LexScholars by AccessLex FAQs

In 2020, LexScholars will consist of two cohorts receiving access to the following resources:

Aspirant Cohort:

• Members of this cohort (25 participants) will participate in a 4-week residential program at Catholic University in Washington DC, during summer 2020 (July 11 – August 8). The program will consist of skills building in various areas, including reading, writing, logic reasoning, and wellness techniques. Participants will also be exposed to the LSAT and the law school admission process.

  As part of the program, participants will receive round- trip air and/or ground transportation to and from Washington, DC; program housing; and a living stipend of $800.

  Participants will be expected to participate in LexScholars for two years, including another 4-week residential program in Washington, DC in summer 2021.

Prospect Cohort:

Members of this cohort will be randomly divided into three groups. Resources and services received by each group are listed below:

⚬   LSAT Prep Only Group (200 participants)

• Kaplan Online LSAT course, starting on August 1, 2020

⚬ LSAT Prep and Admission Counseling Group (30 participants)

• Kaplan Online LSAT course, starting on August 1, 2020
• Ongoing admission counseling throughout the application process
• Ongoing financial education

⚬ Comprehensive Support Group (20 participants)

• Kaplan Online LSAT course, starting on August 1, 2020
• 4-week residential summer program on the campus of Catholic University in Washington, D.C. during summer 2020 (July 11-August 8), consisting of classroom LSAT prep; admission counseling; writing exercises; financial education; travel assistance to and from D.C.; program housing including a meal plan; and a living stipend of $800.
• Ongoing admission counseling throughout the application process
• Ongoing financial education

The LexScholars residential summer program will take on the campus of Catholic University in Washington, DC, from July 11 until August 8.

LexScholars is using an experimental research design that is premised on the random selection and assignment of participants. All applicants must be willing and able to participate in the residential summer program, if selected.

In 2017, there were 108,299 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 the least diverse profession in the U.S., with Black, Latino/Hispanic, Native American people collectively comprising just 11% of U.S. lawyers despite comprising a third 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. LexScholars applicants are considered to be socioeconomically underrepresented if they are either first-generation college graduates or if they received Pell Grants in college.

Yes. LexScholars is targeted at underrepresented applicants who possess potential for success in law school but have standardized test scores and/or grades that suggest they would have difficulty gaining admission to almost every law schools.

In order to be eligible for LexScholars, applicants must have a LexScholars UGPA/LSAT Index score less than 148.

• Calculate your Index by adding your cumulative undergraduate GPA to your highest LSAT score.

  • Example: 3.30 UGPA + 144 High LSAT = 147.3 Index

• For applicants who have not taken the LSAT, your highest score on the GRE-Verbal, GMAT, SAT, or ACT may be submitted. To be eligible, the score cannot be higher than the 25th percentile on the specific test. Cumulative undergraduate GPA cannot be higher than 3.30.

• You should report your highest LSAT score. In order to be eligible for LexScholars, your UGPA/LSAT Index score must be less than 148. Calculate your Index by adding your cumulative undergraduate GPA to your highest LSAT score. Example: 3.30 UGPA + 144 High LSAT = 147.3 Index

• Yes. You may report a score from GRE-Verbal, GMAT, SAT, or ACT. You should report the highest score on the most recent type of test you took. To be eligible for LexScholars, the score cannot be higher than the 25th percentile. Cumulative undergraduate GPA cannot be higher than 3.30.

If you have previously enrolled in a JD program at an ABA-approved law school, you are not eligible to participate in LexScholars.

LexScholars 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 undergraduate grades. We believe that with adequate information, resources, and support, many of these applicants can be successful as law students and lawyers. LSAT scores and undergraduate grades have value in predicting law school success, but aptitude and potential are not fully captured by these measures.

There are no fees associated with LexScholars. All stipulated resources will be provided at no cost. Participants selected to take part in the residential summer program will be provided travel assistance to and from DC, housing during the four-week program, meals, and a living stipend of $800. There are possible tax implications associated with receipt of stipends. It will be the responsibility of participants to apprise themselves of those responsibilities.

