There are two halves to the formal application process, both of which are completed via the Law School Admission Council: each individual law school's application and the law school report.
- Individual law school applications - you will fill these out online, a separate application for each law school you apply to.
- The Law School Report - this is produced by LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS) using materials you have requested and/or submitted (requires that you register for the CAS)
Once you complete each law school's application and that law school is ready to review you, they will contact LSAC. As long as your CAS file is complete (including paying all fees), LSAC will generate and send to the school your completed law school report.
It is important to read each law school's instructions carefully in order to ascertain any information specific to that institution. Application fees, the number of letters of recommendation allowed, and other information will vary from school to school, as will the application window; most law schools start accepting applications as of September 1st though some may open later in the month.
Click here for an example of a timeline to submit the various application components.
While law schools may ask for similar information, each school you apply to will require you to complete their specific application form (there is no "common application" for law schools). This is done electronically through LSAC using your free JD account. The application will have several sections of questions and will require attaching certain documents.
Demographic Questions
The first several questions asked will be "standard" application questions - biographical and demographical questions, questions about your education or any military service, etc. You'll probably find most schools are asking the same questions in this section.
"All about our school" Questions
Many law schools will ask questions about themselves, asking how you heard about them, have you attended any of their events or had prior communication with their office, etc. They may ask which of their programs interest you or why you are applying to their school. This allows them to see not only what is working in terms of their marketing, but also how genuinely interested are you in their school - if you don't know anything about them or never had any previous contact, how genuine is your interest in their school?
They may also ask for a list of which other schools you are applying to - be honest! There is no reason to hide the fact that you are applying to multiple schools (in fact they assume you are). You will not be judged or evaluated differently - every law school is simply curious who their "competitors" are.
Resume
Work with your college's Career Services office to develop your professional resume. Most of the time a "traditional" resume is sufficient for law school. It should include employment, service, extra-curricular, or any other experiences in which you had a leadership role, were responsible for certain tasks or projects, or otherwise showcases your involvement and engagement beyond merely saying "I was a member/I attended regular meetings.
Be precise! If you worked as a summer camp counselor in 2024 and 2025 do not put "Summer Camp Counselor May 2024-August 2025" and expect them to understand you only meant May-August in 2024 and May-August in 2025. Embellishing is a red flag, whether it's done on purpose (lying) or accidentally (not paying attention to detail).
Personal Statement
Read each law school's personal statement question and directions thoroughly - law schools are evaluating both the style and substance of your statement. Be precise in your formatting and use of proper grammar, as well as your ability to follow directions. This statement is not only an important source of information about yourself that is not included in the rest of the application, but also a demonstration of your writing skills. While the LSAT includes an argumentative writing section, you're responding to a specific scenario whereas this statement is more a true writing sample. Avoid cliches, generalities, and grandiose expressions and be direct, honest, personal, and specific. Don't focus too much on "standing out" - a memorable statement can help to distinguish you from the masses of other applicants however first and foremost it should be well-written and genuine. Think of it this way - you are looking to go into an advocacy career; this is your chance to advocate for yourself. Other applicants will have the same LSAT score, the same GPA, many of the same or similar activities/jobs/experiences, even some of the same things said about them by their letter of recommendation writers. Your personal statement will be the one unique thing about your application.
Character and Fitness Questions
Most if not all law schools will include a "Character and Fitness" section with questions asking about past transgressions, everything from disciplinary actions in school to arrests (regardless of outcome). If you answer "yes" to any such question you will be required to provide an additional statement or "addendum" explaining the circumstances of the situation.
Addenda
There are two types of addenda - required and optional.
Required addenda are explanations of any questions you answered "yes" to. If you got in trouble, what happened? Do not make excuses, do not equivocate. Be up front and honest about whatever happened, how it was resolved, and what you learned from the situation/what you've done to ensure it won't happen again. Minor one-time transgressions will not keep you out of law school. Not disclosing those transgressions, covering them up, or lying about them could keep you out of law school.
Optional addenda are at your discretion. The application will likely include some variation of "please share any additional information you feel would be helpful for the review committee to know." This is your opportunity to explain special circumstances, such as a weak start to college or a semester of bad grades due to something that happened. Do not be defensive or make excuses for things in your control, such as deficiencies in preparation or performance, however law schools know life happens. If there was a situation outside your control that had a major impact on you (i.e. a death of a close family member, an undiagnosed health condition, etc.) the review committee is likely to be understanding, especially if you can demonstrate an academic recovery once you dealt with whatever happened.
The law school report includes:
- An academic summary report (cover sheet) based on your transcripts
- Your LSAT score(s) including the LSAT writing sample(s)
- All transcripts
- Letters of Recommendation
LSAT Scores
Once you have registered for and taken the Law School Admission Test, your score will be uploaded to CAS unless you decide to cancel the score before it is released. If you take the LSAT multiple times you cannot request that only your highest score be uploaded - all law schools you apply to will see all of your LSAT scores. If you take the test but cancel the score before it is released, or if you fail to attend the test without cancelling prior, law schools will be notified of those actions as well. Many if not most will use your highest score when evaluating your application, however some may average multiple scores. Talk with a pre-law advisor if you are considering or have questions about taking the LSAT more than once.
Transcripts
The Law School Admission Council requires you to submit a transcript from any college or university you have attended, not just Ohio State. This includes courses taken at any other institution at any time for any reason; university courses taken while in high school, summer classes taught at a local college near your home, an education abroad program through another institution, etc. Any transfer credit awarded by Ohio State is not sufficient for purposes of applying to law school - an official transcript from the school that offered the course and awarded the grade is required.
Letters of Recommendation (LORs)
As with the personal statement above, be sure to read the law school's directions - some law schools only require one (1) letter of recommendation while many if not most require two (2) letters. Some schools will accept a third letter while others will accept a maximum of two (2). If you send more letters than the maximum you are demonstrating an inability to follow directions.
Law schools are considering whether to admit you as a student, not hire you as an employee. At least one if not two letters should be from an academic reference. Be sure to ask faculty/instructors who can talk about your strengths in the classroom such as how you construct arguments or present information, not simply your attendance record. If possible, ask people who have taught you in more than one course as they will likely know you and the quality of your work better (keep this in mind when scheduling courses).