Admissions

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Blog Posts

May 21, 2026
Spivey Consulting Group 2026-2027 Pro Bono Program: Announcement & Application

Apply now to receive free law school admissions consulting through the Spivey Consulting Pro Bono Program!

April 13, 2026
Tier-Ranking Law Schools by Lawyer/Judge Reputational Score

Law school rankings organized in tiers—based on reputational survey data from hiring partners, practicing attorneys, and judges.

March 9, 2026
Know Your Law School Seat Deposit Deadlines

Updated with 2026 seat deposit deadlines for all ABA-accredited law schools.

January 14, 2026
Law School Application Deadlines 2026

Application deadlines for every ABA-approved law school for the 2025-26 admissions cycle.

December 23, 2025
What We Learned from Law Schools’ 2025 ABA 509 Disclosures

We analyze the data from law schools' new 509 Required Disclosures, including LSAT and GPA medians, class sizes, diversity and demographics, and more.

July 28, 2025
Law School Application Opening Dates 2025

When will law school applications open for the 2025-2026 admissions cycle? Here's the full list, including all ABA-approved law schools.

June 4, 2025
Why is Your LSAC Cumulative GPA Different from Your Normal Degree GPA?

What types of scenarios can lead to your LSAC-calculated cumulative GPA (the relevant one for law school admissions purposes) being different from your degree GPA?

May 28, 2025
Spivey Consulting Example Personal Statements

Eight examples of great law school personal statements.

May 27, 2025
Spivey Consulting Group 2025-2026 Pro Bono Program: Announcement & Application

Spivey Consulting Group fully supports equitable access and diverse representation in legal education, and in 2025, this responsibility is more important than ever. As a part of this ongoing commitment, we are excited to announce the fifth year of our annual Spivey Consulting Group Pro Bono Program.

Podcasts

February 22, 2020
How Mike Spivey Would Apply to Law School

This is a very encompassing podcast that features the A to Z of the law school admissions process, starting with "Why am I applying" and finishing with scholarship negotiation and the three things that applicants are doing who are punching above their numbers this competitive cycle—with most everything in between covered.

Three other blogs/podcasts are mentioned during this podcast:

  • This is the brief motivational blog Mike wrote that caught that eye of deans of admissions in respect to writing about what matters to YOU, which is what often stands out to others.
  • This is the podcast on being extroverted when visiting law schools.
  • Finally, the applicant who was admitted to Vanderbilt for standing out despite being 15-17 points below the median LSAT is mentioned here.

Also discussed: My Rank, Law School Transparency, and the Above the Law Rankings.

You can listen to this podcast through the YouTube video below, or on SoundCloud or Apple Podcasts.

March 12, 2020
April 2, 2020
How Will Law School Transfer Admissions Be Impacted by COVID-19?

In this podcast, Mike Spivey discusses how COVID-19 and new grading systems will affect law school transfer admissions. Listen below through YouTube, or on SoundCloud or Apple Podcasts.

Also, a quick note — for a look into Mike's daily schedule (which we've been asked about many times) and some advice on staying sane while quarantined, see this recent blog.

March 18, 2020
Update on COVID-19 / Coronavirus & Law School Admissions

Just a quick update from Mike Spivey on how the continuously developing situation with COVID-19 / coronavirus is impacting — and will continue to impact — law school admissions. Watch here or listen on SoundCloud or Apple Podcasts.

September 11, 2020
On the Prevalence of Bad Law School Admissions Advice

In this podcast, Spivey Consulting Group's Anna Hicks and Mike Spivey discuss bad advice in law school admissions — who gives it, how to identify it, and how to determine which advice is worthwhile. Plus, some bonus [good] advice on LinkedIn at the end!

You can also listen to this podcast on SoundCloud or Apple Podcasts.

Here's the podcast on when admissions officers do take note of a specific applicant's behavior online and the consequences it can have.

And here's the Family Guy parody video mentioned in the podcast regarding subjectivity in admissions.

Please note that we are currently at capacity and are not taking new clients for this cycle at this time (we are still working through our current waitlist in date order). However, we will soon be opening our reservation list for next cycle! You can monitor our blog and Twitter for updates on our future availability for this cycle and for the reservation list announcement.

You may not know that I, and several of my Spivey Consulting business partners, were meant to be at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. You can read the story and my thoughts nine years later in a blog post I just published to my motivational blog here. –Mike

June 5, 2020
Harvard Law Goes Fully Remote for Fall 2020. Will Other Law Schools Follow Suit and What It Means for Applicants

In this podcast, Spivey Consulting Group founder Mike Spivey discusses Harvard Law School's recent announcement that all classes will be held fully remotely for Fall 2020 — what does it mean for other law schools, for international students, the ABA, and current applicants? Will this cause more waitlist movement? What about deferrals? Plus, a bit of a look into what the 2020-2021 cycle might bring.

Listen below, or via SoundCloud or Apple Podcasts.