I'm planning on applying to law school, but I have a criminal record. What should I do?

I frequently deal with law school advisees who have had a brush with the law in their past. It might have been underage drinking, with the use of a false ID card. It might have been a speeding ticket, or one for violation of some other motor vehicle law, such as curfew violation or failure to use a seatbelt. It could have been a noise violation in your college setting.

Here's how to handle the issue of disclosing a criminal record in a law school application.

1. Don't hide anything. Make a full disclosure. Answer the law school's question fully and with complete honesty. Some law schools require the disclosure of matters officially expunged from the criminal record. Disclose them. I actually recommend that you disclose all matters, including expunged convictions.

2. "Fall on your sword." In other words, "Admit your mistake(s) emphatically." What was wrong is wrong. Don't try to justify bad behavior or let yourself off the hook. Don't make the argument that "Everybody was doing it." Convince them now that you would never engage in such behavior again.

3. Remember that you will have to make a full disclosure as well--down the road--to the state bar of the state where you will want to practice law. State bars may look back to your law school application to see what you said about your criminal record. It had better be a full, complete and entirely honest disclosure, conforming precisely to the disclosure you make on your bar exam, or--frankly--you may not be admitted to the bar. So don't cut any corners in this extremely important area of your law school applications.

If you need help in this area, please see my website, www.PrelawAdvisor.com or send an e-mail to BradDobeck@aol.com.

I'm a new college freshman, planning on law school in the future. What do I do now?

The short answer, one that eventually will greatly distinguish you down the road, is....get great grades. Get great grades. The common pattern of GPAs of college students seeking law school admission in the future, is a bumpy first year, with relatively lower grades, followed by progressively improving grades in the second, third and fourth years of college. But it is clearly those applicants with the very highest GPAs (meaning high grades during the freshman year, as well as the rest of their college years) who break into the top ten--especially the top five--elite law schools. If Yale, Stanford and Harvard have law schools with enrolling student classes in the 3.8 GPA range, you can't afford too many grades lower than an "A".

So, if you want to be the most effective future competitor for a spot at an elite law school, stay focused now, in your freshman year, on all your courses. Do what gets measured. Attend all your classes. Get to know your professors. Do all your reading. Contribute positively to class discussions. Prepare thoroughly for each exam. Seek to discover what your professors' old exams are like. Perhaps they are on file at your school in a way that is accessible to you, such as at your school's library.

In addition, move forward in other ways. Engage your college's community in a creative way. Get involved in activities and projects of interest to you, especially if they can be law-related. Some examples: offer volunteer service to a local legal aid clinic. Just walk in, introduce yourself, and use the magic "v" word: "I'm a new college freshman at (name your school) and I want to volunteer some time to your organization." The doors will spring open. You may be doing low-level clerical work at first, but stay with it, and you will climb the learning curve, and begin to learn the work of the lawyers there. Make yourself indispensable there, with the time you have to give.

Or pick a political or social cause of interest to you, on campus or in the surrounding community. What are you passionate about? What changes would you like to see made to society? What are the organization's lawyers doing? How does the current state of the law affect things? Join in and help out. In the internet age, your potential field of influence is global.

For more assistance in making your plans for law school, please see my website www.PrelawAdvisor.com.

American Bar Association Makes Dramatic LSAT Rule Change

Critical LSAT News Update:

At its June 8-11, 2006 meeting, the ABA Section of Legal Education & Admissions to the Bar voted to change its data collection procedures to require law schools in computing the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile LSAT scores of their entering classes to report the highest score of enrolling students (who took the test more than once). The ABA's prior rules had required schools to report the average LSAT score of students who took multiple tests. This rule change follows similar action taken by LSAC. This hugely significant change will definitely encourage students to take the LSAT more than once, although current LSAC rules limit applicants to three tests in any two-year period. It does reduces the risk of negative impact of a low LSAT score, but it forces applicants to consider providing multiple LSAT scores, and in effect it will raise the LSAT "price tag" for elite law school admission, since all of these schools will likely report higher 25th percentile, median and 75th percentile LSAT figures. I urge caution in taking any official LSAT. Prepare thoroughly. Prove your readiness by taking many timed, practice LSATs new to you. Score them. Dissect each test completely, so that you come to a 100% understanding as to why each correct answer is correct. Your goal should continue to be to give the law schools one brilliant, deal-making LSAT score.

However, if you end up with a first low LSAT score on your record, definitely take advantage of the liberalization of this rule. Continue to prepare for a second LSAT, with many more practice tests. A second, brilliant score will clearly improve admission probability.

For more information about beating the LSAT, please see my website www.PrelawAdvisor.com, specifically "Top 15 LSAT Tips."

How do I deal with the problem of a low undergraduate GPA?

"I have been out of school for three years now. I am considering applications to law school. My problem is that my GPA is very low compared to the GPAs demanded by my target law schools. I haven't taken the LSAT yet but I know this is something I want to do. What can I do to offset my low GPA? Do schools automatically reject you if your GPA is low? Should I attempt a second degree to raise my GPA?"

Here's how you deal with the problem of a low undergraduate GPA:

1. Get a brilliant LSAT score. Your goal should be to be beyond the 75th percentile of the LSAT scores of the enrolling students at your targeted law school. Do not, do not take the real LSAT until you have scored three points above this LSAT scoring goal--repeatedly--in timed practice tests. Don't give yourself a constrained, artificial timeline to master the LSAT. Take whatever time you need.

2. Craft a personal statement that blows them away. Strive to meet the Yale Law School standard of "subtle, complex and nuanced."

3. Present the most positive resume you can.

4. Prepare carefully selected recommenders with a copy of this personal statement and resume.

5. Consider earning a graduate degree, such as an MBA, or at least a program certificate, before law school, if your undergraduate grades are really troubling. While these grades won't count officially in the reporting of the grades of enrolling students seen in the data of LSAC and US News & World Report, they can demonstrate growth and new competence.

6. Consider a period of challenging law-related work before law school, so that a skilled attorney (or attorneys) can be in the position to be your informed recommender.

7. Apply early in the admissions cycle. This shows that you are organized and eager. Law school admission staffs tend to be a bit more generous early in the admissions cycle, when they have all their slots to fill.

For more information about strategies to deal with the challenge of law school admission, please see my website www.PrelawAdvisor.com.