JD Admission Requirements

Candidates must have completed a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university at the time of enrollment (i.e. Fall). In other words, you may apply while you are still in school, as long as you will have obtained your baccalaureate degree by the time you start law school.

Transcripts from all university-level schooling, including community college and graduate programs, are required and must be submitted through the Law School Admissions Council’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS). Applicants who received evaluations rather than grades need to submit their evaluations to the CAS for review.

Applicants with transcripts from foreign universities (except Canadian universities) have separate procedures regarding transcripts (see requirements for International and Foreign-educated applicants).

The LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) is required of all applicants. There is no minimum score requirement for the LSAT, but reviewing our incoming class profile will indicate to you how competitive your score might be at Lewis & Clark. To register for the test and to check administration sites, please visit www.lsac.org. LSAT scores older than five years will not be accepted.

Every candidate must have at least one LSAT Writing completed and reported by LSAC in order to for an application to be complete. This requirement may also be met if you have a LSAT writing sample from a test administration prior to June 2019. For more information about LSAT Writing and how to complete it, click here.

There is no page limit, though a typical essay is 2-3 pages. Essays are read for writing ability as well as content. Specific topics may vary, however, the essay provides an opportunity for the Admissions Committee to learn more about you and should include information that is not otherwise apparent in your application.

You may write about your background, experiences, interest in law, aspirations, special abilities, or any topic that you feel will help readers of your application get a sense of you as a person and prospective law student.

This essay should convey why you’re interested in Lewis & Clark.

Include a resume describing all work experience, student activities, community service, and honors and awards. Please include dates and titles where appropriate.

Two letters of recommendation are required, but three will be accepted. Letters should be written by people who are well acquainted with you (family and friends excluded) and who can evaluate your academic competence, your professional promise as a lawyer, your ability to relate to people and society, and your ethical character. Professors and employers often are the best sources. Letters from prominent individuals and attorneys who have little knowledge of you are not impressive to the admissions committee.

We highly encourage sending a copy of your resume to your recommenders as well, so they can reflect on the strengths and skills you are actively highlighting in your file. 

The Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) provides an Evaluation Service where your recommenders can rate you on your skills and abilities. Lewis & Clark will accept up to two of these evaluations, but we do not require them.

You may submit an addendum to address anything in your file you wish the committee to consider when reviewing your file in full. Such a statement might describe your family, social, ethnic or economic background, or specific challenges you have faced.

We do not accept:

• Videos
• CDs
• DVDs
• Or lengthy writing samples

You will need to answer some questions on the application about character and fitness. Answers to these questions are required, as are explanations for circumstances and outcomes regarding such things as criminal charges, academic sanctions, and military discharges.

In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.