The analytical reasoning section – better known as “logic games” – is the hardest for many LSAT takers (although the reading comprehension and logical reasoning sections certainly aren’t a cakewalk). Achieving a high score on this part of the test can be the upper hand you need to gain admission and financial aid to top law schools.

With an in-depth understanding of this section and a customized strategy for tackling it, you can overcome this challenging section of the test.

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Basic Setup

The good news: you only have to do one logic games section on the LSAT. 

The bad news: this section is incredibly challenging. 

However, you can implement different strategies to improve your score on this section.

The logic games section consists of four games. Each game has 5-7 accompanying questions for a total of 23 questions.

These questions test your ability to differentiate between various options when given a set of rules.  The games can usually be organized in different orders, some being groups and others being elements. Additionally, some of the games may consist of more complicated aspects, such as subgroups or mismatching issues. 

These games include the following elements:

• a central scheme that describes the task you must complete
• a set of rules that limit or expand different options

To successfully tackle logic games, you must be able to do the following:

1. Understand the given scenario
2. Visualize the question
3. Understand the meaning and implications of the rules
4. Make necessary inferences by understanding how the rules relate to each other
5. Organize the information in an efficient manner

Accomplishing these tasks first requires that you understand the major types of questions in this section.

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Types of LSAT Logic Game Questions

If you learn to identify the type of logic game quickly, you can then use the strategy described below to handle it. This will put you well above the curve for the average test taker. 

The major types of logic game questions can be grouped in the following categories:

Sequencing

Sequencing games represent the most common type of LSAT logical game. Therefore, it’s best to start here with your studies for this section of the test. That’s perfect because these games are often the easiest for test takers.

Sequencing games require you to put selections in order. These questions only involve one set of variables and one set of ordered spaces for you place the answers. Sequencing questions may contain names you need to place in a certain order, based on criteria such as:

• Numbers
• Days of the week
• Months of the year
• Seats in a classroom or movie theater

You can spot these games by looking for just one set of variables and set of ordered spaces. For example, the question may state that there are 7 cars arriving at 7 different times.

Grouping

Grouping games are the second most popular type of LSAT logic game. These games are similar to sequencing games in that they only have one set of variables. However, they do not have a 1:1 ratio of variables to spaces. In these games, you may have to place variables in multiple categories. The setup of this question may ask for you to place individuals in different groups, categories or teams. Alternatively, this type of question may ask you to make payments or have people arrive at different times or days.

Matching

Matching games consist of two or more categories that you have to match together. However, you don’t have to arrange them in a particular order.

You can spot these games by seeing two or more different variables: commercial establishments and private residences, or tops and shorts. They do not have any ordered spaces that correspond with them. Because many of these games are time-consuming, it may take you longer to handle them. Hence, you might want to skip them at first.

Distribution

Distribution games are similar to matching games in that there are different groups. However, once you have established the groups, you then have to make sub-groups in these games. Spot these games by looking for directions that tell you to separate items into at least two groups.

Selection

Selection is a subcategory of grouping games. However, in this type of logic game, you have to take a larger number of groups and then select only some of them to create a subgroup. This category of games requires you to consider the rules when selecting or rejecting options as part of the subgroup.

Hybrid Games

Hybrid games contain two or more of the game classifications described above. For example, you may encounter a grouping/sequencing hybrid game or a matching/sequencing game. You can spot these games by seeing characteristics that match at least two of the categories described above. These games are often more complex and involve more rules than the other games, so you might want to save them for last.

General Strategies

Before getting into the nitty-gritty, you should be aware of the best approaches to the logic games section of the LSAT. Here are some general guidelines to follow:

• Tackle the easy questions first – You have a limited amount of time and each question carries the same weight, so it makes sense to answer the easiest questions first. This also helps prepare your brain and builds confidence. For many people, sequencing and matching games are the easiest games to answer.
• Read everything – Every word provided in this section is important, so read each word carefully. Be sure that you understand the words and how the rules affect each option.
• Make a diagram – See more specific information on this step below.
• Write the rules – Use shorthand to write out all the rules by your diagram so that you don’t have to read through the game each time.
• Use the process of elimination – This will narrow down which question is right and improve your chances of selecting the right answer even if you didn’t finish solving the problem. 
• Move on – If you’re stuck, pick the best answer from the choices you have remaining and move on. You can circle the question and come back to it if time allows.
• Answer the tough questions last – Since you’ve already tackled the easier questions, now you can go after the more difficult ones. You might even be able to use information you learned in earlier questions to more quickly answer these later questions.
• Don’t make assumptions – Don’t assume something goes together unless a rule specifically says it does. 
• Draw inferences – However, make connections between the rules to establish a master rule. 
• Read the questions – Before you begin sketching out your answer, read over each of the questions under the game so that you know what information to look for. Answer any questions that change any of the rules to last.

If you have worked through a problem but haven’t come down to a specific answer, eliminate the answers that don’t work.

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Diagramming Strategies for the LSAT’s Logic Games

For most test takers, a clear diagram is necessary to organize the information given to them in this section. Consequently, creating a diagram can help you chart out what you know about a game and draw important connections. Condense each option so that the diagram is as small as possible and you don’t wind up writing out full words. For example, many games consist of names or places that have starting sequential letters like “A, B, C and D” or “W, X, Y and Z.” Here are some diagramming strategies for each question type:

Sequencing

Sequencing games require you to put information in order. A diagram for a sequencing game may consist of different slots that you fill out, such as:

You may then place a letter for each person’s name, building or other information in each slot. Some sequencing games may not have relationships that are this rigid and may be better constructed through a relationship tree or web.

Distribution

This type of diagram is usually created in chart form. You can then create dashes for each number of items, people or places that fall under each column. This chart may look like:

In some grouping games, you may just list each option and circle the ones that can be part of the group and x out those that can’t.

Grouping

Grouping games are set up similarly to diagram games. However, in grouping games, you may not always know the specific number of options that fall under a heading. Consequently, you may make an extra dash for another possibility followed by a ? sign.

Matching

The matching games require you to make a basic table. You then place a mark when a pairing is selected. For example, your chart might look like:

	A	B	C	D
E
F
G		X
H

Some of these games may allow you to have more than one match. So, if G matched up to B and C, you might place an X under both the B and C categories.

Hybrid Games

Hybrid games are more difficult to graph because of more possibilities. They usually are not well represented in a grid, since many of them also involve sequencing. The diagram you make should include all of the necessary labels and relationships. 

A sequencing/matching hybrid may look like this:

You will then chart your answers by placing the items in the necessary row.

A grouping/sequencing hybrid game may require you to list various options, using a combination of rows, columns and slots. For example, your chart may look like:

Shorthand Notations

An easy way to build up time is to create a shorthand that explains different relationships between different items. Here’s a cheat sheet:

Creating The Ultimate LSAT Logic Games Study Plan

You should plan on spending at least 100 hours on studying for the logic games section alone. However, don’t begrudge this time because logic games are the area where many test takers see the biggest improvement. Include the following in your study plan:

• Devote 2-3 hours a day to study – Aim for about three hours per day of studying on the logic games section. 
• Take previous LSAT tests – Take previous LSAT tests to determine your baseline score and your improved score. Take a practice logic games LSAT test portion at least once a week out of a LSAT study guide book. Read over the correct answers and description on finding the right answer.
• Practice – Keep practicing. Don’t lose faith!
• Perform drills – Drills are a group of the same category of logic games. Focus on each type of game separately as part of your study. For example, one day you might tackle sequencing games and another day you might tackle matching games. Ultimately, completing drills can help you recognize the game type more quickly, work with certain types of rules, make different inferences and improve your diagramming skills.
• Use flashcards – Some LSAT prep courses let you create flashcards to help with this section. 
• Try different study techniques – Try out different study techniques and forms of studying to find a good fit for you. 
• Master diagramming – Since diagramming is such an important part of LSAT studying, it is important to try to master this skill. Practice until diagramming becomes second nature to you. 

So, there you have it – your complete guide to LSAT logic games. Just think – in a few weeks you’ll be able to master these onerous logic games. Heck, you might even start to like them!

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Thanks to the United States’ biggest economic stimulus package being implemented in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, many Americans will be receiving sizable checks. How do you plan on using your government stimulus check?

Rather than blowing your share of the pot with unnecessary items, you can treat your own check as a nest egg to help you accomplish your dreams. For example, one excellent goal to focus your stimulus check towards is going to law school and becoming a lawyer.

If that sounds appealing to you, keep reading to learn what you need to know about your stimulus payment and how you could use it to your advantage!

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You can treat your own check as a nest egg to help you accomplish your dreams. For example, one excellent goal to focus your stimulus check towards is going to law school and becoming a lawyer

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How Much Will Your Coronavirus Stimulus Check Be? 

As long as you’re not claimed as a dependent on your parents’ tax return, you may be eligible for a stimulus check of $1,200 if you’re single and you have an adjusted gross income of less than $75,000. After this income threshold, the amount of the check will start to phase out and be completely wiped out if you earned $99,000 or more.

If you’re filing as a married couple and your adjusted gross income is less than $150,000, your stimulus check will be $2,400. The amount of the check decreases after this income threshold and disappears after earnings of $198,000.

Head of household filers will get $1,200 if reported income was $112,500 or less. You’ll also receive an additional $500 for each child you have under the age of 16. Each person must have a valid Social Security Number for you to claim them as part of your filing status.

What Do I Need to Do to Get My COVID Check?

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is largely using income tax returns to determine who is eligible for stimulus checks. If you filed taxes in 2019, this is the return they’ll base your stimulus check on and will use your direct deposit information from that return to deposit the amount into your bank account. If you don’t have direct deposit through the IRS, they’ll send you a paper check in the mail. However, this will likely take much longer, so you may want to set up direct deposit.

If you didn’t file taxes in 2019, the IRS will use your 2018 tax return. If you didn’t file either year (like if you had lower income because you were a student and didn’t have to file), you should file your tax return immediately if you want to be eligible to receive a stimulus check. If your income in 2019 went up considerably from your income in 2018 (like if you had graduated college and started a well-paying job), you might want to wait to file your 2019 taxes until after you receive your stimulus check if your income would push you over the income limit or cause you to receive a reduced portion. 

The IRS has already extended the federal tax filing deadline to July 15 in 2020, so you could wait to file without incurring any penalties. However, you should check on your state’s tax deadlines as well to make sure that you won’t be penalized there if you wait to file.

The IRS has also announced that it will be setting up a web portal where you can update your bank account information if it changed since you filed your last tax return.

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• How Much Money Could You Make As A Lawyer?
• Learn Everything You Need To Know About Each Section Of The LSAT!
• The Best Tips On Passing The LSAT Exam
• Inside Information On Someone Who's Already Passed The LSAT Exam
• The Best Law Schools

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 If you don’t have direct deposit through the IRS, they’ll send you a paper check in the mail. However, this will likely take much longer, so you may want to set up direct deposit

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Where Will Your Stimulus Check Go the Farthest?

With $1,200, $2,400 or another sizable amount, your dreams of becoming a lawyer may be more reachable than they were before. Here are some suggestions on how to make the most of your unexpected windfall:

Purchase LSAT Study Materials

If classes have already been cancelled and you’ve moved on to distance learning, you may have some extra time to study for the LSAT at home. Studying these materials at home allows you to practice where you feel comfortable without going out in public during the coronavirus outbreak. You can pace yourself and study on your own schedule. 

There are a large number of self-studying tools that you can purchase. Consider purchasing the following with your economic impact payment:

• A general guide book that breaks down each section of the exam
• A book released by the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC)
• A drill book that focuses on specific skills

Here are some specific recommendations for these different study materials:

General Guide Book

One book with high ratings that falls under this category is The LSAT Trainer: A Remarkable Self-Study Guide for the Self-Driven Student. This book most closely resembles the Socratic learning method; it’s also easier to read and get through than some other options.

LSAC Book

The LSAC administers the LSAT, so there’s really nothing better to study with than books from the organization that makes the test. You can purchase official previous tests to practice on like 10 New Actual, Official LSAT Prep Tests with Comparative Reading: (Prep Tests 52-61). However, you can also purchase older versions if you prefer. The LSAT sometimes repeats test questions, so you might actually recognize one (or more) of the questions on the LSAT you take.

Drill Book

Finally, it’s a good idea to round out your collection with a book that focuses on one key area of the LSAT. The PowerScore LSAT Logic Games Bible is a good choice for this portion of the test. Generally speaking, Powerscore is an excellent study resource for all things LSAT prep; check out some of their companion books for the logical reasoning and reading comprehension sections.

Other Books to Consider

There are plenty of LSAT books on the market that you might also want to consider, especially if you have six months or longer before you plan to take the LSAT. For example, LSAC publishes The Official LSAT SuperPrep II, which features old tests, answer keys and writing samples. You can also peruse Amazon’s Best Sellers list to try to find a guide that matches your study style and needs. 

Purchase an LSAT Preparation Course 

To prepare for the digital LSAT, you may want to start getting used to this way of testing. In order to figure out which of the many available courses will be the best fit for your educational needs, we’ve assembled a list of the best LSAT review courses currently available.

Pay for Private Tutoring 

Whether you’re studying for the LSAT or the bar exam, a private tutor can make a big difference to your score. Private tutors work with you one-on-one or in a small group and can often provide you with a more customized approach. Your tutor can determine your areas of knowledge, study habits, learning style, and weaknesses to define a plan that is tailored to you. 

