Road to Atty: Five Steps to Applying to Law School

Aspiring to become a lawyer? Here are five steps to get you started.

1. Obtain a Bachelor’s Degree.

In order to qualify in any law school in the country, one must be a graduate of any four-year Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university or college.

Moreover, it will be an added value on your application to have a high Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) or Quality Point Index (QPI). CGPA or QPI refers to the weighted average of your grades in college. Most law schools consider this as one of their deciding factors in admissions, as it indicates how an applicant has performed academically.

2. Pass the Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhiLSAT) or apply for a Certificate of Exemption.

All aspiring law students must pass the Philippine Law School Admission Test or PhiLSAT, a nationwide aptitude test, before applying to any law school. The admission test is administered twice a year, in April and September.

Graduates or graduating students of a four-year bachelor’s degree program, or its equivalent, are qualified to take the PhiLSAT at the end of the academic year. Once passed, you will be issued a Certificate of Eligibility which you can submit to your law school application.

In case you graduated with honors and have professional civil service eligibility, you do not need to take the PhiLSAT. Instead, you must apply for a Certificate of Exemption with the Legal Education Board within 2 years from graduation.

3. Decide which law school you want to apply to.

Choosing a school is a major part of your law school journey. It’s important to choose a school that will help you achieve your goals. Here are factors to consider in making your decision:

• Law school rankings. It is important to consider law school rankings, since it is based on the collective performance of its law school graduates in the Bar exams. Law schools are also ranked based on its graduates’ passing rate in the Bar exams. Many aspiring students take this factor into consideration because it represents how the school trains and prepares its students for the Bar exams.
• Location. Studying law will take up most of your time. So it is essential to consider a location of a school that is convenient enough for your daily commute.  
• Tuition Fee Costs. Becoming a lawyer would cost a lot of money. The tuition fee per semester generally ranges from Php 40,000 to Php 60,000. As such, money is a big factor to consider in your decision-making, since you need to have enough money for four years of education.

Search for schools through Edukasyon.ph to find the law school that best fits your needs.

4. Submit application forms and requirements to your chosen law school.

After you narrow down your list of schools, check the school’s admission requirements and application procedures. Take note of the deadline of application so you won’t miss it.

The common admission requirements among law schools are:

• PhiLSAT Certificate of Eligibility
• Application Form with Photo
• Recommendation Letter
• Transcript of Records

5. Apply for scholarships.

It would be good to have someone to finance your law school journey since the tuition fee and books are expensive. Fortunately, law schools offer scholarships and financial aids. As such, make sure you submit your requirements. Scholarship grantees are usually notified after being accepted in law school.

Applying to law school can be tedious and time-consuming. But time management is key. Create a timeline for preparing requirements and studying for the PhiLSAT. Practicing good time management now will not only benefit your application process, but your potential career as a law student and lawyer in the future.

Source:

https://www.cem-inc.org.ph/philsat/files/upload/PhiLSAT_BOI_0118_R2_02072018full_fr.pdf