How This Page Is Structured
This page is organized around themes represented by common questions from parents and guardians.
1. Introduction
What We Do
Lex is the only study abroad program truly tailored for pre-law students. Our team has run study abroad programs for over 15 years, and Lex alumni, after participating in Lex and graduating from college, have gone on to attend many law schools in the U.S., including 10 of the top 20 U.S. JD programs. We operate short-term programs (1-10 weeks) over school breaks, aimed at U.S. undergraduates, and taking place primarily in the U.S. and Europe. Law schools want 3 things: legal exposure, GPA/LSAT, and certain competencies; Lex gives students the best version of the 1st, frees them to focus on the 2nd, and cultivates/shows the 3rd to law school admissions committees.
Lex Helps at Different Stages Of The Pre-Law Journey
Lex makes students more competitive to schools and provides clarity about their career choice. Where does your student fall in the below matrix?
2. Will Lex Help With Getting Into Law/Graduate School?
Lex can give students the elements known to drive successful law school applications (and interviews). Below, after a few box mini-profiles showing some of our alumni, you’ll see links to the parts of our website that show evidence of that success, but also to sections that explain why that success happens in the first place.
It’s Not Just Getting In; It’s Getting in AND Having Options
It’s not just about being accepted to just any law school; it’s about being accepted AND having great options. The law school admissions process is a challenging and competitive one. Help your student maximize their chances of being accepted to not one but ideally multiple schools by standing out with the best legal exposure, great stats (GPA and LSAT), and proven American Bar Association competencies.
Specialization in Law…And Also In Education
If you needed patent law advice, you wouldn’t seek out a family law attorney, since there are benefits to specialization. Similarly, almost everything we do is in specialized study abroad for pre-law students, which is part of the reason we’ve been able to contribute to the success of our alumni the way we have. A very large share of pre-law students in the U.S. study abroad for a few weeks or a few months during their undergraduate years, but they often do so in generalist study programs, which is what many universities offer. These are often great programs in themselves, but they miss an opportunity to also contribute to students’ legal path. Lex brings the best of study abroad, while also contributing to (A)students’ legal paths, and (B) society’s need for lawyers who are committed and passionate for their fields.
“I was excited by how much she learned from the program. I knew that it would be a great experience, but it seemed to have gone above and beyond her expectations, which reassured me that it was all very worthwhile.”
-Theresa, Mother of Amber
Bryant University ‘ 19 & Lex ‘19
Watch Video: One Alumna's Take On How Lex Played a Big Role In Her Admission to a Top 3 Law School
“By having that experience on my resume, Lex helped me get a paralegal job that subsequently helped me get into Harvard Law School.”
- Camille Brunetti, Lex ‘19, Wellesley College ‘20, Harvard Law ‘25
Read more about Camille’s perspective and experience here.
Lex Legal Associate guiding students through a case study (Rome, Italy, 2019).
Lex student takes a picture while sightseeing (Rome, Italy, 2019).
3. Will Lex Help With Vocational Discernment?
Lex helps students envision their own future and determine where their passion lies – whether that is in law or not. The time will be well spent as they discern their vocation and develop confidence in their career path.
The reason law schools value legal experience in their admissions process is that it allows schools to know that their future students understand what they are getting themselves into and will be passionate about it. Similarly, parents and guardians want to ensure that their loved ones will have a career that they can be passionate about.
The more and the better the legal experience that a pre-law student has, the more likely he or she is to make the right choice on whether or not to go into law or another path. The stakes are high, and we can understand the relationship between exposure and vocational clarity by looking at what happens when exposure to law is not available. An article in the Journal of Legal Education, recognizing that “significant majorities of those law students most in need of help are reluctant to seek it” and concludes that the next generation of law students need to be supported in their efforts to overcome issues stemming from stress and burnout, one of them being vocational clarity prior to entering strenuous law school. The implied lesson here is especially valid in post-pandemic times: the quality and quantity of legal exposure seems to go hand in hand with vocational clarity, higher job satisfaction, and lower burnout.
“The Lex Fellowship revolutionized the way I understand my career goals and provided me with the intellectual foundation necessary to achieve them.”
