LexPreLaw FAQs

All LexPreLaw participants will benefit from financial assistance and guided access to informational resources during the program. Participants will also have access to financial education and opportunities to engage with current law students and legal professionals. Some participants will receive admission counseling and/or LSAT prep leading up to and throughout the law school admission cycle.

In 2022, there were 116,727 law students enrolled in the almost 200 ABA-approved law schools in the U.S. (not including the three law schools in Puerto Rico). Students who identified as Black, Latino/Hispanic, Native American and other groups were underrepresented among law students, relative to their overall population.

These trends are longstanding and reflect the unequal access that has typified legal education since its inception. It is no surprise that the legal profession is one of the least diverse professions in the U.S., with Black, Latino/Hispanic, Native American people collectively comprising just 16.6% of U.S. lawyers despite comprising 40.6% of the overall population.

The socioeconomic backgrounds of law students are not systematically tracked, but the available evidence suggests that lawyers tend to come from relatively affluent backgrounds. Therefore, people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are considered underrepresented as well. LexPreLaw applicants are socioeconomically underrepresented if they are either first-generation college graduates or if they received Pell Grants in college.

LexPreLaw selects applicants who possess potential for success in law school but have standardized test scores that suggest they would have difficulty gaining admission to almost every law school.

To be eligible for LexPreLaw, applicants must have an LSAT score no higher than the 25th percentile. 

There is no GPA requirement associated with LexPreLaw. 

The LexPreLaw application is a two-part process. Applicants submit a Preliminary Application to provide background information. If applicants meet preliminary eligibility requirements, they will be invited to submit a Final Application.

The Final Application involves providing documentation of 1) an official or unofficial academic transcript from an accredited university that shows the applicant’s name and proof of degree completion by the target law school enrollment date; and 2) an LSAT score report showing the applicant’s name, test date(s), test score(s), and score percentile(s).

The applicant should report their highest LSAT score and score percentile in their Preliminary Application. Applicants must submit their full LSAT score report in the Final Application. To be eligible for LexPreLaw, applicants must have a highest LSAT score at or below the 25th percentile.

LexPreLaw only selects applicants who have previously taken the LSAT and can produce a score report.

Applicants must get in touch with their college/university to receive their college transcripts. Applicants can submit a copy of either official or unofficial transcripts. We rarely encounter scenarios where applicants are not able to receive their college transcript even if they graduated many years ago. AccessLex does not cover processing fees associated with retrieval of college transcripts.

If an applicant has previously enrolled in a J.D. program at an ABA-approved law school, they are not eligible to participate in LexPreLaw.

LexPreLaw is rooted in the belief that there is much untapped potential among law school applicants who are least likely to gain admission, due to unfavorable LSAT scores and unfamiliarity with the application process. We believe that with adequate information, resources, and support, many of these applicants can be successful as law students and lawyers. The LSAT has value in predicting law school success, but aptitude and potential are not fully captured by the exam.

There are no fees associated with LexPreLaw. All stipulated resources are provided at no cost. 

Eligible LexPreLaw applicants will be selected for the program in the order in which they submit all required application documents, including two recommender assessments.

The sooner an applicant submits all required documents, the better their chance of being selected for LexPreLaw.

Past LexPreLaw participants will be considered for selection starting June 1.

In lieu of traditional letters, applicants must have two recommender assessments submitted on their behalf. Recommenders provide a rating and description of applicants' demonstration of ten qualities and characteristics that research has associated with effective lawyering skills.

The recommender assessments will be delivered electronically to the recommenders the applicant lists in their preliminary application. Recommenders will complete and submit the assessments online. Applicants do not need to send their recommenders the assessment form; recommenders can only submit their assessment via a link sent to their email from program staff.

Yes. Applicants should try to find recommenders who can assess them on as many of the listed qualities and characteristics as possible. But they will be able to mark ‘N/A’ for those qualities and characteristics of which they are unable to provide specific examples. Keep in mind that your recommender assessment scores are not at all associated with your likelihood of selection into the program. Recommender assessment scores are not reviewed individually by program staff, and no one will ever know how your recommender responded on the form. These measures are aggregated in a way that removes each rating from any identifier that is personal to you. This component of the application is associated with the larger research aims of the LexScholars Initiative.

Professors or other academic personnel (e.g., undergraduate advisor, teaching assistant) who you have positive relationships with and can speak to your academic, personal, or professional characteristics/accomplishments are best positioned to provide a recommendation on your behalf. Colleagues, managers, supervisors, or mentors may also provide a recommendation on your behalf.

The purpose of LexPreLaw is two-fold: to maximize participants’ chances of acceptance into law school, and to explore and develop sustainable models for increasing law school diversity. In order to conduct analyses of the impact of the program components, participants must agree to allow AccessLex researchers to observe their law school admission experiences and outcomes. 

LexPreLaw participants are required to submit monthly reports detailing their experiences and outcomes during the law school admission process. An online reporting form will be forwarded to participants via email each month, beginning in September 2024 and continuing through August of the following year. Participants will complete and submit reporting forms and surveys online. The participant research agreement will outline the complete scope of ongoing obligations and responsibilities associated with LexPreLaw participation.