You are required to submit one essay, or statement, to be considered for admission. The statement 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. There is no word or page limit. The Admissions Committee will read the statement for style, grammar, and content.

For all written submissions we expect that the work is the applicant's own, meaning that the ideas and expressions originated with the applicant, and that the applicant wrote all drafts and the final product. Applicants should not use generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT) as part of their drafting process.

Lewis & Clark seeks to enroll a class with varied backgrounds and interests. If you did not cover these topics in your personal statement, you may write a separate essay discussing how your interests, background, life experiences, and perspectives would contribute to to the entering class. If applicable, you may also describe any conditions that may have adversely affected your past performance or that you have successfully overcome, including linguistic barriers or a personal or family history of cultural, educational, social, or economic disadvantage.

There are no requirements for the length of this essay, however, please be specific about the reasons you are applying to Lewis & Clark Law School.

If you have additional information you would like to include with your application, but that does not fit within our current list of required or optional attachments, please attach an addendum here.

You have the option of submitting a short (no more than one page) statement with this application regarding your particular qualifications, which can help the scholarship committee in evaluating your request. See the "Merit-Based Scholarship" section in this application for more information on our scholarships.

Your resume should include work experience, extracurricular activities, volunteer or community service, special skills, honors, awards, and other outstanding achievements. Include experiences after high school. Please indicate dates worked/served, main duties and responsibilities, position titles, and spell out uncommon acronyms.

To become a member of the practicing bar, you will have to pass a state bar examination. 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.

Personnel at that agency are in the best position to give you guidance on the likelihood of your passing that state's character and fitness requirements. Most bar examiners will ask questions similar to those below. State bar admissions agencies may request to see your law school application file and may compare your answers on your law school application to those on your bar application for consistency. If in doubt as to whether to disclose, it is better to err on the side of disclosure. Failure to disclose can sometimes create as much concern on the part of a bar admissions agency as the actual infraction that one fails to disclose. Any discrepancies are likely to result in a thorough investigation by the state bar examiner.

Because individuals with criminal backgrounds are likely to encounter barriers to bar licensure, the following questions are mandatory. Your answers will be considered as one factor among many as part of our holistic admission review process.

If your answer to any of the following questions is "Yes," you must include a detailed statement to your application regarding the matter. Answering "Yes" to these questions will not automatically preclude you from admission to Lewis & Clark.

NOTE: You have an ongoing obligation to notify us if additional events occur between the time you sign this application and your matriculation at Lewis & Clark Law School that fit within the parameters of the questions in the Character & Fitness section of the application.

1. Have you ever been cited for, arrested for, charged with, or convicted of any violation of any law other than a case that was resolved in juvenile court? This includes traffic violations. If "Yes," please provide an explanation of each incident including the resolution of the action and your reflections on each incident. Note: Include matters that have been dismissed, expunged, subjected to a diversion or deferred prosecution program, or otherwise set aside, except those in juvenile court.

2. Have you ever been dismissed from, suspended by, or subjected to academic or disciplinary sanctions or reprimands of any kind by any school, college, university, or law school? If "Yes," please provide an explanation of each incident including the resolution of the action and your reflections on each incident. By signing this application, you release us to discuss this matter with the school involved should we feel the need to do so.

Lewis & Clark Law School affirmatively seeks a diverse academic community of students who demonstrate significant professional promise and the capacity for excellence in law school. The school selectively admits candidates who have intellectual talent, motivation, high ethical character, and who come from a variety of academic and professional disciplines. Candidates for admission to the J.D. program must hold a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university.

J.D. APPLICATION TIMELINE

September 15 - Application period opens

Mid to Late December - First admissions decisions sent to applicants

January 15***** - Priority deadline to apply for international applicants

February 15****** - Priority deadline to file federal financial aid applications (FAFSA)

March 15******* - Priority deadline to apply for U.S. applicants

July 1 - Last Day to Submit an application for the following fall

*Due to the complexity of reviewing applications from foreign-students the priority deadline is earlier in the cycle. Applications may still be accepted after January 15.

**Lewis & Clark FAFSA code number is 003197. You can file any time after October 1 of the year before you intend to start law school.

***Applications may still be submitted after March 15, but space in the entering class could be limited.

APPLICANT CHECKLIST OF REQUIRED MATERIALS

1. Application form.
2. Resume. Your resume should include your work experience, extracurricular activities, volunteer or community service, special skills, honors, awards, and other outstanding achievements. Include experiences after high school.
3. Personal Statement. The personal statement provides an opportunity for the Admissions Committee to learn more about you and should include information that is not otherwise apparent in your application. There is no word or page limit, although most statements are two or three pages. The Admissions Committee will read the statement for style, grammar, and content. The statement must be your own work. Applicants should not use generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT) as part of their drafting process.
4. Why Lewis & Clark Essay. This essay should convey why you're interested in Lewis & Clark.
5. Credential Assembly Service Report (CAS) - Please sign up through LSAC
6. The CAS report will contain the following:

• LSAT Score - LSAT scores are valid up to five testing years after the testing year in which the score is earned.
• Writing Sample -You must have at least one LSAT Writing on file before your application will be considered complete.
• Letters of recommendation - Two letters of recommendation are required. These letters will help the Admissions Committee evaluate your academic competence, ethical character, and your professional promise as a lawyer. Letters should be written by people who are well acquainted with you and who can attest to your ability to enter a competitive professional academic program.
• Official academic transcripts

1. TOEFL Score. Required only for applicants whose native language is not English and who received their undergraduate instruction in a language other than English.
2. Addenda or Supplemental Statements (if applicable). This includes statements regarding one's character and fitness to practice law (see Character & Fitness section of this application); statements regarding previous law school attendance; or other addenda providing the Admissions Committee with additional information the applicant thinks would be useful in making a decision.

Lewis & Clark Law School adheres to a nondiscrimination policy with respect to employment, enrollment, and program. The law school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap or disability, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity, or military status, and has a firm commitment to promote the letter and spirit of all equal opportunity and civil rights laws.

Applicants to the JD/LLM program in environmental & natural resources law should address their interest in obtaining the joint degree either in their personal statement or in a separate statement. The joint program allows L&C students to receive a JD degree and an LLM in environmental law and is for students who wish to take additional environmental law courses after completing the JD requirements. This will take at least one additional semester beyond the JD. Decisions for the JD and LLM programs will be sent to you separately.