A question whether I should apply or not

[tokyoblonde]

First of all, I came here because I am seeking some advice. Let's say I'm non-traditional (above age 30), female, and within a minority group. I became interested in law after being in workforce for several years. My main question is whether I should apply or not. I've not taken LSAT yet but I plan to practice for it before taking the actual test. My undergrad GPA isn't the best due to personal reasons (I didn't know what I wanted to do back then) but I'm not trying to make any excuses. But I already have a permanent job and plan to stay there as long as I can because I felt I'm making a difference while working there and it's in my area of expertise because I know what those people are going through and have empathy for them and, at the same time, have a desire to improve my agency's services and goals.

So the area of law I'm most interested in that can apply toward my current job is Public Interest, especially Disability Law. I work with many underrepresented people with a high demand for legal services but have a great difficulty finding any lawyers or even legal aid service who can take them on pro bono or lower fee basis in the area where I live. My passion is to help those people regardless how much I earn for a living at my current job although I'm technically an administrator there so I'm not really in for higher salary or glory working at a law firm. But I wonder if it's a waste of my time to apply because of my low GPA (started off with a 3.8 in the beginning but ended up with a 2.7 when I graduated) in spite of potential higher LSAT (depending how well I do and let's say I'm a median standardized test taker but didn't have a difficulty getting accepted to some universities) and/or personal statement? I received my BA degree in 2005 and worked ever since. I do love where I am at now but wish to gain more knowledge and experience in field of law and maybe do some pro-bono lawyering on the side  if I pass the bar exam down the road when called to court to represent my clients I work with. I have found several law schools in my area that I can attend during evenings/weekends while keeping my full time job. Your feedback is appreciated!

[livinglegend]

A 2.7 isn't great, but you can certainly get into an ABA school with a decent LSAT. Furthermore, if your in a minority many schools give you extra points in your application. I would recommend simply taking the LSAT see how that goes and if you get a 150 or above combined with a 2.7 I imagine a few schools would at the very least seriously consider your application. Lawschoolnumbers.com is a pretty good site on top of LSAC which can give you some guidance as to what you need to get on the LSAT for the particular schools you are interested in.

Also to save money on law school applications you should attend an LSAC forum there are usually several of these a year and if you simply go up and talk to schools many will give you a fee waiver.