Each law school has different prerequisites and requirements for admission, so check your intended law school's admissions website for details. However, most law schools require applicants to hold a bachelor's degree in any discipline, submit two to three letters of recommendation and a resume, take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and write a personal statement. Most applications are processed through the Law School Admissions Council's (LSAC) Credential Assembly Service.
LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS) is the "middleman" between you and the law schools to which you apply, according to Penn State's Prelaw Advising website. Nearly all law schools require applicants to use the CAS. This service, which can be accessed through LSAC's website for a fee, compiles an applicant's LSAT score(s), letters of recommendation, LSAT writing sample, and official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions attended, according to LSAC's website. The CAS will then forward this information to the law schools the applicant selects.
All American Bar Association-approved and most Canadian law schools require applicants to take the LSAT. The LSAC administers the LSAT four times per year, typically in February, June, October and December. All tests occur on Saturdays, except the June test, which is usually administered on a Monday. Many law schools recommend or require that applicants take the LSAT no later than December for the following academic year's admission; the LSAC also recommends that applicants take the test even earlier, in June or October, to allow for possible retakes. Applicants may retake the test up to three times in a two-year period.
Applicants should carefully compare their LSAT score and undergraduate GPA against the law school's published median LSAT scores and GPAs, which are available on LSAC's website or in "U.S. News & World Report's" annual law school rankings. If an applicant's LSAT score and undergraduate GPA are both below the 25th percentile for a school, he probably stands little chance of getting in; likewise, if his LSAT and GPA are both above the 75 percentile, he probably has a good chance of admission and scholarship money.
Top-Law-Schools.com's "Guide to Law School Admissions" recommends that applicants apply to two or three "safety" schools, i.e. those where an applicant stands a good chance of admission, four "on par" schools with about a 50 percent chance of admission and at least three "reach" schools with less than a 50 percent chance of admission.
Application time lines will vary based on law school's individual deadlines, an applicant's preferences, etc. However, both Berkeley and Penn State's career centers recommend registering for the June test (registration deadlines for the June test are typically in April or May; check the LSAC's website for details) and spending the summer gathering letters of recommendation and writing a personal statement.
Berkeley's Career Center recommends applicants submit all applications by Thanksgiving at the latest (for the following academic year). Application decisions should be finalized by the spring, as deposit deadlines are typically in April and May.