JD Admission Requirements

The following items are requirements for citizens or permanent residents of the U.S., who are applying for the JD program. Please see Admission Timeline for deadlines.

1. Online Application Form (We do not have a paper application. If you are unable to apply online, please contact us).

Please note as of November 2023, there is no longer an application fee for students applying to Lewis & Clark Law School. 

2. Transcripts

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).

3. LSAT Score and LSAT Writing

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.  

4. Personal Statement

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. Explaining why you are applying to Lewis & Clark is also helpful. 

5. Resume

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

6. Letters of Recommendation / Evaluations

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.

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.

7. Supplemental Statements (optional)

You may submit an addendum to address anything in your file you wish the committee to consider when reviewing your file. 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.

8. Character & Fitness

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.

Re-applicants

Application files are kept for one year. If reapplying for the following year, you will need to submit a new application form and the $50 application fee. We will also request a new CAS report from LSAC. If you would like us to use the personal statement and/or resume that was submitted with your old application please notify us of this in writing. If you wish to submit a new personal statement or resume, submit these with your application. If you are reapplying more than a year from your previous application, you will need to resubmit all required materials.

Additional Questions? Please contact:

Office of Admissions
Lewis & Clark Law School
10101 South Terwilliger Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 97219-7799
Phone: 503-768-6613
Fax: 503-768-6793
Email: lawadmss@lclark.edu