Like most law schools, LMU Law reviews applications and makes offers where a particular
applicant appears to have the necessary qualities required for success in law school
and in the practice of law. While undergraduate GPA and LSAT score are the most traditional
factors determining admission, we will also consider letters of recommendation: academic
performance; community service; extra-curricular or co-curricular activities; evidence
of a strong work ethic and maturity; military service; and an ability to contribute
to the diversity of the LMU Law community.
In compliance with ABA Standard 504(a), we must inform applicants of the following:
In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for
admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine
the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting
the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
For August 2021 admission, LMU Law only accepts the Law School Admission Test (LSAT),
including the LSAT Flex, as part of the admission process. We do not accept alternative
tests, such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission
Test (GMAT).
Follow the steps below to apply to LMU Law. If you have questions or need additional
information, please contact the Office of Admissions at law.admissions@LMUnet.edu or 865.545.5303.
Complete the Application
To complete an application to LMU Law, you must first register for a free account
on the Law School Admission Council’s website – https://www.lsac.org.
Once you possess an LSAC account, you can locate our application (“Lincoln Memorial
University – John J. Duncan, Jr. School of Law”) under "Applications" tab and then
“Member Schools.”
There is no fee to apply.
You will have two program options: full time and flex time. Flex time is a reduced-load program and is designed for people who have outside commitments
and cannot attend school on a full-time basis.
Applications for classes starting in August 2021 will be accepted throughJuly 15, 2021.
Late applications may be accepted at the discretion of the Dean.
Character and Fitness: If you answered “yes” to any question in the Character and Fitness section of your
application, you must provide detailed information for each answer. If your answer
does not fit in the space provided, then you can attach explanations to your application
at the time it is submitted. If you need to update an answer or add supplemetal information,
you can send an addendum to law.admissions@lmunet.edu.
Because of stringent character and fitness qualifications for admission to the bar,
we require full disclosure in response to all questions. Failure to disclose information
often yields a more serious outcome than the matter itself would have produced had
it been revealed by the applicant initially.
Answering “yes” to any question does not automatically disqualify an applicant from
consideration for admission. The Admission and Scholarship Committee would like the
opportunity to review all relevant facts including (but not limited to) the issue(s);
offense(s); date(s) of the offense(s); the law enforcement agency involved; and disposition,
including fine(s), court costs, or other penalties, etc.
The American Bar Association (ABA) precludes the admission of applicants who do not
appear capable of satisfactorily completing a legal program of study and being admitted
to the bar. Similar questions will be asked of you at the time you apply for admission
to the bar, so candor and full disclosure is essential.
Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which
they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Contact information
for all relevant agencies is available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
Attach Your Personal Statement
Attach your personal statement to your application through the "Attachments" tab in
your LSAC account.
Your personal statement should range in length between one-to-four pages. It should
address why you want to attend law school or describe future goals with respect to
obtaining a legal education. It is also helpful to address why you want to attend
LMU Law.
You can also attach your resume' and other documents if you wish; however, they are
not required.
If you need to explain a response to a question in the Character and Fitness section
of your application more fully, you should attach it in the Attachments section. We
would recommend you not include the information in your personal statement unless
the incident was foundational to your decision to attend law school. Please include
the number and question to which you are responding should you need to explain further.
Register for the LSAC's Credential Assembly Service and Pay the Fee
The Credential Assembly Service is a central repository where applicants submit their
academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, and other pertinent items for submission
to law schools.
The current fee to register for Credential Assembly Service for the fall 2021 admission
cycle is $195.
Request Official Transcripts for the LSAC's Credential Assembly Service
An official transcript from each educational institution attended since high school
must be sent from each institution directly to the Credential Assembly Service either
through the mail or via one of the approved, secure electronic transcript providers,
such as Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, Scrip-Safe, or Credential Solutions.
If requesting they be sent by mail, the address to which each transcript must be sent
is:
LSAC Credential Assembly Service
662 Penn Street
Newtown, Pennsylvania 18940
If you received Advanced Placement (AP) credit(s) for courses taken in high school,
then you must submit your high school transcript(s) to the Credential Assembly Service
as well.
In addition to the Credential Assembly Service fee, the applicant must pay for a Law School Report for each law school to which he/she applies. The current cost of the fall 2021 admission
cycle is $45, and again, it must be paid for each law school to which the applicant wants her/his Law School Report sent.
