writing your personal statement.

Personal Statement Do’s

1) Do format it appropriately.

Make the story flow as if you’re talking face-to-face with someone about your interest in the law or law school. Make sure to write in the first person to get the best effect of this. Your personal statement should show the reader why you decided to choose law school and why you’re applying to that specific school. Also, consider the appropriate formatting, which should be two pages maximum, double-spaced, written in Times New Roman or Arial font.

2) Do carefully edit your own work. 

Although you may think your first draft...

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Everything You Need to Know About the LSAT-Flex

COVID-19 has been changing the norms of our everyday lives, including the law school admissions process. Trying to grab a spot to take the LSAT or other examinations may be tedious due to the constant last-minute cancellations for testing centers. In order to accommodate the stay-at-home orders and avoid the inevitable cancellations, the Law School Admissions Council has released the LSAT-Flex, an online version of the LSAT taken at the comfort of your own home! In case you’re just starting to familiarize yourself with the LSAT-Flex, we’ve put together this quick guide with everything you need to know.

Technical Requirements

The LSAT-Flex must be taken on a laptop or computer. The testing software is not available on phones, tablets, or Google Chromebooks. To make sure your laptop or computer meets all of the technical requirements, go here: https://support.proctoru.com/hc/en-us/articles/115011772748-Equipment-Requirements. The LSAT-Flex is administered via a program...

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What Does A Lawyer Do?

If you don’t have a lawyer in your life — be it a parent, relative, or friend — it can be difficult to know what exactly lawyers do. Even if you’re close with a lawyer, the legal profession is diverse, and legal careers can vary widely. Yet, if you’re interested in law school, it’s important to have an idea of what exactly you’re getting into before you dedicate the time, money, and effort required to earn a J.D. 

So, what does a lawyer do? It’s a simple question with a somewhat complicated answer. In short, a lawyer is a licensed professional who gives legal advice to clients. This advice can come in many forms, including making legal arguments in a courtroom, managing the legal requirements of a complex business transaction, or even writing the law. No lawyer’s day-to-day experience looks exactly the same, but almost every attorney career requires similar types of skills, such as public speaking,...

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Basics of the Legal Profession

What is a lawyer? 

We all know that lawyers are a type of legal professional, but so are paralegals, judges, and legislators. What, then, is a lawyer

A lawyer, more precisely known as an attorney, is a professional who is licensed under either state or federal law to give clients legal advice and represent them in legal matters. According to the American Bar Association (the official organization which regulates the legal profession), lawyers have two main duties: first, to uphold the law, and second, to protect the rights of their clients. 

This definition may seem broad, but it is important! Lawyers must be licensed in order to give legal advice, even outside of the courtroom or the boardroom, and bar associations take this rule very seriously. For a person who is not a licensed attorney to give legal advice to a paying client is known as the unauthorized practice of law. In many jurisdictions, the unauthorized practice of law is...

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Law School Basics: Beyond Classes

In our last Law School Basics post, we went over the basics of the Juris Doctor, or J.D. We talked about the process of getting a J.D., typical first-year (i.e., 1L) classes, and other American Bar Association requirements for accredited law schools. But what do students do, outside of their required classes? What kinds of activities do law students participate in?  

Common Law School Activities

There are many voluntary extracurricular activities and programs in which law students may choose to participate. Some schools may require these activities, but they are often optional. The most common activities are Law Review (i.e., working on one of the law school’s student-run legal journals), mock trial, moot court, and legal clinics. 

Although these activities are generally not strictly required by law schools, they are nonetheless extremely popular. This is because, in addition to being rewarding for many students, there are numerous advantages to participation....

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Law School Basics: From Juris Doctor to Attorney

So, you’re thinking about a career as an attorney. Perhaps you dream of standing before a judge and jury, passionately advocating on behalf of your client. Or, maybe you dream of making BigLaw money and closing deals as part of a Mergers and Acquisitions team. While different types of legal careers can vary widely in form and substance, they share one common starting place: law school.

What is a J.D.? 

In the United States, the most common path to working as an attorney begins with obtaining a postgraduate law degree, called a J.D., or Juris Doctor. Most states require a J.D. in order to obtain a legal license. Postgraduate degrees, including the J.D., are earned after a bachelor’s degree. So, to become an attorney, students must generally complete both a four year bachelor’s degree and a three year law degree. [1] 

People with undergraduate degrees in any major can go to law school and earn a J.D., so long as they take the Law School...

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