Whether you are just starting to consider applying to law school or if you are just about ready to send off your application, you are probably going to have a lot of questions about the choices you have to make before you pick the right school for you. Where do you start? How does the application process work? What do the admissions committees look for in your application? How can you make your application stand out? In this show, we round up the top authors of the books that address the admissions process to help you tackle the process from start to finish. Hear their tips and get some insight into how their books can help you get into your chosen school.

Summer Associates, Legal Interns, Law Clerks. During the summer months, law students fan out across the nation to put the academic skills they’ve learned all year to the real test: doing the work of a lawyer. Whether you’re working in a law firm with a summer program, jumping into the trenches with a solo practitioner, joining a corporate counsel team or dedicating your summer to public interest work, you’ll need to make the most of your experience. We tackle topics like how to effectively obtain and complete assignments, how to build relationships with fellow summer associates, staff, and attorneys and how to enjoy firm-sponsored social events while maintaining professionalism. We also get tips on what not to do, to keep you on the best course for landing a job after graduation!

Nontraditional law school applicants and students might look a little different on paper and in-person, but they still have to face the same daunting law school admissions process as those coming straight from undergraduate schools. As students, they will face the same rigorous academic curriculum and the same job search challenges as others, but they do so coming from a background and a perspective that may not always mirror that of their fellow law students. We explore this topic with law school admissions deans, a dean of career services, an admissions consultant and we talk with a non-traditional student who has traveled down this road.

Law school rankings. Questioned, criticized, but rarely ignored. Whether rankings really say anything about the quality of legal education is an open question, but the fact is, they are used by students looking for the school that fits them best and by some employers deciding which law school grads to recruit. Some rankings rate full-time, part-time and international law programs, others rank schools based on their job placement rate, employer satisfaction, faculty and student diversity. You can also find rankings focusing on specialties such as intellectual property, environmental law, healthcare and tax law. We’ll dig into the rankings and find out which list is most appropriate for each set of criteria and what’s behind the numbers.

When considering law school, one of the options you will weigh is whether to pursue the degree on a part-time or full-time basis. With rising tuition and an uncertain job market, prospective law students may have an incentive to keep working at their current jobs, if they are already employed or, to find a way to finance law school with a job that allows them to attend school at night. But do part-time law students give up something that is vital to their legal education? We interviewed experts from the admissions offices and career offices at law schools with part-time JD programs to help you understand the pros and cons of each program, to learn how admissions committees evaluate part-time applicants and to learn about career prospects for part-time law students. We also hear from a part-time law student who is working while attending school about how it all fits together. Listen to what they have to say.

Waitlist purgatory. The place no law school applicant wants to end up. What should you do now? Some say you need to continually update the school with your recent developments, more letters of recommendation and maybe even take the LSAT again, but some schools tell you not to send anything unless there’s been a significant change in your application. We’ll explore where you should go from here and what you can do to help get you off the waitlist and onto the accepted list.

Law school applicants have had to face the LSAT since 1948. Now, it’s your turn. To help you prepare, we have interviewed the various test preparation companies to hear what they have to offer. They will discuss the different types of courses they offer, from traditional classroom courses, private tutoring and online courses. Each company will have the opportunity to explain how they are unique and what makes them stand out. Listen and learn what option is best for you.

Get ready to think hard, dig deep and do a little soul searching. It’s time to tackle your law school personal statement. The personal statement is the single most important part of your entire application which you can control. So put your LSAT scores and your GPA aside for a bit and think about how you can convince the admission committee that you deserve a spot in their entering 1st year law school class. Our guests will tell you where to begin, what to focus on and how to address any weaknesses in your application, such as a low LSAT score or a weak GPA. You will also learn how to prepare the people you chose to write your letters of recommendation so that your recommendations are consistent with your personal statement and help enhance the overall image you are building of yourself.

You are considering a law school education, and you know it’s a good investment for your future. But, you may not be sure exactly how to finance the cost of a 3 year education that can top more than $40,000/year in expenses. Our experts explain the options available, and outline the financial aid process, including federal and private loans, grants and scholarships and how best to prepare financially to continue your studies. Listen to what law school deans who work with students at various stages of the financial aid process have to say; we talk with one dean who helps students put the financing together to pay for school and with a career services dean who helps place students in the jobs that will help them pay back their debt. We hear from experts with FinAid.org, Fastweb.com, and Sallie Mae, to get insight that will help you get started on your financial strategy to pay for law school. We also take a look at what changes in the federal student loan program might mean for law school applicants and students.

Joint degree programs are proliferating and one of the most popular are the programs offering to join a graduate business degree (MBA) with a law degree (JD) for a joint JD/MBA. More and more schools are offering these combined programs in response to strong student demand driven by the potential for substantial savings of time and money. We talk to the experts to find out what the real value of these programs are, when a dual degree makes the most sense for a student, the procedures and standards for admission, what the academic challenges are, and we get the latest information about post-graduate career opportunities.

It’s no surprise that, during a recession, the legal job market tightens and legal employment is harder to find. Big Law firms that once snapped up students and law school graduates are laying-off lawyers, reducing associate class size or deferring the start dates for students with accepted job offers. Legal employers are changing the ways they recruit lawyers and the way they do business. Meanwhile, the tough times are steering more applicants to law school. What does this mean to currently enrolled law students, law school applicants and freshly-minted law school graduates? We interviewed law school deans of admission, financial aid and career services, the Executive Director at NALP and the writer for the Wall Street Journal who covers notable trends in the legal market for the business community, to get their advice on what can be done to navigate one’s career and application during these challenging times.

The LSAT® is the single most dreaded part of the law school application process. Everyone has heard the stories and the myths surrounding the exam. Listen in as we talk with law school deans of admission, and get some perspective about the test from a current law school dean who served on the Test Development Committee for the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). Our experts dispel some of the popular notions about the exam, including the notion that the questions are designed to trick test-takers. The deans also weigh in on how important the LSAT® is relative to other factors when evaluating your application. Finally, we also hear from two test prep companies about how they can help prepare students to master the material on exam day.

With so many law schools, how do you decide which school is right for you? Part of your decision will be based on where you think you will get accepted, but there is more to consider than just LSAT scores and undergraduate GPAs. In this episode, we explore the various factors you should consider when deciding where to apply, including curriculum offerings and other activities such as law reviews/journals and clinical programs, opportunities for legal employment after graduation, and factors such as cost, accreditation and location. Our guests will give you specific recommendations on what you should look for in a school as you compile your list of potential law school programs.

In the competitive world of law school admissions, your goal is to build the best possible application package. This means covering all your bases. Have your written a personal statement that is full of details and free of errors? Did you make the most of opportunities to showcase your unique accomplishments? Did you properly address perceived weaknesses? In this show, we provide tips to help you create the killer law school application, one that will leave a lasting impression. You will hear directly from law school admissions deans about what they look for in a candidate and you'll get several tips from an author whose book is about writing the best personal statement for law school and from a consultant who guides applicants through the law school application process.

For students thinking of applying to law school, it is never too early to start building a strong application. In this show, we interview top law school admissions deans, admission consultants, authors, and current law students to help illuminate the process by telling us what can be done now to help applicants get in next year. Find out when to start studying for the LSAT, how many time applicants should plan to take the exam, when the best time to visit schools is, how to narrow choices, and how to address weaknesses in an application, such as low grades or potentially low LSAT scores. Find out when the best time is to submit the application. We also examine how current economic conditions may affect the application process.