The Law School Report is commonly called the CAS Report.
If you are an undergraduate student when you submit your transcripts to the Credential
Assembly Service, then you must update (resubmit) transcripts from any schools in
which you have taken classes since they were submitted initially.
After you graduate, you will need to submit a final official transcript from the institution
from which you received your bachelor degree. The degree received and the date it
was conferred must appear on the final transcript.
Submit and Assign Two Letters of Recommendation to LMU Law
LMU Law requires two letters of recommendation. Your letters of recommendation should
be submitted directly to the Credential Assembly Service through a link it sends to
each individual making a recommendation.
There are no specific requirements as to who should write them, such as a professor,
employer, acquaintance, etc.; however, they should explain in detail how they know
you and the traits they have observed that leads them to recommend you for law school.
Once the letters are received by the Credential Assembly Service, YOU MUST ASSIGN each letterto each school you want to receive them. They will not be assigned automatically. If you fail to assign both of them to each school, then your file will remain INCOMPLETE
until they are assigned by you.
Register and Pay to Take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is offered multiple times each year at various
testing centers throughout the country, including LMU Law.
The announced 2020-2021 testing dates and registration deadlines are:
LSAT TEST DATE
LSAT REGISTRATION DEADLINE
Monday, July 13, 2020
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Week of August 29, 2020 (Revised)
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Week of October 3, 2020 (Revised)
Friday, August 21, 2020
Week of November 7, 2020 (Revised)
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Saturday, January 16, 2021
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
Saturday, February 20, 2021
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Saturday, April 10, 2021
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
The LSAT test dates and application deadlines have listed as a courtesy and are subject
to change without notice.
While the above-listed information is provided for convenience, always refer to the
LSAC website to ensure the correct test date and registration deadline for any LSAT.
Registration deadlines and test date information can be obtained on the LSAC website: https://www.lsac.org/lsat/lsat-dates-deadlines-score-release-dates
The current cost to take the LSAT is $200. It includes the LSAT Writing Exercise.
LMU Law will not accept LSAT scores more than five years old. In keeping with LSAC
reporting, scores earned prior to June 2014 will not be considered for admission to
fall 2020 programs.
Complete the LSAT Writing Sample
The LSAT Writing Sample is a required component of LMU Law's admission process.
To complete the LSAT Writing Sample, you must go to your LSAC account, download the
required software, and complete the 35-minute LSAT Writing Exercise.
You can take the LSAT Writing Sample no sooner than eight days before your scheduled
LSAT and no later than one year after you have taken the test.
The computer on which you type the LSAT Writing Sample must have an active camera
and microphone while you are writing your response. No outside assistance is permitted.
Do not delay in taking the LSAT Writing Exercise. Even though everything else (e.g.
application, personal statement, two letters of recommendation, Credential Assembly
Service Report with your LSAT score), have been received, your Law School/CAS Report with your LSAT score will not be released to ANY law school
until you have completed the LSAT Writing Sample.
If you have already completed an LSAT Writing Sample for a prior administration of
the LSAT, then you do not have to complete a new writing sample unless you want to
complete a new one.
Generally, it takes between one-to-three weeks for your LSAT Writing Exercise to post
to your account after you have completed it.
LMU Law considers the admission of applicants who were disqualified academically.
An applicant who has been disqualified academically must demonstrate that he or she
possesses the requisite ability to succeed in our program of legal education. The
applicant must also demonstrate that the previous disqualification does not indicate
a lack of capacity to complete the course of study at our law school, extraordinary
circumstances contributed to his or her inability to meet the academic requirements,
and the circumstances resulting in the student‘s academic disqualification have been
remedied or no longer exist.
An applicant who was disqualified academically cannot apply for admission until one
(1) calendar year has expired since the student’s disqualification.
In addition to the application, personal statement, two letters of recommendation,
Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report, and LSAT Writing Exercise, in order to be
considered for admission an applicant who has been disqualified academically either
at LMU Law or another law school must attach two (2) separate written statements to their application through the "Attachments"
tab:
1. a statement detailing the nature of the interim work, activity, or studies which
occurred since the disqualification;and
2. a statement describing why the applicant believes he/she now has a stronger potential
for the study of law and is likely to successfully complete the course of study at
the Duncan School of Law.
Finally, the applicant must send an official transcript from the law school from which
he or she was dismissed to the LSAC's Credential Assembly Service.