The Law School Transplant - If you don't find me helpful, hopefully you'll find me at least mildly entertaining.

During the last several months, I’ve seen many of the same search terms about transferring law schools pop up over and over on my site’s stats. It occurred to me that it might be helpful to provide a central place where I can answer all those frequenly asked questions that are important, but don’t justify an entire post by themselves. Quite frankly, I’m a little surprised that I didn’t think of doing this sooner!

You Asked, I Answered

I’ve tried to address the most common queries I receive, as broadly and accurately as possible. But, at the end of the day, this information is largely based on my own experience and the research I did when I was preparing to transfer; keep in mind that every school is different, as is every student’s transfer experience.

Can I transfer after first semester?

In a word, no.

Though the material taught during the first year is pretty standard, the structure of the academic year tends to vary across law schools. The school I attended my 1L year had year-long classes – we didn’t even receive an official grade until the end of the year. Some schools, on the other hand, will offer fewer classes each semester, but you’ll knock out the whole course in one term. So, allowing students to transfer after first semester of 1L is really not feasible.

Can I transfer after second year?

Again, generally not.

You pretty much have one shot to nail your transfer: between 1L and 2L. Now, many law schools will grant visiting student status to students who come in after the beginning of the second year. However, there are two things to note about this: 1) visiting status is usually granted based on extenuating circumstances (we had one student whose husband got transferred to the area, and we also received several visiting students who were impacted by Hurricane Katrina), and 2) your diploma will still come from your original school.

How difficult is it to transfer law schools?

This really depends. Many schools have an established transfer program and accept the same number of transfer students each year; others only accept transfers to account for attrition from the prior year. So, depending on where you apply, you may be competing for one of 20 spots, or one of two.

But, no matter where you apply, you’ll be competing with the best of the best. There’s no set rule, but it’s safe to say that you’ll have the best chance of getting in if you’re in the top 10% of your 1L class. Study hard!

What is the process for transferring law schools?

I’ve outlined the timeline I used when I transferred. Of course, your individual experience may vary – and please feel free to share it with me!

Does my LSAT score matter when applying to transfer?

Yes and no. You do have to submit your LSAT score (and therefore need to make sure that you have a current LSAC registration). Schools do look at it. However, it matters much, much less than it did when you initially applied to law school. Ostensibly, the LSAT is a predictor of your future performance in law school, but with a year of actual classroom experience behind you and the grades that accompany it, there’s less need for a prediction.

I was never a good standardized test taker (until, ironically, the MBE portion of the bar exam), so I had a supremely mediocre LSAT score relative to my academic abilities. However, I ranked 4th in my 1L class, so the predictive value of my LSAT score was relatively low. Conversely, if you have a high LSAT score but didn’t do well in your first year, there may be a perception that you didn’t do as well as you are able to, which could weigh against you.

Should I even transfer law schools?

Transferring law schools is a very personal decision, and the reasons vary widely. Before you actually do it, I recommend making a list of pros and cons – both for transferring in general, and for transferring to each school to which you are accepted – and ensure that your reasons are sound and defensible.

I address this question in much more depth in this post about whether to transfer.

More Questions? Ask Away!

As I said, I’ve attempted to answer the questions that I’ve seen appear most often. However, if you have another question, please feel free to submit a comment below, and I’ll edit this post to include the answer. This resource is for you, so don’t hesitate to ask!