Ultimately, an LSAT tutor can work with you to earn a higher score, which can mean acceptance into more law schools and better offers for financial aid. Bar exam tutors can also provide additional benefits, such as:

• Explaining fundamental concepts to you that you may not have fully understood in your law school class
• Teaching good study strategies to get through the material and retain it
• Teaching you strategies for tackling multiple choice questions or preparing essays
• Keeping you on track 
• Giving you feedback on your essay answers
• Addressing areas of weakness
• Providing you with additional (and often better) study materials
• Creating a customized schedule for you

While a private tutor can be beneficial to anyone, some particular times when you might want to consider a private tutor to help with your bar exam preparation include:

• You took the bar exam and failed
• You don’t have as much time to prepare for the bar exam because you’re working or have a family
• You didn’t take a lot of classes that are tested on the bar
• You struggled a lot with your first-year courses (which are heavily emphasized on the bar exam)
• You learn better in a one-on-one environment

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Whether you’re studying for the LSAT or the bar exam, a private tutor can make a big difference to your score. Private tutors work with you one-on-one or in a small group and can often provide you with a more customized approach

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Pay for a Bar Exam Course 

While now is not the best time to participate in bar exam courses where you meet in a small room with a lot of other (potentially sick) people, it is an ideal time to pay for an online BAR review course. 

Most of the big names in bar prep courses also offer remote versions of their programs. Depending on the program, these courses may include:

• Video lectures
• Audio lectures
• Study books
• Real test questions
• Apps that offer additional questions and features
• Study planner
• Essay grading
• Simulated exams
• Adaptive learning technology
• Flashcards
• Outlines

Remote bar prep offers a number of additional benefits, including:

• You can continue to study regardless of what is going on in the outside world (like a pandemic!)
• You can study on your own schedule, which is good for people who are already having to work from home or take care of their children while schools are closed
• You have a plan to stick to 
• You have someone to hold you accountable
• Law school professors, lawyers and others who have passed the bar are typically your teachers
• You don’t have to reinvent the wheel; you can use strategies that have proven successful over the years
• You can take your studies with you; if you have to relocate because of the pandemic or you went back to your parents house because your school closed, you don’t have to lose money because you can’t make the live, in-person class
• You benefit from better technology; some programs offer adaptive learning technology that sees where you are struggling and adapts to meet your needs, which wouldn’t be as possible during a live class
• Many courses are less than the $1,200 or $2,400 you might receive from your stimulus check. 

Taking an online bar exam course can give you a schedule to maintain consistent studying, even when times may be confusing or stressful. By following these companies’ time-proven plans, you can stay on track and make considerable progress in your studying. 

Check out our comparison of Bar prep courses and our reviews to find a course that is right for you. Additionally, some of these programs are currently offering discounts— so you can maximize your savings if you start now!

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Taking an online bar exam course can give you a schedule to maintain consistent studying, even when times may be confusing or stressful

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Pay for Bar Exam Stay at Home Study Materials 

You might also consider purchasing some bar exam stay-at-home study materials to replace a bar exam course or supplement it. Some options include:

• Amazon’s Best Sellers in Bar Examination Test Preparation
• Quickstudy Law guides 
• Customized bar exam outlines based on how long you have to study for the bar
• Additional study books

Having these additional study-at-home materials handy can help you when you need a reprieve from your course. Some people have used only written materials to study for the bar and passed. There’s even a board game to study for the bar you can consider purchasing!

With a little extra cash in your pocket, you can make these additional purchases so that you can be as productive as possible while you’re sheltering in place. Use this time to your advantage by carefully selecting and using study-at-home materials. You can work at your own pace and potentially increase your score substantially by investing some extra time into your study prep.

Don’t Forget the Free Stuff

Even though there are many things you can purchase with your COVID-19 bailout check, don’t forget to take advantage of the free things too! 

Many law schools have test preparation companies come in and provide sample lessons; some of these might be online. Additionally, some law schools have mandatory or optional skills labs and bar success programs aimed at increasing passage rates. You can check with your law school and see if any of these options are available. 

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) releases retired bar exam test questions and samples of MBE questions that you can review. Kaplan offers a free MPRE course. 

Khan Academy offers a free LSAT preparation course. You can also check your undergraduate school, law school and local public library for study guides through the virtual portal, if available. 

You can also check out our guide on how to study for the bar exam on a budget to help you make your stimulus check dollars stretch further.

Conclusion

It’s scary out there. You may be required to hunker down for the next few months and practice social distancing for some time to come. However, you can make the most of the situation and yield some control over it by choosing to use your stimulus check to invest in yourself. With the extra time and money on your side, now is the perfect time to get one step closer to beginning your legal career.

The Greatest Hits | Real Estate | Business | Entertainment | Politics | Key Takeaways

There’s a common saying about lawsuits: the only real winners are the lawyers. That’s because almost all legal battles are lengthy and painful for the wallets, reputations, and mental well-beings of everyone involved.

In this context, lawsuits are considered by many people to be dramatic and emotional affairs, as demonstrated by popular films on the subject such as Philadelphia and Erin Brockovich. However, the reality is that litigation is rarely as interesting as portrayed in the movies; the vast majority of lawsuits are boring, miserable, and inconsequential for all but a handful of people.

Despite the overwhelming negativity that comes from lawsuits, they’ve only become a more and more popular practice in America. This can be seen in the consistent growth of working lawyers in the country since the late 1800’s, the growing salaries of legal professionals, and in the increased spending on litigation by large companies in recent years. Aside from business lawsuits and federal lawsuits, legal action among individuals in civil court has also been on the rise over the past 30 years: from around 460,000 cases in 1990 to over 650,000 in 2018, according to data from United States Courts.

Whether it’s big business, entertainment, politics, or individual grievances, litigation has long been considered one of America’s favorite pastimes. What better way to demonstrate this long-standing trend than by looking at the extensive legal history of the most powerful man in the country?

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Aside from business lawsuits and federal lawsuits, legal action among individuals in civil court has also been on the rise over the past 30 years: from around 460,000 cases in 1990 to over 650,000 in 2018

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Trump’s Lawsuits: The Greatest Hits

Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States, has been involved in over 4,000 legal battles in some capacity. From his beginnings in the real estate and gambling industries during the 70’s and 80’s, to his entrepreneurial and entertainment ventures in the 90’s and early 2000’s, all the way to his baffling transition into politics in the 2010’s, Trump has been fighting courthouse battles every step of the way. 

Before going any further, here’s a quick disclaimer: this piece is meant to be educational and is not a politically motivated attack on the President. Whether or not Trump has committed any wrongdoings — or is culpable for any wrongdoings — is not the point of this piece. Instead, the goal here is to use his history to understand the reality of lawsuits and how they typically occur in different American industries. 

Also, this article won’t discuss all 4,000+ lawsuits in which he’s been involved— that’s just not possible! Instead, let’s take a look at some of Trump’s highest profile cases with the greatest educational value.

Keep reading to take a look at our breakdown of Donald Trump’s most significant and infamous cases!

Trumps’ Real Estate Lawsuits

Before becoming an entertainment mogul and politician, Donald Trump began his career in 1968 at his father’s New York-based real estate company. He became the company’s president 3 years later, naming it The Trump Organization. In his time as president of his business, he supervised many real estate bids, purchases, and projects— many of which involved lengthy legal battles at the federal, state, and civil level. 

Here are some of the noteworthy cases Trump fought as a real estate mogul:

1973 – 1975: United States v. Fred C. Trump, Donald J. Trump & Trump Management, Inc.

During the 70’s, the primary business projects of the Trump Organization involved constructing and renovating hotels, skyscrapers, and apartments in New York City. Actions that were allegedly performed at some of these properties resulted in a civil rights case against Trump, his father, and their business, with the United States Justice Department Civil Rights Division as the prosecution.

This particular lawsuit was filed in federal court instead of state or civil court. This is due to the fact that it involved accusations of violating civil rights law, making it a federal issue. In particular, the plaintiff claimed the Trump Organization violated The Fair Housing Act of 1968, which prohibits “landlords and real estate companies” from “[making] housing unavailable to persons” based on factors such as their race, religion, disabilities, and similar criteria.

According to an article in the New York Times from the year in which the suit was filed, the U.S Justice Department claimed that the Trump Organization violated The Fair Housing Act because they “required different rental terms and conditions because of race,” in addition to “[misrepresenting] to blacks that apartments were not available.” According to official court documents, Trump denied any discrimination and his lawyer Roy Cohn moved to dismiss the case due to a lack of substantial evidence. Furthermore, he also filed a counterclaim based on damage to Trump’s reputation due to the above New York Times article, requesting $100 million from the U.S. government in damages.

Winner: Draw

This case was settled two years later. As part of the settlement, the Trump Organization was required to submit lists of apartment vacancies to local civil rights organization the New York Urban League. According to another New York Times article, the goal of this action was to enable the league to “provide qualified applicants for every fifth vacancy in those Trump buildings where blacks… occupy fewer than 10 percent of the apartments.” Since this settlement didn’t imply any guilt on the part of Trump or his business but did require his company to take action to encourage more diverse tenants, it can essentially be considered a draw.

1982 – 1986: Tenants of 100 Central Park South v. Donald J. Trump & Park South Associates

One of the many New York real estate business ventures that built Trump’s reputation involved a 14-story apartment complex at 100 Central Park South. Now renamed Trump Parc East, this used to be a rent-controlled property, which meant there were many tenants living there who paid far below the average rental costs for that area. Naturally, this isn’t an ideal situation for a landlord to be in— especially if they’re interested in renovating the entire property to increase its value, as Trump was. 

Image Source: Zillow

CNNMoney outlines the lengthy legal battle that ensued over this conflict of interest based on researching the 2,895 different court documents involved in the case. Starting with his purchase of the property in 1981, tenants allege that Trump did everything in his power to force rent-controlled tenants to move. A 1985 New York Times article outlines some of the different tactics the 60-odd tenants claimed Trump engaged in, which included:

• Threatening to demolish the property
• Suing individual tenants in civil court
• Limiting important services like water and heat
• Neglecting to fix issues with plumbing and water damage
• Hiring spies to gather tenants’ personal information
• “Engaging in a psychological tug-of-war to wear the tenants down”

One of Trump’s alleged schemes to vacate tenants is outlined in another New York Times article from 1983. Dripping with sarcasm, this piece describes how Trump planned on temporarily filling vacant apartments with New York’s homeless— seemingly in the hopes of scaring away the other tenants. However, the Human Resources Administration rejected his Machiavellian offer, saying that it “left [them] with an uncomfortable feeling.” This bizarre episode was also included in the tenants’ legal complaints.

Winner: Tenants

Although Trump would claim victory in his autobiography and in future conversations about the affair, it appears plain as day that the tenants were the real winners. As a 1986 New York Times article describes it, a settlement was reached between both parties that ended all litigation. The tenants were allowed to continue living in the building with their controlled rent, and Trump would instead be renovating the existing structure instead of demolishing it. Trump also ended up paying out $550,000 to the tenants’ attorneys. Obviously, this sum isn’t a big deal to a billionaire; however, it’s a concession that can definitely be seen as an admission of defeat.

1992 – 1997: Donald J. Trump & Mar-a-Lago Club, Inc. v. Palm Beach County

Although Trump’s tumultuous real estate career is largely defined by his New York-based projects, his 1985 acquisition of the historical Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida is equally significant to his East Coast efforts with regards to his legacy. Since obtaining this property, many lawsuits were filed by Trump against the city in the 1990’s, showcasing his trademark business strategy of weaponized litigation.

The lawfare began in 1992, when Trump decided he was going to convert the property into private mansions in order to rent them out and repay his exorbitant debts. This move was blocked by Palm Beach County, since they viewed the property as a longstanding historical landmark. As outlined in an article from The Palm Beach Post that year, Trump’s response was to file a $50 million lawsuit accusing the county of “conflicts of interest, private meetings, special-interest lobbying and biased board members.”

Another suit was filed in 1995 by Trump accusing the county of harassing Mar-a-Lago visitors by directing air traffic over the property at low altitudes. An article from the Sun Sentinel chronicles this specific legal battle, which included an accusation from Trump that a judgemental county airport director was “seeking revenge by attacking Mar-a-Lago from the air.” 

Trump’s reason for believing that Palm Beach County was constantly persecuting him and his club was brought up in yet another lawsuit filed in 1997. An archived article from the Wall Street Journal that same year describes how he filed a discrimination suit for $100 million which claims the Mar-a-Lago was persecuted “because it is open to Jews and African Americans.”

Winner: Trump

After consulting with lawyer Paul Rampell, Trump settled his 1992 lawsuit by converting the Mar-a-Lago into “a private club that is open to everyone.” Although this sounds like an oxymoron, what it meant in practice was that Trump could freely attract wealthy individuals to join his club that didn’t fit in with the rest of the Palm Beach crowd. His 1995 air traffic lawsuit was settled after convincing the county to lease him 215 acres of barren land in exchange, which became a lucrative private golf club. Finally, the 1997 discrimination lawsuit resulted in most of the county’s restrictions being lifted, allowing him to run his private club as he saw fit.

Ultimately, all of these lawsuits directed at Palm Beach County in the 90’s resulted in victories for Trump, even if the suits themselves ended in settlement deals. As a 2016 Vanity Fair article recounted, these lawsuits served a cunning purpose— to completely transform Palm Beach society in order to better suit his personal and professional ambitions. In fact, Trump went on to implement a similar strategy in 2002 when purchasing and renovating a golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

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Ultimately, all of these lawsuits directed at Palm Beach County in the 90’s resulted in victories for Trump, even if the suits themselves ended in settlement deals.

