On Saturday, March 26, the second Law School Application Workshop was held in the Strostacker Union.  

Professor and coordinator of legal studies Barbara Palmer first started organizing and hosting the event in February 2020 to help students access the proper resources they need to apply to law school. Held every other year, the workshop introduces students to application materials, the LSAT, and even holds a raffle for money towards LSAT test prep. 

“The first hour is an overview of the law school application process and all of the pieces and gives you an overall general understanding of what the process entails,” Palmer said. “The second hour is all about the LSAT, and then we do an actual timed LSAT section.” 

Former BW alumni and admissions staff from local law schools attended the hour-long networking session. Students had the chance to ask their own personalized questions about law school, in addition to expanding their network.  

“Students can really get the scoop on what’s happening,” Palmer said. “The students and the staff are very honest about what law school is like, so you get really good information about what the law school application process and law school is like.”  

According to Palmer, the workshop helps students gain a realistic vision about what the law school application process looks like.  

First year Mia Basit-Hightower has shown interest in law school since she first started attending BW. Her passion is to attend a local law school to help marginalized populations and to serve the community at large.  

“The workshop was exactly what I was looking for,” Basit-Hightower said. “I got everything I hoped to get out of it. Students and faculty are also helpful with answering questions and bridging me with other people.” 

In addition to being a professor and the legal studies coordinator, Palmer is also the only pre-law advisor for the entire BW campus. She oversees all law school-related matters for students across campus, regardless of major or year. The difficulties Palmer faces are not necessarily due to a lack of resources for students, but rather a lack of campus awareness. 

“Our main resources are online, available through Handshake for students to access 24/7,” Palmer said. “What I am worried about is trying to get the word out. My job is to serve the entire campus and I am trying to create a network of faculty to make sure students know about these resources.”  

Despite the lack of awareness, BW students seem to be successful at getting into law school. Based on the “Baldwin Wallace Students & Law School Attendance 2021 Report,” which gathered data from BW students from 2015 to 2020, BW students tend to score 3 points above the average LSAT score.  

Additionally, BW students attend law schools all around the country, ranging from Howard University, George Washington University, New York University, Cornell, to local universities such as, Cleveland-Marshall, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio State University, and the University of Akron.  

Looking into the future, Palmer wants to share this success with a more diverse population of students. 

“One of my top priorities for the coming year is to really reach out to underserved communities of students, and really take advantage of the diversity of the students we have at BW,” Palmer said.