Pre-Law News
Updates from Loyola's Pre-Law Society
Hi everyone!
My name is Sophia Capone, and I’m honored to serve as this year’s Pre-Law Society President. A little bit about me — I’m originally from the Northern Virginia/DC area, I’m a junior majoring in Political Science with a minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and I’ve been involved with the Pre-Law Society since my first year at Loyola. Last year, I worked as the work-study student for the Society, which gave me the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of how our organization operates. A special shoutout to last year’s executive board (especially Liz!) for showing me the ropes.
My goal this year is to make the Pre-Law Society feel more like a community, one that is engaging, supportive, and interactive. We’ve already relaunched our Peer Mentoring Program, which pairs upperclassmen with underclassmen to provide guidance on law school applications, LSAT prep, and making the most of their time here at Loyola.
We also have an exciting lineup of guest speakers this semester and, of course, our Expungement Clinic! I encourage everyone to participate in the clinic at least once during their time at Loyola. It’s an incredibly rewarding experience that allows you to give back to the Baltimore community while working alongside practicing attorneys and seeing firsthand how the legal process unfolds.
I’m so excited to be working with our amazing advisor, Dr. Beverlin, and the rest of the executive board this year. Please feel free to reach out anytime. I’m always happy to chat. Here’s to a great year ahead for the Pre-Law Society!
Blessings,
Sophia
Hello Loyola Pre-Law Community,
Fall – the weather and the coursework- has arrived on campus, and the semester is well underway. I hope those of you applying to law school have time to take a deep breath and assess where you are in the process.
The best way to do that is through developing a plan, complete with a schedule. Your plan should account for discernment on whether to attend law school, and if you do so choose to attend, how you intend to matriculate into your preferred school.
In last academic year’s final newsletter, I noted law school applications are way up. That trend is holding steady. As compared to two years ago, there are 25% more applicants vying for admission to a law school (this data is tracked closely by the Law School Admission Council). All the more reason for you to recognize the competition involved in getting a seat in a law classroom, and to act accordingly.
Below are some notable milestones that will keep you on track. I’ve broken things down by class year. Juniors, especially, please take note of where Seniors need to be in mid-October. Life comes at you fast (Yes, talking to you, class of 2027).
Seniors (Class of 2026)
- Have an LSAC account created with the additional Credential Assembly Service (CAS).
- Have satisfactorily taken the LSAT including the writing component. (Preferred registration deadlines for taking the LSAT have passed for the 2025-26 cycle, so any subsequent testing sessions will begin compromising your ideal application window).
- Recommendation letters uploaded to LSAC. Two faculty letter writers is the standard for applicants direct from undergrad.
- Personal statement done and uploaded to LSAC.
- Transcripts uploaded to the CAS portal.
- List of where you are applying is finalized.
- You have written responses to preferred schools’ supplemental admissions essays.
- Be prepared to submit applications from now until Thanksgiving. Mid-October to late November is the best time to apply because it provides the best odds of being admitted and receiving scholarship money. You might later choose to apply to additional schools, as you begin to receive admissions decisions.
Juniors (Class of 2027)
- Take note of the above. Actively using Junior year preparing for admissions will make for a smoother, and ultimately, more successful journey.
- Study for the LSAT. Accounting for a possible study abroad, develop a realistic schedule that is not rushed.
- To adequately prepare, research third party test prep companies such as 7Sage, LSAT Demon, and Kaplan. Some use a book (alone or in conjunction with the above) such as: The LSAT Trainer by Mike Kim or The Loophole in Logical Reasoning by Ellen Cassidy.
- Create an LSAC account. Apply for an LSAC fee waiver. If you think you have any shot at a waiver, go for it - you could get things for free or at reduced cost.
- Consider LSAC LawHub Advantage accounts, which provide many official practice tests. A basic LawHub account is free. An Advantage account is $120 a year.
- Junior year is a prime time to build out your resume with law related coursework, internships, research, and leadership positions.
- Research and consider where you want to apply. (Campus visits plus web research. I recommend creating a profile on Law School Transparency. It has reliable ABA data underlying it and is now owned by LSAC.)
- Keep in mind deadlines with a long lead time. Transcripts from international institutions can take longer to request. If necessary, make this the first thing you do and get it out of the way.
- I advise not waiting until fall of senior year to ask faculty members for recommendation letters, when we’re all much busier. Plan accordingly now and think about who your two letter writers will be. Stay on their radar and ask them next summer.
Sophomores and Freshmen (Classes of 2028 and 2029)
- If you read this far, you have a leg up by knowing what is coming down the pike. For now, explore the profession. Work ahead by taking part in Pre-Law Society activities such as law firm trips, school visits, and the expungement clinics. Take time to attend lawyer speakers and continue to ask if this is the right path for you.
- Build out your resume with law related coursework, internships, research, and leadership positions.
- Note the cost involved in applying to law school. Creating an LSAC account with CAS (essentially a required digital drop box), sitting for the LSAT a single time, and submitting your score to one school runs about $500. With third-party test prep materials nearly necessary, as well as applying to multiple schools (the average is 8), you should budget $1,000.
- Enroll in law-related coursework, and most basic of all, make sure you are in the Pre-Law Society student group.