Trump’s Business Lawsuits

Donald Trump was able to build enough momentum from his real estate career to branch out into many different business ventures. This transition began with his acquisition of several casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, over the 1980’s and 1990’s. From there, he also explored entrepreneurial opportunities in food, education, and entertainment (more on that later).

Here are just a few of the most interesting gambling, entrepreneurship, and other business-related lawsuits fought by Trump:

1990 – 1991: Marvin B. Roffman v. Donald J. Trump & Trump Organization, Inc.

In addition to his numerous real estate projects in New York and Florida, Trump dabbled in several gaming-related projects in New Jersey by purchasing and renovating several casinos located on the Atlantic City boardwalk. First it was the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in 1986, followed by the Trump Marina, Trump Taj Mahal, and Trump World’s Fair in the late 80’s and early 90’s.

Although all of Trump’s forays into casino ownership were disastrous and led to bankruptcy, the Trump Taj Mahal was notorious for the numerous legal battles centered around it. Even before purchasing the property, Trump had to fight talk show host Merv Griffin with multiple lawsuits just to obtain ownership, as described in a Los Angeles Times article from 1988.

Photo taken by Jesper Rautelle Balle (CC BY 3.0)

However, the most notorious lawsuit relating to this doomed property involved financial analyst Marvin B. Roffman. According to a New York Times article from that time, he was fired from his position due to harsh criticism and multiple lawsuit threats from Trump. The reason for the real estate mogul’s ire was that Roffman had gone on record saying that the Trump Taj Mahal was bound to fail due to high operating costs and an imminent downturn in the market. After being constantly bad-mouthed by Trump in the press, Marvin Roffman decided to file a $2 million suit against Trump and his company for defamation in order to defend his professional reputation.

Winner: Draw

Ultimately, the defamation lawsuit ended in a settlement. Since this means that no official verdict was reached, Trump wasn’t proven to have engaged in libel or slander. However, the settlement also meant that he had to work out a satisfactory agreement with Roffman in exchange for clearing up his reputation. The specific details of this settlement are confidential; however, according to a statement given to the AP, Roffman was “extremely happy” with the results.

As a New York Times article from 1991 describes, the financial advisor also received a payout of $750,000 from his former employer as ordered by an arbitration panel from the New York Stock Exchange. However, what’s most significant in this case is what happened over the next few years. Roffman’s initial comments that got him in so much trouble were proven to be accurate after the Trump Taj Mahal struggled to stay open and eventually went under. This ultimately solidified his reputation as a competent financial analyst, resulting in a draw for both parties.

2008 – 2009: Donald J. Trump v. Deutsche Bank

Trump’s bombastic and highly ambitious business strategies have undeniably led to some impressive victories, but it’s also led to many disastrous losses. In fact, it can be argued that Trump’s true strength in business isn’t finding great deals, but maneuvering his way out of the bad ones in order to avoid the consequences of failure. The best way to illustrate this point is through his lawsuit against a German bank in the late 2000’s.

2008 saw the beginning of the Great Recession, a term now used to describe the worst global financial crisis since the Great Depression. One of the most significant factors that led to this recession was the bursting of the subprime mortgage bubble, which involved granting substantial high-risk loans to property owners with poor credit. Unsurprisingly, many of these lenders were unable to pay back their loans— which is precisely the situation Trump found himself in when he had to repay a $334 million loan to Deutsche Bank for a Chicago skyscraper his company was in the process of building.

When facing potential consequences for failing to pay back this loan, Trump decided to sue the bank for $3 billion in damages to his reputation and the project. A 2008 New York Times article outlined his justification for the lawsuit, which was mainly to attest that he shouldn’t be forced to repay the loan in the initially agreed-upon time period.

Winner: Trump

The crux of Trump’s argument outlined in his lawsuit was the presence of a force majeure clause, which is also commonly referred to as an “Act of God.” Force majeure is a common addition to many legal agreements that removes liability from either party to fulfill it if they are affected by events that are out of their control. And according to Trump, the 2008 financial crisis counted as such an act, rendering him no longer beholden to the original deal.

As this archived article from the Wall Street Journal describes it, this initial lawsuit caused Deutsche Bank to file their own countersuit against Trump for $40 million. These dueling lawsuits opened up new negotiations regarding the loan, which led to both cases being settled out of court the next year. And while the bank did eventually get their money back, it was on terms that were much more favorable to Trump, making him the clear winner in this legal battle.

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Trump’s true strength in business isn’t finding great deals, but maneuvering his way out of the bad ones in order to avoid the consequences of failure.

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2010 – 2016: Tarla Makaeff, Sonny Low, Art Cohen & New York v. Donald J. Trump, Michael Sexton & Trump University Lawsuits

Over the decades, Trump would use his brand as a self-made billionaire to branch out into a variety of business deals and endorsements: some relevant to his experiences, and others not so much. However, when he attempted to leverage this brand into Trump University, he encountered a great deal of legal resistance— both from an individual and state level.

In the beginning, this resistance took the form of letters sent by the New York State Department of Education and the Deputy Commissioner for Higher Education. According to a 2010 NY Daily News article, the reason for these departments’ objections was that Trump was misleading potential students by labeling his business as a ‘University,’ despite not having any official accreditation or offering any official college credits. To prevent these complaints from escalating into legal action, the business was renamed The Trump Entrepreneur Initiative. However, this action alone wasn’t enough to protect Trump and his for-profit educational institution from harsh litigation. 

Trump University became the cause of three lawsuits over the next 6 years: 

1. In 2010, a class-action lawsuit alleging fraud and false advertising was filed by former students Tarla Makaeff and Sonny Low against Trump’s school. 
2. In California, a similar class-action lawsuit was filed directly against Trump by businessman Art Cohen three years later, alleging that his school’s “Live Events” were misleading and potentially involved in racketeering. 
3. Finally, Attorney General A.G. Schneiderman represented the State of New York in suing Trump and the school’s president Michael Sexton for $40 million in 2013, alleging “persistent fraudulent, illegal and deceptive conduct.”

Winner: Plaintiffs

From comments made by Trump and his legal team about his school and the judge presiding over his case, it appears that they had every intention of fighting these legal battles to the end. However, the events of the 2016 election would change these plans and force Trump to reach another settlement. 

Trump initially attempted to combat Schniederman’s $40 million suit with a complaint of misconduct in 2013. However, the complaint was thrown out and he was found personally liable by the Supreme Court one year later. This action strengthened the two class-action lawsuits, which eventually forced Trump to pay out $25 million in order to settle the cases before his presidential term.

Much like many of the cases previously mentioned, the conclusion of these lawsuits meant that Trump was never officially found guilty of any wrongdoing. However, the closure of Trump University and the money he was forced to pay out are strong indicators of his defeat.

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Trump was never officially found guilty of any wrongdoing. However, the closure of Trump University and the money he was forced to pay out are strong indicators of his defeat.

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Trump’s Entertainment Lawsuits

While the foundation of Trump’s empire is in his gargantuan real estate projects, his impact on pop culture and entertainment are equally significant to his current legacy— if not more so. Starting with the publishing of his pseudo-memoir Trump: The Art of the Deal in the late 1980’s, he’s also dabbled in beauty pageants, sports, and network television. 

As is custom, his ventures into the entertainment industry resulted in many high-profile legal battles. Several of these incidents involved accusations of misdeeds committed by Trump, such as sexual harassment and financial negligence. However, many more lawsuits have been filed by Trump against his critics and detractors in order to protect his brand and gain leverage in aggressive business negotiations.

Here are some of the most notorious lawsuits relating to Donald Trump’s entertainment career:

1986: USFL v. NFL

In addition to real estate ventures and entrepreneurial projects, Donald Trump has been known to be something of an athlete. He’s an avid golfer —having stated that it’s his primary form of exercise— and a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. He also enjoys watching football, which may have been the impetus for his purchase of the New Jersey Generals, a football team in the fledgling United States Football League.

The short history of the USFL is fascinating, from its initial rise in popularity to its closure just three years later. It began in 1983 as an indirect competitor to the National Football League by playing games during its off-season in the spring. But as an oral history published by Esquire describes the events, Trump would motivate the league to more aggressively target the NFL through a combination of reckless spending, schedule changes, and litigation.

In 1986, the USFL was on the verge of total collapse. In a last-ditch effort to survive, Trump and the other league owners collectively agreed to sue the NFL for $1.7 billion. According to a law review article from Berkeley about the case, this was an antitrust lawsuit claiming that the NFL was preventing the USFL from broadcasting on several of their owned TV stations. Although not specifically mentioned by name as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, Donald Trump served as a witness in the trial and was considered the primary motivator for taking legal action.

Winner: USFL (Sort of)

Based on quotes from former team member Dave Lapham and documentarian Mike Tollin in the Esquire article, it appears that Trump’s actions with the USFL had ulterior motives. Instead of wanting to establish both leagues as genuine competitors, he wanted to force the NFL to make a merger— or just bring him on as an NFL team owner. In that sense, the antitrust lawsuit would be another of Trump’s implementations of lawfare to force a favorable business negotiation.

What ended up happening instead is that the USFL won its case against the NFL. However, this ended up being a Pyrrhic victory since the NFL was only required to pay out $3 and had no interest in a merger. This insultingly low payout would end up being the death of the USFL and the end of Donald Trump’s career as a football team owner.

It appears that Trump’s actions with the USFL had ulterior motives. Instead of wanting to establish both leagues as genuine competitors, he wanted to force the NFL to make a merger— or just bring him on as an NFL team owner.

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1995 – 1997: Jill Harth & American Dream Enterprise v. Donald J. Trump, Nick Ribis & Roger Wagner

In the mid 1990’s, Trump purchased the Miss Universe beauty pageants, which included Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, and helped manage them until 2015 when he sold the entire organization to WME/IMG . Much like seemingly all of Trump’s other business ventures, this was also the inspiration for several aggressive lawsuits— such as the ones he filed against a former contestant and a television broadcasting company. But there’s one particular legal battle during this time that’s especially sensational and fascinating when considering Trump’s decision to pursue this specific field of business.

As a rich playboy from New York, Donald Trump has both attracted and pursued a great deal of attention from women over the years. Consequently, his actions in and out of wedlock add another implication to his decision to enter this field— as do numerous complaints directed at him from others in the industry. Although many of these complaints were kept out of the courts, one allegation of sexual misconduct against the controversial entrepreneur did turn into a full-blown lawsuit.

 In 1992, Jill Harth and George Houraney approached Trump to participate in their American Dream Festival by helping them organize a “Calendar Girl” pin-up competition. According to the couple, Trump expressed an interest in both the beauty pageant and in Harth herself, which led to her filing a lawsuit against him and two of his associates in 1997. This suit alleged that Trump and two of his employees —Nick Ribis and Roger Wagner— sexually propositioned and assaulted her several times. Two years before the $125 million harassment lawsuit was filed, however, Jill’s partner George and his company, American Dream Enterprise, also sued Trump for breach of contract. 

Winner: Draw

Although the records relating to these cases have been sealed by the courts, a 2016 Boston Globe article has some information on the case. Based on the series of events surrounding both Houraney and Harth’s suits, it appears that they were intended to combat Trump on multiple fronts for a business deal and personal relationship that went sour. Ultimately, both parties decided to settle the lawsuits in 1997 according to a snippet from the NY Daily News.

With so little information available to the public, it appears that this case is another draw with no clear winner. But what’s interesting about this incident is that both parties have seemingly reconciled after its conclusion, with George being invited to Trump’s Christmas party just a few months later and Jill lobbying to work as Trump’s makeup artist during the 2016 election.

2006 – 2011: Donald J. Trump v. Timothy O’Brien & Warner Books

Out of all his businesses, properties, and accomplishments, Trump’s most lucrative asset is his brand. The way that he handles new business deals and finds leverage when negotiating is through his image as a self-made billionaire. After all, his perceived success and skill in business was the primary appeal for contestants and viewers of his reality show The Apprentice. Consequently, Trump is highly motivated to react aggressively when this brand is under attack, as it was in 2006 when a book was released titled TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald.

Image Source: Goodreads

TrumpNation was written by Timothy O’Brien, a New York Times journalist. Released in 2005, the book is described as “a real-life study of [Trump’s] colorful and contradictory world” based on time spent with him, his colleagues, and some of his rivals. After conducting a substantial amount of research into Trump’s history —including receiving permission from the man himself to look into his financial records— O’Brien concluded in his book that Trump’s net worth was somewhere in the hundreds of millions.

Although this certainly is still an impressive number, the fact remains that this statement harshly contrasts Trump’s long-standing reputation as a billionaire. As a result, Trump sued both O’Brien and his book’s publisher, Warner Books, for $5 billion in 2006. Accusing the author and publisher of libel, Trump and his legal team attested that TrumpNation was a “malicious scheme” filled with “vile statements” that was intended to “damage him in his business and professional dealings,” among other harsh criticisms.

Winner: Timothy O’Brien

Realistically speaking, it doesn’t make sense to demand billions of dollars in damages from a publishing company and a report, no matter how successful or lauded either may be. There’s just no way that these individuals or entities would be capable of paying out that much money. Instead, it’s far more likely that this flamboyant litigation was meant to force a settlement, pull the book from publication, and/or reinforce Trump’s image as being actually worth the billions of dollars in claimed damages.

This theory holds water when you consider a snippet from Trump’s deposition from the case that was quoted in a National Review article. In it, the man himself stated “My net worth fluctuates, and it goes up and down with markets and with attitudes and with feelings, even my own feelings.” By this logic, Trump may have felt that TrumpNation hurt his feelings, causing his net worth to drop and therefore giving him the legal right to sue for damages. However, the New Jersey family court system didn’t agree with this line of reasoning and threw out the case in 2009, later affirming the decision in 2011 despite attempts to continue the case in appeals court.