- Razi L.
Notre Dame Law School ‘21 & Lex ‘17
PhD-Authored Study Shows Lex Alumni Progress on The Competencies that Law Schools Seek
In a survey of a large group of Lex alumni, 81% of them believed they had progressed on the American Bar Association Core Competencies for Entering Law Students, which are the traits that law schools look for when making admissions decisions (view study data). These traits include adapting to stressful circumstances, interacting with people from diverse backgrounds, and more.
Lex students asking question of an attorney (Rome, Italy, 2019).
4. Is Lex Worth The Cost?
As an organization, we prioritize building programs with long-term professional value for our students. Lex can be an investment in their future success in law school and beyond.
Parents and guardians often see Lex as an alternative to typical summer study abroad programs, since Lex allows for both (1)a study abroad experience as well as (2)a particularly powerful legal experience, for the price of one.
Read more about the Value for Money on our Financing & Aid page.
Anyone Can Do It
Lex can be a career investment just like college, and we offer payment plans, financing, and aid options to help make participation possible. Our team works with you and your student to find a program that fits your budget. The below chart shows some examples of how students could combine several funding sources to pay for one Lex program. Each of these approaches to funding is detailed in our financing & aid page.
What About College Credit?
Lex programs develop most of the key competencies for entering law students, contribute to assessing vocation, and play a role in law applications and interviews. This is why our alumni are often successful. This type of learning experience is often recognizable for credit, depending on the approach of your student’s university. Lex doesn’t award credit directly, but alumni are often able to receive credit from their universities for it anyway. Read more about support for requesting course credit.
5. Can You Tell Me About The Legitimacy Of Lex?
Our team has run study abroad programs for almost 15 years, and Lex alumni, after participating in Lex and graduating from college, have gone on to attend many law schools in the U.S., including 10 of the top 20 U.S. JD programs. Read more on our extensive about us page.
Better, Concentrated Legal Exposure Lets Pre-Law Students to Focus on Grades, While Still Increasing Relevant Experience for Interviews
“Do not sacrifice grades for extracurricular activities.”
- Harvard Pre-Law Career Services
(This is not an endorsement)
“Do not devote so much time to your activities that you sacrifice your GPA...”
- Cornell University Pre-Law Advising
(This is not an endorsement)
6. What about safety?
Safety is our Priority
The safety of our participants is a priority for us. Safety level is a factor when we decide which cities and programs to open. Also, we train our on-program team members prior to each season. Our Site Managers seek to be available 24/7 to students, should students need assistance. Also, we provide each student with travel health insurance.
To learn more about best practices for safe travel, make sure to sign up for the free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) administered by the US Department of State. Also, prior to deciding on which country to travel to, you can compare how different countries are viewed by the Department of State. Generally, European countries are seen as safe for travelers.
As with any program and with every country, including the U.S., students should exercise caution and prudence, and know that their own decisions will also play a large role in lowering risks and keeping them safe.
City Managers going through safety training before the summer season.
Source: https://www.visionofhumanity.org/maps/
Safety in Europe vs. the U.S.
Students traveling, domestically or abroad, should exercise prudence and engage in habits that make their experience more likely to be safe. However, the European countries in which we have programs (most but not all of our programs are in Europe) are generally as safe or safer than the US. We invite parents to search the Global Peace Index Ratings for their student’s host country. This does not mean that there are no risks (and students should be prudent), but it does mean that, as a whole, European countries have lower risks of crime, for instance.
Parent FAQs
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Lex programs are robust in terms of the law firm exposure, legal training, and extended learning opportunities that prepare students for the law school admissions process and first year of law school. Housing accommodations, law firm visits, Legal Associate with a U.S. JD background, 24/7 on-site support staff, travel health insurance, cultural excursions, and more are included. View the full list here.
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The structure and exercise of the legal profession follows similar patters world-wide. While the legal systems in Europe and America are different, students delve deeply into the study of legislative applicability, legal analysis, and the skills needed to work with a legal mindset. The international environment provides an opportunity for global perspective building and comparative analysis.
