Top Law Schools

Hey all!

I’m inquiring as to my chances of admission into a top 25 program. My gpa is 3.87 and my LSAT score is 160. I am Latino, and therefore have URM status. I go to a state school in the rural Midwest. What follows is a list of the “soft” aspects of my application:

• I took senior-level courses as a freshman and graduate-level courses as a sophomore and received A’s in all of them.
• I had a McNair research internship.
• I have an article published in Psychology Today.
• I was a finalist for the Truman Scholarship.
• I have presented at 8 conferences or so (will only be listing a few on my resume, such as the AAA and ASA).
• I am in contact with several top lawyers (both likely in the top 20 criminal defense attorneys of all time) and learning cross-examination skills, etc. from them.
• I took part in a service project to raise money for food to feed orphans.
• I am in the acknowledgements of a book published in NYU press on inequity in the criminal justice system.
• I have been involved in three research projects total, one of them independently driven and the other two based on a faculty member’s research.
• I have teaching experience (several guest lectures and a teaching internship)
• Lots of travel experience (Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, etc.)
• I can get by with Spanish, and was raised in a Spanish-speaking household.
• I write for the university newspaper.
• I’m involved with several student groups on campus.
• I come from a single-parent household.
• I’m bisexual.

What do you think my chances are to get into a T14 program? A T25 program? Really counting on these soft factors, here.

amorga14 wrote:Hey all!

I’m inquiring as to my chances of admission into a top 25 program. My gpa is 3.87 and my LSAT score is 160. I am Latino, and therefore have URM status. I go to a state school in the rural Midwest. What follows is a list of the “soft” aspects of my application:

• I took senior-level courses as a freshman and graduate-level courses as a sophomore and received A’s in all of them.
• I had a McNair research internship.
• I have an article published in Psychology Today.
• I was a finalist for the Truman Scholarship.
• I have presented at 8 conferences or so (will only be listing a few on my resume, such as the AAA and ASA).
• I am in contact with several top lawyers (both likely in the top 20 criminal defense attorneys of all time) and learning cross-examination skills, etc. from them.
• I took part in a service project to raise money for food to feed orphans.
• I am in the acknowledgements of a book published in NYU press on inequity in the criminal justice system.
• I have been involved in three research projects total, one of them independently driven and the other two based on a faculty member’s research.
• I have teaching experience (several guest lectures and a teaching internship)
• Lots of travel experience (Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, etc.)
• I can get by with Spanish, and was raised in a Spanish-speaking household.
• I write for the university newspaper.
• I’m involved with several student groups on campus.
• I come from a single-parent household.
• I’m bisexual.

What do you think my chances are to get into a T14 program? A T25 program? Really counting on these soft factors, here.

You're a long shot at most t14s, but you'll have a chance at some t25s. I don't know how much weight the soft factors (other than URM and maybe bisexual) will play into your chances. You may want to consider retaking as a couple points (3-4) could give you a much better chance at breaking into the t14 and getting good $ from t25s.

Just a clarifying question:

When you say that you're Latino, can you be more specific? Some Latinx groups are considered URMs, but others aren't. If you're in the latter group, you need to retake for your goals. And as already mentioned, you're a long shot at the top schools with a URM boost, so retaking is a good idea regardless.

5 more points on the LSAT is going to mean a good deal more than all your softs piled together ten times over. Retake the LSAT.

how do you know if someone is in the top 20 of criminal defense lawyers of all time?

PeanutsNJam wrote:how do you know if someone is in the top 20 of criminal defense lawyers of all time?

Homemade plaque on the office wall.

cavalier1138 wrote:

PeanutsNJam wrote:how do you know if someone is in the top 20 of criminal defense lawyers of all time?

Homemade plaque on the office wall.

USNWR has a new survey and office library size is a huge factor.

PeanutsNJam wrote:how do you know if someone is in the top 20 of criminal defense lawyers of all time?

They're in the trial lawyers hall of fame, nationally recognized, and have participated in (and won) high profile cases. Selection for the trial lawyers hall of fame is peer-determined and quite rigorous.

amorga14 wrote:

PeanutsNJam wrote:how do you know if someone is in the top 20 of criminal defense lawyers of all time?

They're in the trial lawyers hall of fame, nationally recognized, and have participated in (and won) high profile cases. Selection for the trial lawyers hall of fame is peer-determined and quite rigorous.

I suggest you rigorously study for the LSAT and retake.

amorga14 wrote:

PeanutsNJam wrote:how do you know if someone is in the top 20 of criminal defense lawyers of all time?

They're in the trial lawyers hall of fame, nationally recognized, and have participated in (and won) high profile cases. Selection for the trial lawyers hall of fame is peer-determined and quite rigorous.

Glorious.

Do y'all at least think that I could get into the University of Washington (I want to practice law in the Pacific Northwest)? Or how about Washington and Lee? I know it's just a guessing game, but it makes me feel a lot better to have the reassurance of others.

amorga14 wrote:Do y'all at least think that I could get into the University of Washington (I want to practice law in the Pacific Northwest)? Or how about Washington and Lee? I know it's just a guessing game, but it makes me feel a lot better to have the reassurance of others.

Yeah, you have a decent shot at UW. But it still wouldn't hurt to move that lsat closer to the median, which is usually 163 or 164.

W&L makes zero sense if you want to practice here in the PNW. None at all.

amorga14 wrote:Do y'all at least think that I could get into the University of Washington (I want to practice law in the Pacific Northwest)? Or how about Washington and Lee? I know it's just a guessing game, but it makes me feel a lot better to have the reassurance of others.

I know that expecting a response to some of the questions you've completely ignored is just wishful thinking at this point, but...

Earlier in the thread, I asked what your specific ethnic background is. You classified yourself as a URM because you're Latino, but only some Latinx groups actually get the URM boost (Mexicans and Puerto Ricans seem to be the only two groups everyone can agree on). So it's actually pretty important, because if you don't actually qualify as a URM, then it completely changes the equation.

...