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Out of all his businesses, properties, and accomplishments, Trump’s most lucrative asset is his brand. The way that he handles new business deals and finds leverage when negotiating is through his image as a self-made billionaire.

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Trump’s Political Lawsuits

In a move that surprised nearly everyone in the world, Donald Trump pivoted from a career in business to a career in politics when he became the 45th President of the United States in 2016. However, as the near-constant investigations into his administration have shown, he has still retained his habit of constantly attracting legal attention.

(Another disclaimer: this section won’t discuss President Donald Trump’s investigation by Robert Mueller for Russian election interference or his impeachment trial. Although both of these cases are interesting looks into the American legal system as it relates to politics, they don’t technically qualify as lawsuits. Additionally, the conversation around these subjects are politically sensitive and far beyond the scope of this educational piece.)

Instead, take a look at these three other legal occurrences in Trump’s tumultuous experience as leader of the free world:

2017 – 2018: Washington, Minnesota & Hawaii v. Donald J. Trump

Trump’s presidential election campaign was centered around many hot-button issues, but none were more prominent than the subject of immigration. One of the many statements made by the businessman-turned-politician was the need for the US to enforce harsh travel restrictions on several countries with a high Muslim population “until [United States] representatives can figure out what is going on.”

Although this was a highly controversial and polarizing statement, it was a hit among many of Trump’s political supporters and aspiring cabinet members. Because of this, one of the first major actions taken by the new president in 2016 was Executive Order 13769, which restricted immigration, refuge, and travel to the US for citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen for 90 days. As legal records from University of Michigan Law School show, this move was met immediately with harsh litigation from several states and organizations.

Three days after the executive order was signed into law, a federal lawsuit was filed against President Trump with the states of Washington and Minnesota as plaintiffs. Four days after this lawsuit, Hawaii was the plaintiff in another federal lawsuit against the president. Although many more lawsuits and other legal actions were filed in reaction to this executive order, these two cases involving these three states would have the most significant impact on what was referred to as “the Muslim ban.”

Winner: Draw

On February 3rd —the same day as the Hawaii lawsuit was filed— a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) was granted by the courts in the Washington and Minnesota case. This TRO suspended the 90-day travel ban for 90 days, effectively nullifying it. In response, the Trump administration rescinded the ban and filed an amended version, Executive Order 13780, on March 6th. This version loosened some of the restrictions and removed Iraq from the ban; however, this was met with another TRO as a result of the Hawaii case, which later became an injunction.

Over the next year, these two lawsuits would become battles of attrition. Numerous political and civil rights organizations such as the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) would collaborate with the state suits while pursuing their own litigation. However, after a third executive order from Trump on September 27, followed by a third TRO/injunction granted in the Hawaii case on October 17, a conclusion was reached on December 4 of that year that ultimately resulted in victory for the administration. 

When the Supreme Court granted a stay on the third executive order’s injunction at the end of 2017, the travel ban was allowed to go into effect as intended. Since the highest court of the US Judicial branch has the final word in the country’s legal system, the case was eventually closed despite many protests. Up to that point, however, the plaintiffs successfully limited the ban’s power and forced the Trump administration to heavily revise it to meet their criticism. As of the time when this article was written, the modified travel ban stands with a total of 13 countries on the list.

2018 – 2019: Stephanie Clifford v. Donald J. Trump & Michael Cohen

Although Trump has often flaunted his philandering and welcomed the attention it brought him in the past, he needed to downplay his chauvinistic nature in order to appeal to Republican voters during the 2016 election. For that reason, the Trump campaign managers and his legal team sought out to silence his former mistresses and lovers— seemingly by any means necessary.

Money was the method used with Stormy Daniels, an adult film star who had an affair with Trump just one year after he married his third wife. According to an archived Wall Street Journal article, Daniels —whose real name is Stephanie Clifford— was paid $130,000 for her silence in October 2016 by Michael Cohen, an attorney from The Trump Organization. Clifford would later allege that she had been coerced into taking the deal with thinly-veiled threats against her and her daughter.

In March of 2018, Clifford filed a civil lawsuit against Cohen and Trump in Los Angeles that claimed the agreement was invalid and she had done nothing wrong. Not long after, she would file another lawsuit for defamation against the President in April for denying her story. The civil suit stated that Trump “purposely did not sign the agreement” that Cohen gave her, presumably so that he could “publicly disavow any knowledge of the Hush Agreement.” In the second lawsuit, she alleged that Trump’s statements on Twitter questioning her claims “falsely attacks the veracity of [her] account of the threatening incident.”

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Although Trump has often flaunted his philandering and welcomed the attention it brought him in the past, he needed to downplay his chauvinistic nature in order to appeal to Republican voters during the 2016 election.

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Winner: Trump (but not Cohen)

While this lawsuit dominated the news cycle, watchdog organization Common Cause filed complaints to the US Department of Justice and the Federal Election Commission, suspecting that Trump used campaign funds to pay the hush agreement. Then, the FBI raided Cohen’s office and recovered documents relating to the hush agreement as part of the then-ongoing Mueller probe. As a result of this investigation, Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for several financial and political crimes, including his role in the hush agreement.

Image Source: Wikipedia (CC BY 3.0)

In the wake of this series of events, Trump’s legal team stated that they wouldn’t enforce the hush agreement, effectively declaring it invalid and ending Clifford’s civil suit. Not long after, Clifford’s defamation lawsuit was dismissed in federal court due to Trump’s statements being protected by the First Amendment. As a result of this, she was ordered to pay $293,000 to cover Trump’s legal fees.

When looking at the series of events that occurred, it’s hard to see Trump as anything other than the winner. The affair was successfully withheld from public knowledge until well after Trump’s campaign, his attorney took the blame and repercussions for the payment, his accuser was forced to pay him a greater sum than the initial hush money, and the FBI investigation ended with him still in the White House. It’s certainly not a clean victory, considering that Cohen is still behind bars; however, it’s a victory nonetheless.

2019 – Present: Donald J. Trump & The Trump Organization v. Elijah E. Cummings, Peter Kenny, Deutsche Bank AG, Capital One & Mazars USA

Although Donald Trump has spent nearly his entire life in the public eye, the amount of scrutiny placed on him and his business dealings has exponentially grown since he became President. Due to partisan political warfare, feverish news hounds, and federal investigations, a whole lot of people want to know about Trump’s finances. And while Trump had successfully been able to fight off many of these inquiries, the fallout of his Stormy Daniels lawsuits led to the New York attorney general demanding that his banks reveal the records of their dealings with the Commander in Chief.

In response to this latest federal financial inquiry, Trump and his team went on the legal defensive. This started with a federal suit that attempted to block his accounting firm, Mazars USA, from sharing their records with House of Representatives members Elijah E. Cummings and Peter Kenny. According to the complaint attached to the suit, Trump’s team claimed that the investigation “lacks a legitimate legislative purpose” and was intended “as a political tool against the President now and in the 2021 election.”

One week after the filing of this suit, Trump’s legal team filed another lawsuit against Deutsche Bank and Capital One, two of his banks that were subpoenaed to release Trump’s records. This second suit contains similar content to the first one but also stated that both banks “face a difficult choice” between disobeying a federal subpoena and becoming liable to Trump by violating his confidentiality. As a result of this conflict, this suit requests that both banks “hold onto the subpoenaed materials until the dispute over the subpoenas’ validity is finally resolved in court.”

Winner: Ongoing

As of the time when this article was written, this legal battle is ongoing. The most recent development in the case is that the Supreme Court will hear arguments on March 31st, 2021, with the intention of making a ruling sometime in June. It’s impossible to tell whether or not this future ruling will be favorable for the President, but it hasn’t stopped anyone from offering their predictions.

One particularly interesting perspective on this case and its potential outcome comes from an amicus curiae brief that was submitted to the suit by the Constitutional Accountability Center, a non-profit legal think tank. This brief states that the aforementioned “legitimate legislative basis” that both of Trump’s lawsuits allege is missing from the House’s actions are actually present. As they put it, the justification for an investigation into the President’s financial records is valid because can “aid Congress’s determination” in legal battles based around “lending practices, money laundering,” and “fraud at financial institutions,” among other potential crimes. Additionally, the brief attests that “Recognition of Congress’s broad authority to investigate is longstanding” and even “predates the birth of the United States.”

Based on these statements and the substantial amount of examples given to back them up —including one from George Washington’s presidency— , it appears that this might be a case that Trump can’t win. However, Trump has a long history of defying expectations and avoiding negative consequences for his actions, so who knows?

Key Takeaways

When analyzing Trump’s actions over the decades and the lawsuits they often incurred, some habits and patterns begin to reveal themselves. As a result, these cases have grown to define Trump’s character in the eyes of the world— for better and for worse. 

But what does Trump’s storied legal history teach us? Here are the most relevant and noteworthy lessons we can learn from his frequent bouts in the United States legal system:

 

Lawsuits Can be Weaponized

The most obvious lesson that can be learned from Trump’s legal history is that you can weaponize lawsuits for your own ends. The Deutsche Bank lawsuit from 2008 was clearly intended to negotiate a new loan repayment agreement, the TrumpNation lawsuit was most likely intended to intimidate the publisher and author into pulling their books, and the numerous lawsuits against Palm Beach County in the 90’s were to let him bypass existing restrictions and do whatever he wanted with his property.

To be fair, Trump is far from the only person who has used litigation in this way. In fact, this practice is so widespread that it’s been given a name— Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP). According to California lawyer Aaron Morris, this term refers to a lawsuit where the plaintiff “does not care whether [they] win the lawsuit” and is only interested in getting the defendant to give up due to “fear, intimidation, mounting legal costs or simple exhaustion.” 

Weaponized litigation has become a major problem that threatens the integrity of America’s legal system, but the good news is that many parts of the country offer anti-SLAPP legislation. This means that successfully identifying legal action taken against you as a SLAPP in these states can have the case thrown out and harshly punish the plaintiff for their abuse of the system. 

This isn’t a perfect solution to the problem; many states still don’t have anti-SLAPP laws and there’s no legislation for it on the federal level. However, it can make it easier to conduct business and criticize public figures in anti-SLAPP states without worrying as much about unfair legal repercussions.

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The most obvious lesson that can be learned from Trump’s legal history is that you can weaponize lawsuits for your own ends.

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Settlements Can Be Victories

When considering just how painful and exhausting lawsuits can be on both your mind and your wallet, it’s usually in the best interest of everyone involved to wrap them up as quickly as possible. It’s tough to find sources with concrete statistics, but a 2009 study published in the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies found that the settlement rate of all legal disputes in one district was close to two-thirds.

With that being said, the general consensus among legal professionals is that it’s often a better idea for individuals involved in litigation to push for a settlement over a trial verdict. Settlements can be seen as victories in their own right, since they can end an otherwise painfully drawn-out courtroom battle with a compromise. But what does Donald Trump think about ending lawsuits with a settlement?

When looking at Trump’s history of lawsuits as outlined by USA Today, roughly 6% of them were settled. Although this doesn’t quite match Trump’s constant boasts that he “never settles,” it does demonstrate that he’s less willing to settle his legal battles when compared to the average. And in many of the instances where he did settle —like when dealing with Palm Beach County in the 90’s and Deutsche Bank in 2009— it ended in an agreement that was favorable to him. However, many of the settlements outlined above were victories for the other party, as can be seen with the cases of Central Park South and the Trump University lawsuit. Either way you look at it, the fact remains that settling can be favorable to reaching a verdict in many cases.

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Whether your case gets thrown out, settled, or brought to trial and given a verdict, the effects of a lawsuit —and all the sensitive information it leaves behind in legal records— can follow you for the rest of your life.

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Verdicts Aren’t Always the End

Yet another reason why lawsuits can be such a nightmare for everyone involved is that they can stick around. Even when a verdict or a settlement is reached, one party can attempt to appeal the results of the case to a higher court. But even in situations where the results stand and neither side pursues an appeal, information that comes to light in the case can be grounds for another one— so long as it doesn’t violate an assertion of res judicata.

This is perhaps the most significant and important lesson that can be learned from Donald Trump’s long history of lawsuits. During his 2016 term as President, Trump has been under nearly constant legal scrutiny regarding his past and present actions. 

Look at how Cohen taking a plea deal during the Stormy Daniels hush agreement controversy led into the attorney general issuing subpoenas to Deutsche Bank and Capital One. Now consider how willing Deutsche Bank is to work in Trump’s best interests after he sued them over his unpaid debt just ten years earlier. Even during the run-up to his presidential term, allegations of Trump’s civil rights violation in the 70’s and harassment of Jill Harth in the 90’s were used as points of attack by his political opponents.

Ultimately, if you believe that you’ve been wronged and the only way you can settle it is through a lawsuit, it’s very important to understand this point. Whether your case gets thrown out, settled, or brought to trial and given a verdict, the effects of a lawsuit —and all the sensitive information it leaves behind in legal records— can follow you for the rest of your life.

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It’s often a better idea for individuals involved in litigation to push for a settlement over a trial verdict. Settlements can be seen as victories in their own right, since they can end an otherwise painfully drawn-out courtroom battle with a compromise.

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Law school isn’t cheap. According to a U.S. News report, the average tuition and fees for a private law school during the 2018-2019 school year were $48,869 per year, compared to $40,725 for non-resident law students or $27,591 for residents per year at a public law school. 

This means that for the most affordable law schools, the average student should expect to dole out $82,773 for their law degree. And this number doesn’t even factor in the cost of living and other expenses indirectly tied to attendance!

