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Ok so I graduated second in my HS class about 11 years ago. I became very ill when an unknown blood disorder took over my life during my first two years in undergrad. I bombed....like really bombed. Multiple times I had to stop going to class, and I was beyond the W date so I ended up with multiple Fs. Once everything was under control, I went back to school and did ok with a Paralegal Degree and a Business Degree (3.7 GPA). My LSAC GPA is a 2.71, but primarily because of the first two years. I have over 250 credit hours total. I also went to school full time, while working full time.

I have been working as a paralegal for over 7 years, and would like to pursue a law degree focused in Health Law. I have am Certified in Healthcare Compliance, and also am a Certified Professional Coder. This is a big thing in the health law field, when focusing on fraud and abuse.

I can not get my LSAT score over the low 150s. I am in the Chicagoland area and am looking at Loyola, DePaul, Marquette, Chicago-Kent and NIU.

Is my work experience enough to overcome the low LSAC GPA and low LSAT?

Sorry to hear about your disorder. Mature students go by different guidelines in terms of admissions chances compared to the regular applicant pool, so don't get discouraged looking at the numbers on TLS. With an explanation of your GPA, positive spin on work experience, along with a good LSAT score (try 155+) then there is no reason you can't get into some of the schools you mentioned. Good luck!

Thank you for being "easy" on me. That is what two good lawyer friends of mine keep saying, but the waiting game is hard. Especially when I will be quitting work and going to school full time. Big, big changes ahead.

I assume you have connections to a firm or someone who will employ you post law school?

With your story and work experience you should be able to get into some of those schools.

I do have very good connections with several law firms. My boss, a Northwestern graduate, wrote an LOR for me. They keep telling me, don't worry about it, just get in and you will do fine.