LexScholars participant selection will be done via random drawing and assignment. Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria in order to be included in the drawing. The drawing will be weighted, meaning that applicants will have uneven odds of being selected. Odds will be determined based on the weighting of application materials and applicant background.

The “ideal” LexScholars participant has endured multilayered disadvantages and has a clear, preferably demonstrated, commitment to pursuing admission to law school, but is unlikely to gain admission without targeted assistance. Applicants aligning closely with this profile will be granted more “entries” into the random drawing, thereby increasing their odds of being selected.

In lieu of traditional letters, applicants are required to have two recommender assessments submitted on their behalf. These assessments will rate applicants on the following ten qualities and characteristics that research has associated with effective lawyering skills:

1. Analysis and Reasoning: Uses analytical skills, logic, and reasoning to approach problems and to formulate conclusions and advice.
2. Problem Solving: Effectively identifies problems and derives appropriate solutions.
3. Speaking: Orally communicates issues in an articulate manner consistent with issue and audience being addressed.
4. Writing: Writes clearly, efficiently and persuasively.
5. Community Involvement and Service: Contributes skills to the community.
6. Integrity & Honesty: Has core values and beliefs; acts with integrity and honesty.
7. Stress Management: Effectively manages pressure or stress.
8. Passion & Engagement: Demonstrates interest in law and/or the goal of completing law school.
9. Diligence: Committed to and responsible in achieving goals and completing tasks.
10. Able to See the World Through the Eyes of Others: Understands positions, views, objectives, and goals of others.

The assessments will be delivered electronically to the recommenders you list in your application. Recommenders will be complete and submit the assessments online. You can download a copy of the assessment here.

Yes. You should try to find recommenders who can rate you on as many of the listed qualities and characteristics as possible. But they will able to mark ‘N/A’ for those qualities and characteristics on which they are unable to rate you.

Yes. LexScholars participants selected to take part in the residential summer program will receive round trip air and/or ground transportation to and from Washington, DC, housing and meals during the four-week program, and a living stipend of $800. There are possible tax implications associated with receipt of stipends. It will be the responsibility of participants to apprise themselves of those responsibilities.

The purpose of LexScholars is two-fold: to maximize your chances at acceptance into law school, and to explore and develop sustainable models for increasing law school diversity by addressing common disadvantages faced by applicants from underrepresented backgrounds. In order to conduct analyses of the impact of the program components, participants must agree to allow AccessLex researchers to track their law school admission experiences and outcomes. 

LexScholars participants will be required to submit monthly reports and complete surveys detailing their experiences during the law school admission process. An online reporting form will be forwarded to participants via email each month, beginning in September 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 LexScholars participation.

Monthly update and survey prompts may include, but will not be limited to:

• Have you applied to any law schools in the last month?
  • If yes, please list the schools.
• Have you received any admission decisions in the last month?
  • If yes, please list:
    • each school from which a decision was received
    • each respective decision
• Have you registered for the LSAT in the last month?
  • If yes, please list the month and year of the test.
• Have you received an LSAT score in the last month?
  • If yes, please list:
    • month and year of the test
    • score you received
• Have you received any admission decisions in the last month?
  • If yes, please list:
    • each school from which a decision was received
    • each respective decision
• Have you received any law school scholarship offers or grant awards in the last month?
  • If yes, please list:
    • each school/organization offering the scholarship or grant
    • amount of each scholarship or grant
• Have you paid a seat deposit to any law school(s) in the last month?
  • If yes, please list the school(s) to which you paid the deposit.
• Please list the school in which you have enrolled.
• As you reflect on your experiences during the law school admission process, rank the different components of LexScholars in order of usefulness.
• As you reflect on your experiences during the law school admission process, what were the primary factors that influenced:
  • your decision regarding the number of schools to which you applied
  • how you chose which schools to apply to
  • the timing of your application submissions
  • your decision regarding the school in which you enrolled