While the old adage “you get what you pay for” often applies, there are ways that you can get a quality legal education without amassing six-figure debt. It is important to consider the value of a school instead of just looking at which school is the most or least expensive. Below, I will discuss what costs you will incur if you go to law school, economic factors you should consider when selecting a school and how you can manage common expenses.

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While the old adage “you get what you pay for” often applies, there are ways that you can get a quality legal education without amassing six-figure debt. Read on for some of the best value law schools and tips.

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Costs that Go into Attending Law School

The numbers cited above only factored in tuition and fees, but there are many costs that go into attendance. Some of the most common expenses you will incur if you choose this educational path include:

Tuition 

Tuition is simply the base rate of what you will pay for your instruction.

Fees

The cost of attendance also includes fees. You may be charged fees associated with maintaining the college or university, such as transportation, athletic events, and technology. These fees often add several thousand dollars onto the price tag for attending law school.

Books 

Books can easily have an average annual cost of more than $1,000 at many schools of law. The amount you pay for books will depend on the school, your instructor, and whether you need a hard copy and/or digital version. Also, you will likely be paying for a bar preparation program during or after your 3L year.

Technology 

To keep up with your classes, you will likely need a good laptop that you bring to all your classes to take notes. You may also be required to purchase additional software to help you complete your assignments. Additionally, you may have to pay yet another fee to take tests online.

Room and Board 

Many schools don’t offer dormitories or other housing provided by the college or university. Therefore, the city where you choose to attend school can have a direct impact on how much you pay for rent, utilities and other expenses. Food prices can vary drastically from one location to another. 

For schools that do offer room and board, this can add another $20,000 per year to your costs. That usually only covers the time when school is in session, so you might need to make alternative arrangements during breaks or if you take summer classes.

Transportation 

If you don’t live on campus, you’ll need to get to school. This means you may need to purchase a vehicle — if you don’t already have one — as well as a parking permit. You may also be paying for parking in a garage per academic year or semester. Alternatively, you could take public transportation if it’s available, but this also comes at an added expense. Simply put, your transportation expenses will be higher the further you are from your chosen school. 

Other Living Expenses

You may have additional expenses, depending on your situation. Among other things, you need to eat, do laundry, and pay for toiletries and cleaning supplies. You might have to pay for health insurance, phone service, medications or other essentials. Furthermore, if you have a child then you’ll need to factor in childcare. 

Many law schools limit the number of hours that students can work, so being able to pay for these expenses can quickly become a difficult feat when your earning potential is capped. Hence, many students turn to student loans for assistance— but this can quickly amount to crushing student loan debt.

But what’s the alternative? Keep reading to learn more:

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Learn More About The LSAT Exam

• How Much Money Could You Make As A Lawyer?
• Learn Everything You Need To Know About Each Section Of The LSAT!
• The Best Tips On Passing The LSAT Exam
• Inside Information On Someone Who's Already Passed The LSAT Exam
• The Best Law Schools

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Many law schools limit the number of hours that students can work, so being able to pay for these expenses can quickly become a difficult feat when your earning potential is capped

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How to Reduce These Costs 

Fortunately, there are a number of ways that you can reduce costs associated with getting a legal education. Here are a few tips and resources:

Choose a Public Law School

Some of the most expensive options are private schools. As you can see from the numbers cited above, there’s a considerable financial difference between these schools and public schools. Fortunately, you can get a quality education while still attending a public school, so it’s worth considering if your budget is extremely tight.

Seek Financial Aid 

It is important to understand that a decent amount of the financial aid that’s available when you’re seeking your bachelor’s degree won’t be available on the graduate level. This includes need-based federal grants or work-study programs. Consequently, the primary forms of aid at this level will be student loans (that nobody really wants) and scholarships.

Before applying to law school, you want to position yourself to receive merit-based scholarships, which will largely depend on your undergraduate grades and your LSAT score. Many schools don’t have separate applications for financial aid and will simply offer awards based on strong applications. However, don’t underestimate the importance of a good law school essay; this can often put you ahead of others or make up for a deficiency in your application. 

Another thing: while you do want to look at the tuition and fees costs across various options, it’s more important how much aid different schools will offer you and how this affects the total cost of law school for you. For example, say you’re applying to two schools: 

• One has a tuition of $50,000 per year but is offering you $30,000 a year in scholarships
• Another school costs $40,000 per year and offers you $10,000 in scholarships

The net cost of the first school is $20,000 while the net cost for the second school is $30,000, so the first school would be the better economic option even though its tuition cost was higher.

Look into schools that offer more tuition help when selecting possible options. Some schools provide better aid packages than others. Today, you can use online data to find out the percentage of students that receive financial aid and how much the average award is per student.

Get Good Grades

Schools often offer continued merit scholarships during your legal education. Hence, if your grades or LSAT score wasn’t at the top end of the student body when you enrolled, you may still be able to stand out and acquire additional aid by being in the top quarter of your class. Some schools may worry that you will transfer, so they might try to incentivize you to stay by offering more financial assistance.

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Some schools may worry that you will transfer, so they might try to incentivize you to stay by offering more financial assistance

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Reduce Housing Costs 

Your housing costs may be a big portion of your budget, so slashing the amount you pay in rent can be extremely helpful. If you are not planning on staying in the area after you graduate, consider more affordable options, such as:

• Living with your parents
• Having roommates
• Living in low-income housing
• Renting a room in someone else’s home
• Living in a more modest area

Sometimes, living on campus may help save you money. Compare the utility, rental transportation and food cost savings you would receive from living at school with the average cost of living in a rental to see which option is the better deal. 

Slash Living Expenses

The truth is that you won’t have a lot of extra time outside of your classes and studying. This means you can start slashing unnecessary expenses now, such as cancelling cable and that gym membership you never use. Try to spend time with friends with free or cheap activities instead of at expensive restaurants or nights on the town. Remember that your college may offer a variety of events that can help provide more entertainment (and food!) options at a lower budget.

Share Law Textbooks

Books can easily cost over $1,000 a semester if you’re not careful. Look for ways to save on this expense, such as sharing books with a recent graduate or 2L. In some classes, the teachers may rely on more digital resources and may not reference the book often enough to justify its cost.

If you do need to purchase a book, consider renting it instead since this will often be cheaper. You can also look for used books online. An edition that is one older may still have all of the same material, but you should check first before making the purchase.

Managing School Costs

In addition to finding ways to reduce your educational expenses, you will also need to consider how you can manage ongoing expenses while you’re enrolled in school. Here are a few tips to help you make the most out of the next three (or more) years. 

Create a Budget 

Start to minimize the amount of debt you will need to take on by creating an aggressive but realistic budget. You shouldn’t try to live a lavish lifestyle during this time that will only result in additional years of astronomical student loan payments. Do it old school with a paper or pencil or use a spreadsheet or computer program to estimate your monthly expenses.

If you’ve been out of school for a few years, you might need to get back into the student mentality and eat more ramen. If you lived on tomorrow’s dollars while pursuing your undergraduate degree, start making sensible choices now so that you don’t spend the rest of your life paying for your financial mistakes. 

Get a Job

A typical 9-5 job might not be a good fit for you while enrolled in school. However, you may be able to get a summer job, maintain a modest lifestyle, and save most of your earnings. Alternatively, you might want to take on a free internship or clerkship position to get useful experience. However, many law firms offer summer associate programs that can boost your income too— so don’t rule these positions out.

If you’re pre-law, consider working during your undergraduate program or during the summer and try to save as much money as possible. 

Also, you may be able to get a position with a bar preparation program or legal research company. These opportunities may not pay you in cash (though they might) but they might offer you a free bar prep program or legal research tools you can use after you graduate that are worth trading in a few hours of your time each week.

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A typical 9-5 job might not be a good fit for you while enrolled in school. However, you may be able to get a summer job, maintain a modest lifestyle, and save most of your earnings

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Tap into Your Network

Be sure that you stay in contact with your financial aid office and ask about any additional opportunities. There are plenty of scholarships out there; you just need to be able to find them. The alumni association for your school may also be a good source of information— it may be able to provide information about scholarships, grants, new jobs, available housing, or other info that can positively affect the bottom line. 

As a student, you may have access to additional resources that can make managing your expenses easier, such as:

• Student or budgeting workshops
• Free (or reduced) health care and mental health services
• Gyms and recreational activities sponsored by the school
• Seminars, bar preparation workshops and CLEs

Economic Factors You Should Consider When Selecting a School

Law school isn’t just about getting a law degree. It can help you to break through in a new career path and open new opportunities for you. Here are some of the factors that you should consider when selecting a school.

Consider Your Law School’s Ranking

There is a correlation between the ranking of your school and your expected starting salary. This means that the higher your school is ranked, the higher your expected starting salary may be. The converse is also true: the lower your school is ranked, the lower your starting salary may be. You might not be able to afford a Harvard Law education, but if you attend a low-ranking school, you may not greatly enhance your earning ability. Consequently, your law degree might not be worth the associated cost. 

Bar Exam Passage Rates

A key component of any good JD program is the ability to properly prepare you for the bar exam. If you don’t pass the bar exam at your first attempt, you may miss out on important job opportunities and may not make what you expected during your first year out of school. Consider the bar passage rate of any school you are seriously considering.

Choose The Best Value Law School, Not Just The Best Price

It’s also important to consider the overall value that your education provides. It’s not enough to ask “How much does law school cost?” You need to consider what value it brings to you. If you pay a lot of money to get another degree that doesn’t have a large impact on your life, this may not be the best option for you. Only 23% of law school graduates say that their education was worth the cost. Many graduates may emerge in a weak market and may not be able to land a legal job right away. 

For these reasons, it is important to carefully assess the value that different schools offer. Are there factors that may make one school more attractive than another? Do they offer programs such as:

• Internships and externships
• Career services assistance
• Student lawyer programs
• Clinics
• Practical skills coaching
• Journals or programs for specific areas of the law

Furthermore, it’s not only important to consider the cost of school; you should consider how close the school connects to your career goals. For example, if you are considering international law, you might consider Emory University, which ranks number 1 as the best global university. 

Additionally, there are many good schools that cost about $25,000 a year that you might consider. 

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It’s not enough to ask “How much does law school cost?” You need to consider what value it brings to you

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Employment Assistance 

You chose this route so that you can ultimately get a job in the legal sector. Therefore, the degree to which the school will help launch your career is an important factor. Some colleges have a long history of getting corporate law firms to hire their graduates, while others may not. These law students may be able to emerge from a debt-ridden experience into a high-paying job where they can afford to pay off their student loans. Consider the post-graduation job placement rate and the average starting salary for graduates when choosing between schools.

Work Restrictions 

If you are a rare breed who can handle working while attending school, you may not want to attend a school that limits the number of hours you can work. You can also check if there is some type of waiver for this restriction, such as if you have children or need work for economic reasons. 

Part-Time Law School Programs 

While many students choose to go full time into law school immediately after acquiring their bachelor’s degree, others may have taken a break from school, started a family, or are working full-time. For these individuals, a more sensible part-time program may be a better fit than a demanding full-time schedule. 

Public Interest Incentives 

While the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program is often cited as an incentive for students to go to less lucrative policy and public service jobs, there are steps that the government has considered that would eliminate this program. Moreover, 99% of processed applications for this program are rejected, so this may not be a program worth hedging your bet on.

Some schools recognize these limitations and offer their own public interest incentives for students looking into this career path. According to the American Bar Association (ABA), over 100 law schools offer loan repayment assistance programs. With these programs, the school makes loan repayments for you while you are employed in the public sector.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do lawyers make right out of law school?

According to data gathered and published by PayScale, an entry-level attorney makes an average annual salary of $59,121. However, ZipRecruiter’s data suggests that the average entry-level lawyer salary is a bit lower at $47,318. Ultimately, this can vary depending on the specific legal field you work in or the state in which you practice.

What is the cheapest law school?

When comparing the average costs of legal programs in American universities, the schools that are commonly ranked among the most affordable are the University of Arkansas, the University of Alabama, and the University of Mississippi. Brigham Young University (BYU) is also very affordable if you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Is it worth going to law school?

Absolutely! If you’re an intelligent person who’s interested in pursuing a rewarding and stable career, law school is a fantastic decision with many benefits. It’s not uncommon for law school graduates to move into careers with six-figure salaries.

Is 35 too old for law school?

Not necessarily! While it can be much more difficult to invest the money and time towards law school in your 30’s — especially if you already have a career or a family — it’s still entirely within your reach to achieve a rewarding legal career. However, it’s not a good idea to wait much longer than this, so you should decide sooner rather than later.

Conclusion

As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into the total cost of going to law school. It’s important to consider various factors that may affect the specific value you’ll receive from different options. Don’t just consider the cost of tuition and fees— consider your employability and what each JD program offers you. Then, consider making lifestyle changes that will make this period of your life more affordable and buckle down so you can maintain good grades and open yourself to greater financial assistance.

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Don’t just consider the cost of tuition and fees— consider your employability and what each JD program offers you. Then, consider making lifestyle changes that will make this period of your life more affordable

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Compare the Best LSAT Prep Courses!

Law school is expensive. In fact, it’s expensive even before you get there! Between the cost of multiple expensive law school applications, paying for the LSAT multiple times, and trying to come up with a plan to pay for tuition, the thought of paying for an LSAT study course may simply be out of reach. This is especially true when you consider that most law school applicants are broke college students. 

If your dinner meals more often involve ramen than filet mignon, here’s how to study for the LSAT and not break the bank!

