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I am just curious what the blood quantum requirement is for the LSAC. I have a friend who is mostly Cuban but also 1/16 (or something like that) Puerto Rican. Does this count as URM?

There's no set-in-stone requirement - if you feel comfortable explaining it to the state bar, go for it. If you can point to a PR great-great-grandfather or something, hey, great. If the best you can do is "well, I think someone in my family lived in PR or something" that may jeopardize your ability to practice law.

randomlawstuff wrote:I am just curious what the blood quantum requirement is for the LSAC. I have a friend who is mostly Cuban but also 1/16 (or something like that) Puerto Rican. Does this count as URM?

I have marked all that apply this cycle, Cuban, Puerto Rican and Caucasian. Idk if you still get the full boost, I'll let you know when my cycle ends, but you have to just put what you believe is true and see what happens.

In a pretty famous urm thread here they say it is kinda of the one drop rule; then say 1/16 is pushing it, but is probably okay.

claiming something for the first time for law school purposes seems kinda shoddy imo.

twenty wrote:There's no set-in-stone requirement - if you feel comfortable explaining it to the state bar, go for it. If you can point to a PR great-great-grandfather or something, hey, great. If the best you can do is "well, I think someone in my family lived in PR or something" that may jeopardize your ability to practice law.

So this is something they would ask about in character and fitness? Like, just for the purposes of checking that you were candid on your law school application, or is there something special about URM?

clovis wrote:So this is something they would ask about in character and fitness? Like, just for the purposes of checking that you were candid on your law school application, or is there something special about URM?

If you lied on your law school application and the bar finds out, you're done - and in all fifty states too. If you're legitimately 1/16th URM, you have nothing to worry about. If you're not, then you lied to gain acceptance to a school that arguably wouldn't have accepted you/wouldn't have given you a scholarship. Guy a few years back got busted for putting MA down on his apps when in fact his "Mexican dad" was actually a step-dad he had no blood relation to. Anyway. Wouldn't do it.

twenty wrote:

clovis wrote:So this is something they would ask about in character and fitness? Like, just for the purposes of checking that you were candid on your law school application, or is there something special about URM?

If you lied on your law school application and the bar finds out, you're done - and in all fifty states too. If you're legitimately 1/16th URM, you have nothing to worry about. If you're not, then you lied to gain acceptance to a school that arguably wouldn't have accepted you/wouldn't have given you a scholarship. Guy a few years back got busted for putting MA down on his apps when in fact his "Mexican dad" was actually a step-dad he had no blood relation to. Anyway. Wouldn't do it.

Thanks for that info. I guess I'm just interested in the mechanics of how this would come up in the bar admission process. As far as I know, race/ethnicity is not something they ask about on a bar application. So, does part of the character and fitness review actually consist of them going through your LS application and checking random shit in there? Or like, would they get suspicious and start asking questions if you don't "look" like the ethnicity you put down on your LS app? Is there an oral questioning in which they ask random questions about your background, trying to uncover inconsistencies or falsehoods?

(Though I totally understand that it is obviously the best approach just to not lie about anything!)

C&F will absolutely look at your application for inconsistencies, yes. It won't be a cursory overview "Oh, well, if he checked the box saying he's not lying, then he must not be lying!" kind of deal. Your LSAT admissions photo will be used for the next three years by professors to identify you in class (this happens at my school, probably others too), and it will be passed along to the bar when you graduate. If you put down AA and you're clearly a white dude, they're going to have some serious questions.

If you have to ask, you probably shouldn't do it.

If you don't feel like a URM, then don't indicate that you are. This is for two reasons.

1. You're taking up space for someone who actually is disadvantaged or underrepresented, and who the law school in question is targeting.
2. Adcomms are not made up of idiots who are reading diversity statements for the first time. Feigning URM status is an effective way to get thrown into the rejection pile.

twenty wrote:C&F will absolutely look at your application for inconsistencies, yes. It won't be a cursory overview "Oh, well, if he checked the box saying he's not lying, then he must not be lying!" kind of deal. Your LSAT admissions photo will be used for the next three years by professors to identify you in class (this happens at my school, probably others too), and it will be passed along to the bar when you graduate. If you put down AA and you're clearly a white dude, they're going to have some serious questions.

Isn't that your school ID photo that's used?

Maybe different schools do this differently? My law student ID was processed through the undergraduate campus and I know that's not the photo my professors are using.