My goal is to support all of you as best I can, so if you have a question please ask. I’m glad to meet you for an advising session and will answer any more specific application process questions. Part of what I do is connect Pre-Law students with others in the Loyola community who are just as invested in your success.
Best of luck to you on this journey, enjoy the newsletter, and have a great Fall semester!
Matt Beverlin
Loyola Pre-Law Advisor
Political Science Department
By: Ifeoma Ezeani
Cate Tierney is a senior attorney in the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and she currently concentrates her practice on Clean Water Act and Oil Pollution Act enforcement. Tierney graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Loyola College in 1989 (now Loyola University Maryland) and received a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.
1. How did your time studying political science at Loyola shape your thinking about law, government, and public service?
I took a real mix of classes when I was studying political science at Loyola. I took a lot of United States government-type classes and political parties. But I also took a number of international classes, some that were rooted in history, for example, World War II and what was going on during that time frame politically. So, the mix of both domestic and international classes really opened my eyes to the many different types of political studies out there, and that's what really sparked my interest in law. It all went back to Loyola.
2. What led you to choose Georgetown Law, and were there any classes, clinics, or professors that interested you?
I was really interested in going to Georgetown; it was my number one pick, and the reason was that at the time, I was really thinking that I'd probably end up pursuing international law. It had an outstanding reputation in that field, and its location in Washington, D.C. was interesting to me. I wanted to be near all the different international institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, so those were two real strengths of Georgetown that attracted me to the school.
3. What inspired you to pursue a career in environmental law, and how did your time at Loyola and Georgetown prepare you for your role at the EPA?
I went into environmental law sort of by accident. I did not go to Georgetown with the goal of studying environmental law. I mentioned I thought I would pursue international law, but what ended up happening is just all part of the serendipity of life. Right out of law school I went to a large law firm in D.C., and the law firm required us to sort of rotate amongst the different practice groups. The law firm where I worked was a very large government contracts practice, and at the time, I was a brand-new attorney there. The law firm was engaged in a very big litigation case that required tons of junior lawyers to review documents in a secured location down in Texas, and I really did not have a great interest in doing that. So, I really tried to look around for some of the other practice groups that I had rotated through and tried to insert myself into one of the other practice groups that I found more interesting.
One of the ones was the environmental practice at the law firm, both because people were wonderful to work with, and, I just started to have a real interest in the field itself, so that's how I ended up becoming an environmental lawyer. It really wasn't something I had originally planned on, but I'm so happy that it turned out the way it did in terms of what I learned at Loyola and Georgetown. I would say both of those schools really helped me open my eyes to different types of classes that maybe I had never heard of or different fields of study that I had never considered. I was always really encouraged by my professors at both schools, and by the classes that were offered at those schools, to explore classes that I just didn't ever think about before, so that's how I ended up as an environmental lawyer.
4. What obstacles did you face on your journey to becoming a senior attorney at the EPA, and how did you overcome them?
I would say that the challenge, if I can put it that way instead of an obstacle, the challenge I think for being a government attorney, just generally speaking, is that every four years you're dealing with new people who come in at every cycle. Senior people in whichever agency you're working at have their own ideas about how to do things, then their own priorities, and so you're constantly sort of shifting a bit to try to advance those priorities, and so it really takes people sort of nimble on their feet and being open to thinking about things in different ways. I think one of the real challenges is to build trust with the new leadership that comes aboard, which is something that's very important for attorneys to be able to show that they have the expertise and that they're just trying to advance the mission, and to build trust in that way.
5. What personal values or experiences have most influenced the way you approach your work in environmental law?
I think that this also largely comes from Loyola and Georgetown as Jesuit schools. I think that Jesuit ideals really have always influenced me in terms of the law that I have pursued because, as I mentioned, I started out in a big law firm practice, and there were many wonderful things about that. I learned a ton, and I made great friends that I have to this day, but I wasn't personally invested in the mission, and so that's why I made a switch to the Environmental Protection Agency. I very strongly believe in the mission of protecting human health and the environment, so I have always been a huge proponent of using the law to do some good and I think that that is has been my sort of guiding star throughout my law practice. Again, I think it really does tie back to some of the judgment ideals of just really trying to do some good in the world.
6. How have you navigated your work in environmental law with the changing administrations and climate of the country?
That is a great challenge and one of the biggest challenges I think of being an environmental lawyer or any type of government attorney. For me personally, the challenges have been greater more recently, and so I think it's just important to keep the core mission of Environmental Protection and protection of human health and the environment first and foremost in your mind and just do everything you can to advance that mission.
7. For students interested in careers in environmental law or government service, what skills or experiences would you recommend they focus on developing?
I think that Loyola students are very lucky to be quite near Washington, D.C., and in Baltimore. There are great opportunities, but certainly in D.C., with all the different international and domestic law institutions. There are great opportunities to do internships or to do some volunteer work, and to really try to take advantage of all the different opportunities just by virtue of physical location. I think that's a huge advantage that Loyola students have, and if students are interested in government work, it's very important to try to do an internship or maybe even just shadowing an attorney or other professional that works at a government agency, to just get a real sense of sort of the day-to-day.