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See the Top LSAT Review Courses

• 1. LSATMax LSAT Review Course  ◄◄ Best Overall LSAT Review Course +  $50/month
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Consider a Cheaper Study Course

The cost of a live LSAT class is around $1,700, but some courses go as high as a whopping $8,750! However, one way to quickly slash the cost of studying is to take an online class instead of a live one.

If you think about it, you don’t really need someone in-person to help you study. Taking an online course can easily save you between $500 and $800, depending on the program.

A low-cost LSAT prep course we recommend checking out, is Magoosh. For less than $250 you’ll get all the materials you need in an on-demand format so you can study anytime and anywhere.

Learn more about Magoosh LSAT here. 

Furthermore, you get the same amount of instruction time and there may be tools that let you isolate certain sections of the test to study for. An extra bonus: you study based on your own schedule, so if you need to work, take finals or take care of other responsibilities, you can do it without sacrificing your study time. 

These courses often come with audio and videos that you can watch time and time again. Additionally, they may have helpful tools that help you track your score and isolate your weak points.

Some onsite or online programs offer two-week or weekend courses that can help you immensely in a condensed period of time. Even better: they are usually at a fraction of the cost of the full program.

Another option is to check with your career services department at your college to see if there are programs that your university offers. These may be cheaper or may give you a discount if you are already a student.

Use Free LSAT Resources

With the advent of the web, you can access incredible (and free!) resources online. Some options you should definitely check out include:

• Free LSAT tests – The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) publishes old, official tests. Search for them and use these to take free practice tests.
• Free LSAT courses – LSAC partnered with Khan Academy to offer a free LSAT preparation course. You can also find a free Alpha-Score LSAT prep course. 

Ultimately, this step might take a little bit of legwork. However, using free resources can help you subsidize other law-school related costs. 

Also, don’t rule out old-school options. Many libraries have LSAT prep books available to check out or use in the library. Some might even have arrangements with test prep companies, so check out your local library for available options.

One Reddit user reported scoring a 167 on the first try after using five LSAT prep books and 20 practice tests all available from the local library.

If your older sibling, best friend or neighbor took the LSAT, check if you can borrow study materials or old course information for free. 

It’s usually best to supplement your free options with other items you pay for, like a course or study materials.

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• Inside Information On Someone Who's Already Passed The LSAT Exam
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Purchase Old LSAT Tests

Taking old LSAT tests is a great way to study for the LSAT. Furthermore, it can also help you identify your weak areas. You can purchase a set of 10 old tests and answer keys for less than $20.

There are also several other supplemental books that you can use. Sometimes, the LSAC uses the same question that appeared on a previous test. Therefore, taking an old test can help you recognize the question and answer it correctly. 

Take at least one timed practice tests before delving further into your studies. This will give you a baseline on your current score so you can measure your progress and identify your weak areas.

Purchase Used Study Materials

With approximately 37,000 first-year law school students, there is no shortage of students – or the study materials that they recently used. Save yourself a few bucks by purchasing their leftover goods and slash the retail cost of these study materials. 

Ultimately, there are a ton of other LSAT study books that provide a comprehensive overview of the LSAT or that focus on a specific section. However, the books listed above are sworn by many law school students.

Get a Discount

For most online purchases, you can get a discount by simply looking for a promo code. This is true for LSAT prep courses and books. Additionally, some prep companies offer discounts for members of certain associations, such as alumni associations or trade organizations. Others provide corporate discounts, and some even offer need-based scholarships. 

Don’t feel like the rate published on a website is set in stone. Contact the prep company and ask about any possible discounts. Tutors may also offer a discount if you sign up for a package deal, commit to a certain number of tutoring hours, or refer others to them.

Remember, the worst that can happen is that the person or company says “no,” and then you’re just back to the originally-listed price. Essentially, the best that can happen is you save some major bucks just by having the courage to ask.

Check Out Local Options

You might have some other options that can provide you with significant savings on your LSAT preparation. Depending on your location, you might be able to get help from the following:

• State, county or local bar associations – Some bar associations offer annual LSAT courses for free or discounted rates.
• Law schools – Local law schools often have LSAT prep workshops and practice tests available online or onsite. 
• Community colleges – Many community colleges offer free or inexpensive LSAT prep classes on their campuses. 
• Community centers – You can check with your local community center to see if they offer an LSAT prep course.
• GI Bill – Some programs have received clearance from the Department of Veterans Services to accept funding from a GI bill.

By doing a little bit of research, you might be able to find a great lead on an affordable LSAT prep option. Another way that some students use to cover costs is by using their government stimulus checks. 

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How To Set Up an LSAT Study Plan

All the books in the world won’t do you a bit of good if you don’t open them! Once you have all of your necessary supplies in place, create a tailored study plan. If you don’t know where to start, you can purchase inexpensive study schedules for about $20 for durations of 10 weeks to 6 months in advance of the LSAT. You can also check out our free study schedules; these give you more structure and an attack plan.

Learn Your Weak Areas

An effective way to drastically decrease the amount you pay for LSAT test prep is to determine your weak areas. By doing this, you can focus on improving your scores on your own by using your own resources (more on that below).

You can then devote your budget for extra help in your weak areas. This may mean working one-on-one with a private tutor in just those sections or purchasing books focused on these areas. Additionally, some online courses are geared to particular parts of the test.

Learn from Your Mistakes

Don’t just take a bunch of LSAT tests and look at your scores. Delve into the test answers and see why certain answers were incorrect. Thoroughly read over the explanations in your test books. Also, read over any questions that you weren’t sure about but technically got correct. These explanations can help reinforce concepts and help you identify patterns in what you’re getting wrong so that you can fix them.

Keep Track of Your Progress

So that you spend your time (and money) on the areas that need the most help, it’s important to keep track of your progress. Use an organization or tracking feature with your online prep course, an Excel sheet, or simple pen and paper to track your scores over time. This will give you important data and tell you if you are improving on certain sections, remaining stagnant, or getting lower scores. Use this data to inform your purchasing decisions.

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Get Real with Yourself

Before you spend a dime on a self-study plan, really think about yourself, your strengths, and your weaknesses. Are you really able to devote solid study time that is not specifically structured around a course? Remember, in addition to actually studying, it will take some time and research to learn how to study for the LSAT, and then create a study schedule. 

Are you a self-starter, or do you need someone encouraging you along? How much time do you really have to devote to studying? Are you a visual or audio learner? Will courses geared for these learning styles help you retain more information than simply reading from a book? 

If you will not follow through with your budget-friendly plan, it might be worth re-assessing whether you can afford a more structured class. Try asking friends and family for financial help, taking on a part-time job, or rolling the cost into your student loans. Alternatively, if you don’t have a problem with setting up your own schedule and study plan, you can cut thousands of dollars off of the cost of LSAT prep.

Take the Next Step

Now that you have several viable plans for fitting your LSAT study into your budget, you can get started on your LSAT preparation. Also, check out more ideas, reviews and free information to get you ready for test day on our blog.

Compare the Best LSAT Prep Courses!

Many people take the LSAT more than once. Maybe they wanted to take the test and just see how they would do. Others may have completed a study plan, took the test and weren’t satisfied once they got their score report back. 

While some schools consider the average LSAT score, others look at the highest one. In any event, if your score improves, the school will see a higher score for you whether they consider the average or highest score. According to a 2014 study cited by U.S. News, LSAT test takers saw their score improve the most after taking the LSAT the second time: even more so than when taking it for a third time. Consequently, two may be the magic number! 

Here are some strategies to help boost your score the second time around:

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Some students treat the first test as a dry run to see how they do before putting in any study time. However, there are some problems with this approach:

Most importantly, your first LSAT score will still be recorded and may be shared with the schools the test taker sent it to. Hence, it may affect the average score at a later date. That being said, if you went ahead with this strategy “just to see,” you’ve simulated test conditions, familiarized yourself with the LSAT’s structure, and exposed yourself to timed testing. So it’s not all a loss! 

However, now that you have your score back, it’s time to see what you can do to increase it. Make sure that you open up your schedule to study for at least 20-30 hours per week for the next three months.

It’s important to know what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong. This way, you can isolate the areas that you really need to study. However, it can be difficult to do this manually or see the connection between the questions you are struggling with. 

This is when study systems come in handy: 

If you’re already enrolled in an LSAT prep course that offers analysis, take advantage of this and drill down on your weaknesses. If you aren’t enrolled in a course, it’s not a bad idea to enroll in one that offers free score reports like Powerscore.

The LSAC also offers a free program through Khan Academy, which also provides these reports. This is important feedback that details the types of questions you are missing, the specific skills these questions represent and the difficulty of these questions.

In addition to using these reports, track other information; identify anything that causes you to struggle. Keep track of questions you got wrong and the reason for it. Even if you got a question right but felt uncomfortable about it, track this information. Go through these lists and identify patterns. This will help you isolate certain things that are consistently causing you trouble so that you can better focus on these sections.

If you’re serious about improving your LSAT score and recognition, tackle specific elements of each section of the test. Some of the major components to focus on include the following:

Understand the Stimulus

As you read through dense text to answer this question type, make sure that you are understanding the content. For this element, you should be doing the following:

• Summarize the passage
• Break down the passage
• Identify the argument

As part of your preparation, write down a summary of the passage. Then, go to the questions and see if you could answer the question based on your summary. This exercise will help you see if you are missing key information when summarizing. Consequently, you can adjust your approach so that you’re able to identify key points you are missing. 

Identify Meaningful Concepts

Another important element to isolate is the ability to recognize concepts involved in the argument. Try to spot concepts as you read and how they may impact your answers to the questions. 

Eliminate Wrong Answers

On this section, you can usually eliminate half of the answers easily because the way the answers are set up. When you are down to only two options, compare these answers to each other. Summarize their differences, return to the stimulus, and see why each answer seems attractive. Analyze how strong the connection is to each answer and select the one with the stronger connection.

Summarize the Passage

On the reading comprehension section, it’s even more important to understand what you’re reading as you go through the passage. This way, you won’t have to read it over and over again and waste precious time. Summarize each passage after reading it, and include the following in your summary:

• An overall summary of the passage
• The key points of the passage
• The author’s point of view
• Weaknesses in the argument

Try to attack the questions by using just your summary and avoid returning to the passage. This exercise can help you improve your memory and recall. 

Predict Questions

As you read through the passage, mark certain areas that you think you will probably be asked about. Then, compare your predictions to what the questions are actually about. Predicting this information accurately can help you hone in on certain aspects of the passage.

Read through the Questions

Read through each question and predict where you expect to find the answer in each passage. This brief exercise will help you compare your expectations regarding what will be contained in different sections of the passage and where the answers actually are. 

This series of exercises will help you see how well you take in information and understand the methodology the test makers employ.

Recognize Key Elements of the Game

As you study through the logic games section, you should understand the different types of games that may be tested. Identify the following elements about each game:

• The general type of game
• What concepts are tested
• The steps you need to answer the questions

Know How to Diagram the Game

Logic games can be more easily tackled by diagramming the question. When you are presented with a rule, know how to diagram it, such as making blocks or if-then conditions. Setting up the question correctly is the key to answering these games in a limited amount of time. 

Make Inferences

Many logic game questions require you to make inferences. As you study the logic games, consider the inferences that you made for each game and why you made them. Compare the way you set up the game to the way your test prep source says it should have been set up.

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Learn More About The LSAT Exam

• How Much Money Could You Make As A Lawyer?
• Learn Everything You Need To Know About Each Section Of The LSAT!
• The Best Tips On Passing The LSAT Exam
• Inside Information On Someone Who's Already Passed The LSAT Exam
• The Best Law Schools

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The Law School Admission Council releases previous LSATs, which are a great source to use in your preparation. You can find them online or purchase prep books that contain several official LSATs. These tests show you the structure of the test and the types of questions you will be asked. Additionally, you can take these practice exams and see how you would have scored on a real LSAT score. 

Plan to take a practice test after you study sections of the test. Use a timer and take the test in a quiet area to simulate test conditions. Many students fail to practice the test under timed conditions and then will run out of time on test day and lose points for their unanswered questions. 

Practicing under timed conditions can help test takers gauge how much time they have for each section and question so that they spend most of their time on questions they can get right. This also helps them figure out when they should just move on from a question that has them stumped. Additionally, taking the test under timed conditions will help test takers better gauge their potential score.

You might even want to find tests that contain all five sections, including the experimental section, to really acquaint yourself with real test conditions. If you plan to take the writing portion, take timed LSATs with the writing portion. This will help you build stamina and avoid fatigue on the real test day.

Basically, get your hands on as many old tests as possible. Each test will familiarize yourself with the format, get you acquainted with the test process, and build your confidence. After each test, review the test answers and see why you got questions wrong.

To make the most of your practice, you need an environment conducive to learning. A major negative for many test takers is stress; they feel especially stressed during the first time they take the test. However, much of this stress subsides by the second time they take the test since they don’t have as much anxiety when approaching a now-familiar situation. However, test takers should still reduce their stress levels as they study so that they will be less likely to feel stress on the day of the test. 

It’s also important that you are at optimal health levels when you take this life-changing test. Avoid drinking alcohol, exercise regularly, and eat a healthy diet. Exercise improves brain function, so don’t try to convince yourself that it’s okay to let yourself go so that you spend all the time studying and no time taking care of you!

Since statistics show that your second score may be higher than a third or subsequent score, your second test may realistically be your last one. Develop a schedule and stick to it religiously. You can enroll in a course that dictates your schedule or purchase a commercially available schedule. Either way, you’ll want to keep pace with the schedule and build time into your routine to fully devote to your study. 

