<p>I just finished my undergraduate degree in Paralegal Studies in 2007 with a 3.85 GPA. Additionally, I have worked as a paralegal/legal secretary since 1994. What do you think the chances are that I will be accepted to a law school in NJ/PA/DE area?</p>
<p>Retake the LSAT. Otherwise, don't go to law school unless you have parents paying or you can get very, very cheap instate tuition somewhere. With your current numbers split, you will not get into any strong schools and it's incredibly unlikely that you would be able to pay off the $150+k in loans that even mediocre schools would leave you with.</p>
<p>Paralegal school & legal secretary work are not good ways to prepare for law school. Although you understand legal jargon, legal reasoning and the aptitude for legal reasoning are much more important for the practice of law. A 146 is not a good LSAT score, but there are law schools that will take your money. Passing a bar exam, however, will be another issue if you are able to graduate law school. Philosophy is the undergraduate major most suited for the practice of law.</p>
<p>The generally accepted maxim is...</p>
<p>...with those numbers, you will not get in to any law school worth going to. You may get into a few 4th tier schools, but don't hold your breath for a job paying more than $45k after graduation. </p>
<p>That, said, if you're real intent on law school, I would definitely recommend re-taking the LSAT. Shoot for a 10 point improvement. A 151 average, coupled with a 3.85 GPA, should get you into a few third tier schools. I will also echo that law schools really don't like "pre-law" or "paralegal" majors. As pointed out above, it may be good for the secretarial aspects of law, but it's counterintuitive in terms of learning legal philosophy, which is what law schools and employers look for.</p>
<p>It may help if the original poster added more background info. What are your goals? Why do you want to go to law school after 14 years as a paralegal?</p>
<p>I work as a legal assistant part time and I know many paralegals who want to get a law degree. I have heard some of the partners encourage them to go to law school. This means, regardless of the school they graduate from, they will have a job at the firm they have worked at for however many years. </p>
<p>With that said, the op's lsat score is low and any decision requires a thorough understanding of the pros and cons. I am unsure we can give proper advice without more knowledge of the original posters situation.</p>
<p>You are correct, devo, I already have a job lined up after graduation so where I go doesn't really matter too much as I will probably retire with my current employer. However, I am kind of stuck on where I can go since I am older and have a family so I have to stay in the immediate area and there is only one tier 4 school within driving distance. I was kind of hoping to get more people who applied to schools in my area or who live in my area to post and let me know my chances with my current score instead of hearing about how I should re-take the LSAT....as that part I already knew. But if there is a chance I can get into a local school with my current LSAT given my strong UGPA and work experience, then I don't want to spend another $118.00 and/or spend thousands on a LSAT prep course unnecessarily.</p>
<p>I would suggest looking at lawschoolnumbers dot com. This is the easiest way to find out how people with similar numbers did at specific schools. Of course, realize that it is difficult to take "soft" variables into consideration, given the limited information on many of the user bios.</p>
<p>If it's just a matter of needing a JD regardless of the school, you should look at the numbers to figure out what your chances are with your current score. If your chances don't look good, you should probably re-take the LSAT. $118 isn't very much considering the overall cost of law school.</p>
<p>You can try lawschoolnumbers, but you can probably get the numbers for a lot of the schools you're looking at from the ABA guide to law schools: Official</a> Guide </p>
<p>LSN exists in part because the top schools generally do not release this data, but many schools do.</p>
<p>If you select a school and then click on "law school description," there should be a grid with applicant data at the very end.</p>
<p>As far as your guaranteed job after graduation goes, keep in mind that law firms (even big ones) break up all the time, restructure, etc.</p>
<p>It will be tough to estimate which schools will accept you because your GPA and LSAT are so unrelated, but you would certainly get into a local school somewhere in your area.</p>
<p>Just a comment: If you earned your high undergrad GPA by taking two classes at a time while working, you should know that you cannot do that in law school (ABA rules require you to finish within a set time), so you will probably be taking three difficult courses if you're part-time (and, presumably still working full-time) so it will be tough.</p>
<p>If you really, really want to be a lawyer, and you're willing to sacrifice three years of your life - only to start over as a new associate - then I say go for it, but with open eyes.</p>