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<D <D I KENTUCKY LAWYER g University of Kentucky College of Law ralized in the United States, and subject f, are citizens of the United States and of the . No State shall make or enforce any law which ities of citizens of the life, liberty, -of la any person within protection About This Issue The Kentucky Lawyer is published annually by the University of Kentucky College of Law for alumni, alumnae, students, friends, and faculty. Acting Dean Eugene R. Gaetke Director of Linda B. Talbott Development & Editor Special Thanks Our special thanks to Cinergy Corporation of Cincinnati, Ohio, and its President and Chief Executive Officer James E. Rogers, '73, for their financial support of this publication. T Our thanks to Julie Dunn, Alumni Program Table of Contents Coordinator, Drusilla Bakert, Associate Dean, Professor Robert G. Schwemm, Sara Features Martin, and Ralph Derickson, UK Public Relations, for editorial assistance. 2 The Admissions Process Publication Design The Williams McBride Group 6 The Future of the Law Library Photography Lee P Thomas (excluding pages 13, 14, 8 Kentucky Prosecutors' 18-21, 36, and 43) Institute Mission The mission of the University of Kentucky College of Law is to provide a high quality, cost-effective legal education for the best Sections college-educated students in our region in order that its graduates may become out­ 10 Student Activities standing attorneys and leaders in their com­ 14 Hall of Fame munities, the Commonwealth, and the nation, and to serve the legal profession and 18 Class Actions society by producing important law-related 22 New Scholarship and research, scholarship, and service. Professorships Statement of All applicants meeting the appropriate Non-discrimination requirements and technical standards shall 23 Dean's Circle be considered equally for admission to any 24 Lafferty Society academic program regardless of race, color, religion, sex, marital status, sexual orienta­ 38 Calendar of Events tion, national origin, age, beliefs or disability. 39 Career Services © University of Kentucky 42 Commencement All rights reserved. 44 Faculty Notes Contacts at the College of Law Dean's Office 606 257-1678 [email protected] Student Records 606 257-8318 [email protected] Admissions 606 257-6770 [email protected] [email protected] Alumni Relations 606 257-3103 [email protected] Career Services 606 257-8959 [email protected] jyocum@pop. uky. edu Continuing Legal Education 606 257-2921 [email protected] Development 606 257-3208 [email protected] Law Library 606 257-8686 [email protected] Faculty Members 606 257-1678 Many faculty also use e-mail. For most of the faculty, type the first initial of their first name and their complete last name [email protected] (e.g., Julie Dunn= [email protected]) College of Law on the Web Make sure to visit the UK College of Law's UK Home Page on the World Wide Web UNIVERSn'V OF KENTIJCKY at http://www.uky.edu/Law Amtrica's Nat Gmrt lhuvtrSit!I THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS Recently Drusilla Bakert, Associate Dean for committee member reads a summary of each file to Admissions, Scholarships and Student Affairs, spoke be presented at the meeting. Each candidate's file is with Ralph Derickson, UK Public Relations, about the discussed and voted upon by the full Committee. law school admissions process. Following is a transcript This means that all information presented by a of their conversation. candidate is considered in the admissions process. But it also means that no candidate will be admitted When does the College of Law consider candidates for admission? without a favorable vote of a majority of the committee members. We start accepting applications for admission on September 1 of the year prior to expected enroll­ What characteristics are sought by the ment. We are right now accepting applications for Admissions Committee? the Fall 2000 entering class. For most students, law school is the most difficult An admissions file is considered ready for academic endeavor they will ever face. So, the first Committee review when we have a completed thing the Committee looks for is evidence that the application and personal statement, the candidate's candidate has been successful in academics in the LSDAS (Law School Data Assembly Service) report past. We examine his or her undergraduate perfor­ and any letters of recommendation the candidate mance very carefully, the level of courses taken, has told us to expect. Our Committee meets once the difficulty of the course work and major and in November and once in December to consider grade trends by semester. If a student has one applications that are complete early in the process. bad semester or has a bad freshman year, that We then meet weekly beginning in mid-January won't necessarily keep them out of law school, and continuing until about the third week of April. if their grade trend has been upward. The candidate's LSAT score or scores are also very How does the College of Law admissions important, because the LSAT is our only standard process work? measurement of predicted performance in law At UK Law we have an Admissions Committee school. These are the" academic predictors" the made up of seven members: myself as chair, five Committee looks to first. faculty members and one student member. The Committee votes on every single admissions file. Do you recommend any particular major as the best preparation for law school? Before each meeting, all complete files not yet considered are divided among the seven members No, I do not. Law school requires only that you of the Admissions Committee. Each committee know how to read, write and think, and a candidate member reads all of their files in full, and every can learn those things (or fail to learn them) in any 2 good undergraduate program. A student tends How should a candidate prepare to take three actual LSATs with the answers to to do best in a major selected because they are the LSAT? the questions and the reasoning behind interested in the subject matter, not because By working over and over again on sample test the answers. the major was recommended as good prepara­ questions. The LSAT does not ask for specific In addition to academic predictors, what does tion for law school. There are in fact 50 different factual information. It tests skills a student the Committee consider most important? undergraduate majors among the students in should have developed in his or her under­ The Committee also reads very carefully the this year's entering class. graduate training, such as reading comprehen­ candidate's personal statement and writing sion, analytical ability, and logical reasoning Should a candidate take the LSAT more sample from the LSAT. Strong writing skills than once? ability. The best way to prepare is to take are required to be successful in both the sample LSAT questions repeatedly until you're A candidate should prepare carefully for the practice of law and law school itself. The sure of the logic behind the questions and LSAT and plan to take it only once, if at all Committee also expects a candidate to pay how to sort through the answers. You need to possible. The ABA requires for reporting very close attention to spelling, grammar and quickly get to the one or two answers that purposes that all scores be averaged. So a syntax when preparing his or her personal look correct and be able to pick the correct one. candidate never wants to take the LSAT on statement. In fact, a candidate with strong It's also a matter of timing. Every test question a"flyer"just to see what it's like. However, writing skills may be admitted ahead of counts whether the section is completed or not. many candidates who have a bad first experi­ another student with better academic Practice over and over again. Do the sections ence with the test improve their score when credentials who includes a poorly written, under timed conditions and also take the full they retake the LSAT, and the admissions sloppily-edited personal statement. test under testing conditions. The best prepa­ committee will see all scores and read any The Committee looks at undergraduate ration materials are sold by the LSAC and are explanations for why the first score was lower. extracurricular activities, particularly leader­ relatively inexpensive. I always recommend ship roles, and whether or not the student the Triple Prep Plus book, which includes was working during undergraduate school. 3 Students should be aware, though, that a long and recommendations, then that student is list of undergraduate activities will not make up admitted. If everything in the file indicates that for poor performance in the classroom. The the student probably would not be successful at Committee is also very concerned about any UK Law, then the student is denied. In most information in the candidate's file that raises cases, there are some things the committee likes an issue about their character and fitness to and some the members are concerned about. practice law. Most of these candidates will be placed on hold, In short, the six factors that are most important particularly if their file is considered very early to the Admissions Committee are: (1) under- in the process. In fact, many candidates will graduate performance; (2) LSAT score; (3) be placed on hold the first time they go writing skills; (4) life and work experiences, to Committee but admitted later in the activities and leadership roles;(S) evidence of admissions season. the character and fitness to practice law; and As the Committee continues to consider new (6) letters of recommendation.

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