Any schedule should include the following components:

• Practice tests
• Endurance building
• Drills
• Review of questions and answers
• Isolated study for each section of the test 

A minimum of three months’ study time is recommended for most test takers – including second-time test takers. If you cannot devote the time to study this long, you may want to delay your study until you can fit in the time: even if that means taking a year off between your undergraduate degree and law school admission.

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If you went through a prep course or did substantial self-studying, don’t plan on just going back through the materials you already have. Even though you might have went through dozens of practice tests and hundreds or thousands of test questions, your brain might recognize a question and you may answer it correctly the second time around. This may be because you remember the question, not that you’ve improved on the concepts. Therefore, it’s important to start with fresh materials. 

Get your hands on any official tests that have been released that you haven’t gone through yet. Group these tests in your study plan so that you don’t run out of fresh tests before you reach the end of your prep period. If you didn’t purchase prep materials before, do so now. If cash is tight, consider splitting the cost with a friend who is also taking the LSAT, finding used books online, or checking out your local law library.

If you are running out of fresh material, save it for closer to your test date while you rely on your prep course materials during the first couple months of your study. This will ensure that you are preparing intensely with fresh questions closer to the time of taking the test.

If you are performing well on one section, you may be tempted to ignore it and concentrate fully on other sections. However, it’s important to practice on all sections of the test during your study so that you don’t forget important concepts or test-taking strategies. Some second time test takers have neglected stronger sections only to see their scores on those sections decrease the second time around. Having a higher score in one area can average out weaker areas.

There you have it: a complete plan to boost your score. Just keep practicing and keep focused and you’ll probably get a higher score the second go round!

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The mere mention of LSAT logic games is enough to make even the most fearless law school students shudder. That’s because logic games are widely considered the most challenging aspect of the LSAT.  But here’s the good news: this section of the test is most easily taught due to an abundance of excellent study materials.

By acquainting yourself with the logic games section and devoting LSAT prep time toward learning how to tackle these questions, you’ll ace this section on test day!

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Here are a few proven strategies to help you improve your logical reasoning abilities and increase your LSAT score: [/av_textblock] The logic games consist of 23 or 24 questions that are in four different question sets. Basically, a logic game question appears that describes a scenario. Rules are then presented to figure out how different groupings work. Test takers are then asked a series of questions that require them to use the stated rules and make inferences based on these rules. Depending on the set, you may be asked five to eight questions about each scenario. [/av_textblock]

LSAT logic games can be classified into five major categories. Each type of question will determine how you attack it and which type of diagram you’ll use (more on this later). By recognizing the type of game you’re confronting, you can apply the proper approach and organize the game’s information into the proper diagram. The five major types of logic game questions include:

LSAT logic games can be classified into five major categories. Each type of question will determine how you attack it and which type of diagram you’ll use

Sequencing games require you to line up subjects in order. You may have a question in which you place options in definite slots, called strict sequencing questions. Alternatively, other questions may ask you to base the order of the options on the relationship between the options, called loose sequencing questions. Sequencing games are usually the most commonly asked questions on the LSAT logic games section.  You can recognize these games by keywords in the question, such as:

• In order
• Sequence
• From first to last
• A must be before B
• R must be next to S
• O cannot be second

Matching games require you to match two or more options together from a longer list of options. You may be asked to match a single set of characters with one set of characteristics. It may be possible to match the characteristics given to more than one group to reach the correct answer. On the other hand, other games will ask you to match one set of characters with two or more characteristic sets.

Distribution games require you to take a large group of options and divide them into subgroups. Ultimately, distribution is similar to matching in many ways. However, one key difference is that the group classification is the most concrete element of the game in distribution questions.

Selection games are another type of grouping game. What makes them different is that they consist of a large group of options from which you select some of them to form one subgroup. Consequently, you must select and reject certain options for the subgroup.

Hybrid games involve two or more of the game types described above. Typically, many of these are based on sequencing and distribution pairs.

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 As I’ve previously mentioned, an effective diagram will let you visualize the game and determine the relationships between different options. Your diagram should be flexible enough to answer most of the questions.  Remember: this portion of the LSAT is highly visual. Hence, it pays to spend the few extra seconds to draw a diagram that helps you make sense of the information you are given.  The diagram that you use will be based on the type of question that you are answering. Here are some examples that should help you with your logic games practice:

This question can usually be answered by using a number of dashes to represent each answer. For example, in a question that asks about timed arrivals at a train station, your diagram may look like: ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ 10:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 You would then place the initial of the traveler above the time based on the conditions that you are given.

Loose sequencing questions may require you to build a relationship tree, such as a family tree, to answer the questions. You may indicate other relationships between the options. For example, if A arrived before B and C, this may look like:

This type of game can usually be charted through the use of clusters or a grid, like this:

Distribution games are usually represented by developing a chart with the groups as the column headings with a number of dashes for each option. For example:

Selection games can often be charted by listing out all options and then circling the possible ones for inclusion and drawing an “x” through those rejected from the pool or roster. You may also have certain relationship rules you need to chart, such as:

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You’ll be given a series of rules and conditions as part of the logic games section. Ultimately, there is no perfect way of representing these relationships. You might use capital letters for one set of things you are diagramming and lowercase letters for the other set so that you can distinguish between the two sets of information. You might use initials to make grouping faster. However, whatever method you choose, remember to be consistent with it. Use the same visual representation for a rule or condition each time so that you quickly recognize it.  This concept applies to ordering your selections, making groups and other aspects of the games. Write out these conditions on the diagram or beside it to remind yourself of the relationships as you work the problem. Essentially, you should have a standard setup that you apply to each type of logic game. You should also have a uniform method of representing common rules. Create a shorthand for commonly applied conditions, such as:

• A is before B
• If B plays C does not
• X is not in the red room
• R is in 3 of the groups
• S is immediately before T
• S is before T
• Fewer than four birds are in each cage

Doing this will help you to identify relationships between different rules faster. Furthermore, this will allow you to make deductions more quickly so that you are able to increase your speed on each question.

When you are first introduced to the logic games section, it is important that you develop a strategy first. Speed can come later. Take all the time you need at the beginning to learn how to work this section properly. You should be able to quickly determine which type of logic game you are facing after reading the question and be able to apply a diagram that will help you map out the answers.  If you try to rush your way through the questions by imposing timed conditions at this point, you’ll simply derail and delay your progress. Strive for full accuracy instead of answering questions quickly. As you get better with this section, you will naturally get faster. Just avoid adding the pressure of speed when you are first starting out. 

Ultimately, becoming a pro on the logic games section will take some practice. Start out by practicing on one type of game at a time, like the sequencing questions. Complete as many of these question types as you can before taking a break. Before long, you’ll be able to see how rules and principles interact and you will be able to make quick deductions when attacking these questions. Make it a habit to complete drill sets and practice test questions.  Next, continue the same pattern with the next question type. You will probably take several days to master each question type, so space out your studying enough to give you the time you need. Over time, you’ll develop a consistent system to attack these problems. Continue this process until you have mastered all five major question types and get a nearly perfect score on all the games.

As you go through the answers to your questions, don’t just look to confirm whether you had the right answer. Instead, read through each explanation thoroughly to make sure you made the right deductions and attacked the problem appropriately. Go back and redo any problems that you answered incorrectly, using your test booklet or simulator’s approach as your guide. This will ensure that you use the method to get the right answer.

Now that you‘ve gotten used to logic games and have a better sense of what it takes to conquer this section, you need to start simulating actual test conditions. You may want to start by giving yourself a pretest to see where your baseline score is under timed conditions. This will give you a good estimate to see how much progress you make.  Spend at least two weeks of practicing this section before you start implementing time limits. You will have 35 minutes on this section in the real world— roughly eight minutes per game and less than a minute and a half per question.  You may want to start your timed sessions by trying to conquer three games within the allotted time. Even if you don’t get to the last game, don’t worry just yet; if all of your answers were right on three games, this may provide you with a better score than trying to rush through all four games.  Here’s a good strategy to follow during this phase of your LSAT test preparation:

1. Complete a timed logic games section to get a baseline score
2. Practice without timing at first
3. Focus on accuracy
4. Work on strategies to help you get faster
5. Practice on recent LSAT official tests for timed sections
6. Complete a timed logic games section each day for at least two weeks

During part of your study days, you may need to concentrate exclusively on the logic games section and save the other sections for other days.

Since the LSAT is now digital, some of the advice that you encounter in test booklets or with prep courses may be outdated. Be sure that you are familiar with the digital interface of the logic games. The setup of the game and its rules will appear on the left-hand column. If you highlight or underline anything in the left-hand column, these marks will stay even if you navigate elsewhere.  Also, note the vertical lines in the bubble bar that show the beginning and end of each of the games.

While this might not seem like a big deal, it’s still worth keeping in mind. If you don’t organize your scratch paper, you may wind up confused with which diagram corresponds with which question. This mistake can waste your already limited time by trying to figure it out. Simply label each game on your scratch paper with 1, 2, 3, or 4 to designate which game it corresponds to. This will come in handy if you have to skip some questions and come back to them later!

Remember, you only have 35 minutes; don’t waste a single second! Skim through the four questions and find the easiest ones first to pick up some quick points. Find your favorite question type that you are most competent at solving and tackle all of the questions for this game. Delay harder questions for the end of your allotted time.

The LSAT logic games section is difficult. There’s no way around that. But if you put in the time to learn this section of the test and use the targeted strategies discussed above, you should see rapid improvements in your score.  Keep an eye on our blog for frequent posts with updates and advice on the logic games section of the test. We also offer recommendations on test prep and other materials that can help you raise your score. Check back often to get the latest information and advice on LSAT and logic game prep. Good luck! COMPARE THE BEST LSAT PREP COURSES

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If you’ve just finished your law degree and found yourself locking down your first job at a great firm, you should be very happy with yourself (hopefully you’re being showered with gifts too!). Law isn’t one of the most glamorous careers you could have chosen, but succeeding as a famous movie star takes a lot more work than becoming a lawyer! Law can often be a little drab to say the least, but you chose the safe career option. For the rest of your life, people will need legal help, and you will be there to give it.  But just because law is not that much fun it doesn’t mean you need to lose your sense of humor! 

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If you’ve landed your first job, you probably have ambitions to have a nice lawyer-worthy car to match your profession. One of the best ways to show how proud of yourself are (while remaining as humorous as you were at all those great college parties) is to customize your new car with vanity plates. Vanity plates can be as unique as you can imagine, and most are available (depending on where you live) with seven or eight characters. This opens up the possibilities for a whole lot of clever words and phrases.  Here are some examples of how you as a new lawyer can let people know what you do for a living. Who knows, it could even get you some business! When you try to decide what words to put on your vanity plates, remember that letters and numbers can be integrated.  (e.g. 3=E 4=A 1=I 0-O 8=B) This is the most obvious one of course, but who won’t know what you do with a plate like this. Changing up the letters with numbers can make it a more likely option of availability – L4WY3R OR LAWY3R for example.  OBJECTION, YOUR HONOR! A word you will be using a bit in the future just might be the perfect vanity plate for your vehicle. Once again, mixing up the lettering could improve availability if this one’s already taken.

One way to get attention is with a plate that tells strangers how you can help them out of a sticky situation. Almost everyone will have a reason to sue someone else one day, and maybe they will seek you out to get the job done for them.

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One of the best vanity plates available for a good defense lawyer. Although it’s a little more cheeky than other ones, it will attract plenty of attention.

Another great plate for a defense lawyer. You can interchange plenty of numbers and letters in this plate option, which means there is a better chance it’s available. 

Straight to the point, this plate tells people exactly why your car is so nice. It could get you plenty of business just driving down the street.

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Telling it as it is again, “I sue for you” lets passersby know exactly how you can help them. It will get you noticed anywhere you go. 

See you in court vanity plates are a great advertisement for what it is you do. It’s clear and concise for anyone who reads it. 

Lawyer Up is another great plate option, as seen on the car of the main character in Better Call Saul. It’s a simple yet effective option that serves as a friendly reminder to everyone who sees it. 

If you are a gun lawyer that is pulling in some solid accounts for your firm, this vanity plate will only make things better for you. However, you will need to live up to the rainmaker name to truly make this work.  Put a little pizzazz into your new career as a lawyer! Who wants to be boring for their entire lives? Let us know in the comments below if you have other ideas for great lawyer vanity plates! COMPARE THE BEST LSAT REVIEW COURSES

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If you’ve just stumbled across this page, you’re likely interested in pursuing a future in law school. If so, keep reading to see a list of the 28 most frequently asked questions about the Law School Acceptance Test. Take a look below to learn the ins and outs of the LSAT!

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What is the LSAT?

The LSAT is an exam used as part of admission to law schools in the United states, Canada, and many other countries. This test is specifically designed to access skills required for success in law school, such as reading comprehension, analytical reasoning, and logical reasoning. Currently, the LSAT is the only accepted test for admission purposes by all ABA accredited law schools and Canadian common-law law schools.

What Does LSAT Stand for?

LSAT is an acronym that stands for the Law School Admission Test. Not to be confused with LSAC (Law School Admissions Council), which is the organization that administers the exam, the LSAT can be taken either digitally or with pencil and paper.

Why Take the LSAT?

The LSAT consists of six sections, each of which is 35 minutes. This adds up to a total of 210 minutes (3 ½ hours). There is a 15-minute break after the third section. However, you must arrive early to verify your identity and complete preliminary information.

How Hard is the LSAT? (and what makes it hard?)

The LSAT is considered an infamously difficult test for three key reasons:

1. It is a test designed to test skills that undergrad students may not have fully developed. An example of this would be the reasoning skills in the logic games sections, which are typically taught in science majors.
2. These skills are definitely learnable, but take time to develop. Hence, this is not a test that you will be ready for after only a few weeks of work.
3. Test takers only have 35 minutes for each section of the test. The LSAT is also designed to stress this time pressure with complicated questions. You will have to solve logical issues at a faster pace than a usual test.

You cannot cram for the LSAT. It is not an exam that simply tests memorization and instead focuses on critical thinking and reasoning skills.

How Long is the LSAT?

The test itself is three hours; however, you can’t just count the hours spent taking the exam. Each section of the LSAT is 35 minutes long and you will be given a 15 minute break after the third section. This adds up to roughly three hours of test time. Furthermore, you will have to account for travel time to the test location and time spent on checking in. Typically, checking in will take 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the size and staff of the test center. Ultimately, when taking the LSAT you are looking at a total of 4.5 to 6 hours spent on testing day.

How Many Questions are on the LSAT?

Each time the LSAT is administered, it usually contains around 100 questions. There are four graded sections of about 25 multiple choice questions each, and an experimental section with another 25 questions. After that, there is one 30 minute writing sample.

Section:	Logical Reasoning I	Logical Reasoning II	Analytical Reasoning	Reading Comprehension	Experimental
Questions:	24-26	24-26	23-24	26-28	24-28

Table Source: Peterson’s

What Kind of Questions Are on the LSAT? What is the LSAT Like? 

There are five sections of multiple choice questions on the LSAT. Each section must be completed in 35 minutes. Four of the multiple choice sections are used for scoring, while the fifth is a variable section used to test new questions that may or may not be used on future versions of the test. Aside from the variable sections, two of the sections are dedicated to logical reasoning, one section is dedicated to analytical reasoning, and the last section is based on reading comprehension. The logical reasoning sections contain questions that test your ability to understand the most important point of an argument. They also test to see if you can quickly analyze opposing arguments and bring up your own opinions in an informed and persuasive manner. Each logical reasoning sections contains twenty five questions. Analytical reasoning sections will ask you to accurately analyze arguments and decisions. Hence, over the course of twenty five questions you will be asked to demonstrate the ability to apply logic to complex and abstract situations. The reading comprehension section is broken into four subsections with 27 questions total. Three of these subsections will ask you to read lengthy passages; the fourth will have a shorter one. After reading each passage you, will have to answer 5-8 questions designed to challenge your comprehension of what you just read. In addition to the five multiple choice sections, the LSAT contains a timed essay. You will be given 35 minutes to demonstrate your ability to create and deliver an argument in a clear manner. This essay isn’t scored, but law school admission boards will review it when you apply. Source: Ace Test Prep

How do I Prepare for the LSAT?

At the bare minimum, you should prepare for the LSAT by taking a practice test under time constraints to learn how long you need to spend on each question.

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However, generally speaking you are going to want to put much more time into LSAT prep. According to the Pre-law Advising Office, these are some of the most important things to do to prepare for the exam:

• Review the test format and question types. Doing so will ensure the test looks familiar when the time comes to take it.
• Work on sample questions and explanations found on study sites and offered by LSAT prep courses.
• Use at least one set of commercial prep materials to learn how to approach difficult sections such as the “logic games.”
• Find copies of previous LSAT versions. Many retailers such as Amazon sell these as LSAT prep materials. You can find versions with just the answers or with answers and explanations. Make sure to simulate the real test by timing yourself while working on these practice exams!
• Go over every practice exam you take to make sure you know which questions you answered wrong and why. Use this information to learn how to better approach these questions in the future; this is the most important aspect of LSAT prep and you must give yourself plenty of time to work through this!
• Finally, make sure to be physically ready for the test. Make sure to get plenty of sleep and eat a good breakfast or all your study efforts will be wasted.

If you still don’t feel prepared enough, you can take an LSAT prep course. There are many such courses on offer with varying price ranges. Most review courses offer multiple choice questions and simulated tests as well as study notes and lectures. Additionally, some even include private tutoring. These LSAT prep courses can be taken either online or in person.

Is the LSAT Hard? How Long Should I Study For It?

Most test prep services (such as Kaplan) will recommend that you study for a two to three month period. During this period, you should be spending 20-25 hours a week studying for a total of 150-300 study hours. These hours do include any classes and private tutoring you’re utilizing. At the bare minimum, you should spend 120 hours on preparation, but in most cases that just isn’t enough time. Some people may recommend starting preparation six months to a year in advance. This is generally a bad idea as it can lead to burnout due to studying too hard for too long. A timeframe this long is only advised if you can’t spend more than ten hours each week on studying.

Where do I get LSAT Practice Tests?

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) offers practice tests on their website. One practice test is free; you can purchase more of their official prep tests from several booksellers. However, the LSAC isn’t the only place you can find practice tests. Many LSAT prep courses include both free and paid practice tests, including Princeton Review, Kaplan, and Varsity Tutors. Your mileage may vary on the quality of each prep course’s test, but most of them pull questions from previous versions of the LSAT. Consequently, it is highly recommended to try and simulate the actual timed testing experience with these LSAT practice tests.

Are LSAT Prep Courses Worth it?

LSAT courses are expensive, especially when compared to the price of self study materials. They can cost anywhere from 300 to 1500 dollars on average. However, if a prep course increases your score by a minimum of 2-5 points it’s already worth your money. Law schools offer scholarships to the strongest candidates from the LSAT. That 2-5 minimum point increase could save you $50,000 to $100,000 on tuition. In the face of that, prep course costs become much more negligible. Additionally, prep courses have distinct advantages in terms of studying that self study does not. Courses cover everything you need to know on the test. Alternatively, when self studying it is tempting for many students to ignore or skip portions of the material that is considered unnecessary, which can lead to a drop in test performance. Live instructors can also alert you to your weaknesses and work with you to overcome them. They can even find weaknesses that you didn’t know you had. Furthermore, courses also periodically give formal and timed practice LSATs that will provide you with valuable test-taking experience.

Are LSAT Prep Courses Tax Deductible?

According to the IRS, LSAT prep courses are not tax deductible. College entrance exams are not considered qualified education expenses; therefore, neither prep courses not exam costs can be deducted. The reason prep courses and materials purchased for the LSAT are not deductible is because the LSAT is considered as changing your career instead of career advancement. Continuing education classes required by lawyers, by contrast, are deductible because they further develop your pre-established career.

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Where do I Take the LSAT?

The LSAT is offered at testing locations around the world.

However, it’s generally recommended to register as early as possible so you can maximize your chances of getting a seat at your preferred location.

To find and register for a test center near you, create an LSAC account and select the administration you are interested in. You will then be given a list of test centers based on your current location. This list is updated in real time. In some rare instances, an LSAT test center will unexpectedly close. When this happens, you will be reassigned to the nearest available center. For more information, see the LSAC’s page on test centers.

When is the LSAT Offered?

The LSAT is administered six times a year at designated testing centers: typically in January, March, June, July, September, and November. Because the test is so long, it is usually administered in the morning or early afternoon. If your religious observations do not allow you to take the test on a Saturday, alternate LSAT test dates are available. Typically, these fall on a Monday. In order to register for that alternate date, you must send in a signed letter from your religious institution confirming the authenticity of your request. The letter can be sent by mail, fax, or email. For more information about LSAT test dates, visit the LSAC page on registration.

When does LSAT Registration Open?

Registration for June and July test dates are currently open and must be completed before April and June respectively. To stay up to date with registration news, make sure to regularly check back with LSAC’s registration page.

Where do I Get My LSAT Photo?

Any photo you wish to use to be admitted to the LSAT test center must meet the following requirements:

• Your LSAT photo must be a recent picture of you with only your head and shoulders in frame
• Test supervisors must be able to identify you on test day when comparing you to your photo
• Your facial features must be clearly visible with no obstructions such as shadows blocking you
• The background in your LSAT photo must be plain and not obscure identity
• The uploaded photo must be different from the one test administrators will see on your government-issued ID.
• Your photo must completely fill the 2×2 photo display box

When Should I Take The LSAT? When Should I Start Studying?

Most applicants begin studying for the LSAT during the summer before their senior year of college. These applicants then take the LSAT exam in the fall in September or October. Unfortunately if you fail the test then your only chance to retake it before law school applications is in December. This could mean that you will be sending admissions out as late as January. In a more general sense, you should start studying for the LSAT around three months before the exam itself. Preparing for any longer than that can lead to burnout; starting later can leave you under-prepared. How much studying a person can take before burnout varies between applicants, so be sure to start preparation based on your own experiences. Source: StrategyPrep’s Law School Timeline

How Long is the LSAT Good for?

If you’re wondering how long LSAT scores are valid, you’re not alone. Many people wonder this. Like most standardized tests, LSAT scores only remain valid for a limited period of time. The LSAC will keep your scores valid for five years after you take the test. Even if you took the test multiple times, the LSAC keeps all of them on file and will even average them out for you as well as give you a list of each score you achieved. After five years have passed, the LSAC will remove older scores. For example, if you take the test in April of 2019, that score will be removed in April of 2024.

How Are LSAT Scores Calculated?

Your LSAT score is based entirely on how many questions you answer correctly (AKA your raw score). All questions on the test are weighted exactly the same so all sections are equally important. The total number of correct questions is what matters for your score, not which questions you got right. Furthermore, there are no score deductions for wrong answers. This means there are no risks when guessing the answers to questions you don’t know. After the test, raw scores are converted to a scale from 120 to 180, with 120 being the lowest possible score and 180 being perfect. Visit this page to see how to convert raw scores from your practice tests.

When Will LSAT Scores be Released?

LSAT score release dates follow a fairly standard pattern. Typically, scores are released about one month after tests have been administered. In recent years results have been coming out faster, bringing LSAT score release dates down to about three weeks after the test. You can check the release dates from previous tests to help you make an informed guess as to when you will receive your test results. Please note that people who receive their scores by traditional mail will have to wait a few extra days for their scores to arrive. You can also follow the LSAC twitter account for news about LSAT score release dates.

Can you Retake the LSAT?

Many people unsatisfied with their scores want to know one thing. Can you take the LSAT twice? Luckily for them, you absolutely can! You can actually take the test up to three times in a two year period. Many aspiring students take the LSAT in June. Therefore, if they are unsatisfied with their scores they have time to take it one more time before law school admissions. One thing that’s important to note about retaking the test is your target law school’s admission policy towards multiple LSAT scores. Most schools only take the highest score you achieved, but some average your scores and some take each individual test score into consideration. Make sure you know what your school’s policy is before you attempt to retake. Even though chances are high that they only care about your highest score, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Source: https://www.manhattanprep.com/lsat/blog/the-complete-lsat-retake-manifesto/

What is a Good LSAT Score?

On the LSAT scale of 120-180, a 150 is considered an average score. If you’re looking to get into a top law school, your score should be a 160 or higher. Although it’s common to talk about the LSAT in terms of score, big schools also like to look at your percentile. This means that small score increases can lead to a dramatic change in percentile and your chances of success. Listed below is a table of common scores and percentiles:

Table Source: Princeton Review

Are LSAT Scores Averaged?

Most law schools do not average scores when looking at your LSAT results. Instead they primarily only look at your highest score when looking at admissions. The LSAC will show you an average of your test results if you check your scores on their page, but they also provide a list of all your scores. The option is available to both you and the colleges you choose but rarely will either of you need to worry about an average score. To learn more about individual school policies on average scores check this page.

What LSAT Score do I Need for Harvard?

Even though there isn’t any “cut off” score for Harvard, they still only allow admission to a small number of applicants. If you want to beat if the competition for enrollment, a good Harvard LSAT score would be 170 or higher. However, you’re going to need more than a good LSAT score to get into Harvard. If you have a high GPA to combine with your Harvard LSAT score you will be a competitive applicant. According to Harvard, their accepted class of 2021 applicants had an median 3.9 GPA and 173 LSAT score.

What LSAT Score do I Need for Yale?

Yale has similar requirements for admission to Harvard. A good Yale LSAT score would be higher than a 170. Yale’s statistical profile for the class of 2021 shows that their GPA median was 3.92 and their LSAT score median was 173. It requires plenty of hard work and studying to get in to a law school as prestigious as Yale. It’s also important to note that GPA and a good Yale LSAT score are not all you need to be accepted. Yale looks at personal statements, essays, and letters of recommendation.

What LSAT Score do I Need for NYU?

NYU is considered to be a very competitive law school that only accepts 34 percent of its applicants. According to Law School Numbers, Yale’s class of 2022 students had a median 3.78 GPA and 169 LSAT score. That means that a good NYU LSAT score would be a 170 or higher. You can probably get in with a lower score but only if you show strong performance in other areas of your application.

What LSAT Score do I Need for Columbia?

To be considered a competitive applicant for Columbia, you need a 172 or higher on your LSAT and an undergraduate GPA of 3.72 or higher. Columbia’s class profile reveals that their entering class of 2018 had an average GPA of 3.73 and an average LSAT score of 171. Although people have gotten in with lower GPAs and LSAT results, you will still want a higher Columbia LSAT score.

What LSAT Score do I Need for UCLA?

UCLA’s admission standards are easier to meet than other competitive schools. Typically a good UCLA LSAT score would be 168 or higher with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. UCLA’s site states that the median GPA for their 2018 admissions was 3.72 and their median LSAT score was 168. If you can achieve similar results you will more than likely get into UCLA. Hopefully this information answered some of your burning LSAT-related questions! If you’re still curious about some aspects of the LSAT, feel free to look at some of our other articles and reviews or leave a comment below. Thanks for reading and good luck on your exams! COMPARE THE BEST LSAT PREP COURSES

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