It’s worth the experience to shadow lawyers (and do other forms of legal experience) domestically, however, our alumni consistently report that here in the U.S. they were exposed to less complex cases (less depth), saw far fewer legal specialties and far fewer lawyers (less breadth), struggled to get a large number of hours at law firms at once (less quantity), and finally, didn’t experience the intercultural dimension nearly as strongly as they did by going abroad.
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Our approach is different from most programs for a few reasons. Universities have to approve credit anyway in order for it to count, so we spend our efforts maximizing the educational value of our programs rather than managing the administrative work of issuing credit. This allows us to keep costs lower than they would be otherwise, and to offer more flexible dates and options that fit with other summer opportunities. It’s also worth noting that most of our alumni do not request credit for Lex from their university, generally having enough credits from their classes already – it’s often not worth the extra expense for them. If you do require credit, you can often request it from your university; please check out: Support for Requesting Course Credit.
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Each day of the Lex Fellowship follows a similar structure, but no day is the same. Over the course of the program, Fellows will visit a variety of different law firms and legal institutions, explore and analyze real cases, gain a network of peer and professional contacts, receive training and mentorship from their Legal Associate, and explore a new city. Every morning, Fellows will wake up, enjoy a light breakfast, and head to their law firm visit. The afternoons are reserved for law school trainings and free time to explore. Fridays are reserved for cultural excursions planned for the whole group, and weekends are left free for students to enjoy and explore. Read more about a Week In The Life here.
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Housing is a top priority and it helps to shape the student experience. We know this, which is why we’re proud to say that participants not only like their housing, but their reviews at GoOverseas helped us win a Community Choice Award for Housing for 2022. Read more about housing here.
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Almost all Lex alumni have not spoken the local language. Most attorneys in most places speak enough English for the language barrier to not hinder the experience. English is also a common language for international legal interactions. When there is a language barrier, such barrier will push most students out of their comfort zone, which fosters resilience & adaptability. Overcoming the any limited language barrier issues is crucial for building your cultural competence, growing in oral communication skills, and also having compelling stories for your applications and interviews to law school.
Have more questions?
Meet one of our past Site Managers, Grace!
How do the Fellows get around in the city?
Transportation from the housing to the firm sites and the weekend excursions is included in the program fee. A Lex staff member will be with the Fellows for those trips, and the group will travel as a cohort. It is most likely that a local transit pass will be purchased for the duration of the program, which will allow your child to have transit access for their free time as well. The Site Manager will provide safety tips and suggestions for any city travel that is not part of our programming.
Who should I get in touch with if there is a problem during the program?
The Site Manager will be your best point of contact, and you and your child will have their contact information before the Fellowship begins. We will also provide you with an emergency line that you can access if needed.
Who is onsite to help the Fellows?
The Site Manager (see above) is the main point of contact for safety and logistics questions from the Fellows. We have a network of international staff that supervise and support our Site Managers, who provide additional resources and assistance as necessary.
What is a Site Manager?
A Site Manager is essentially like an RA on college campuses. I’m with the students everyday, making sure they get around the city and to Lex events safely and on time. I arrange meals and excursions and, most importantly, am available 24/7 to the students if any safety concerns arise while on program.
What were the highlights of your experience as an SM?
I loved seeing the students grow in their confidence throughout the program. It’s really rewarding to watch as what we teach them on program begins to sink in and affect how they approach the law school application process and beyond.
How often were you interacting with the Fellows?
I met the Fellows virtually before the program began to introduce myself and to answer any questions they may have remaining before they arrive to their program city. Once they arrived, I saw them everyday of the program and was available to them 24/7.
Grace (far left) on program with her Lex Fellow cohort (Washington, D.C.)
Parent Testimonial: Theresa Marin
Theresa Marin and her daughter, Amber
Theresa, how did you feel about The Lex Fellowship when Amber first told you about it?
“I was apprehensive about Amber going abroad when she first told me about the Fellowship. Then I did some research of my own. I started by googling the Lex Fellowship and found their website. After reviewing their website, I found their Facebook page and read over the comments from other students that went through the program. After I read what other students had to say, I was very excited.”
How did you feel after she returned?
“After Amber returned, I was excited by how much she learned from the program. I knew that it would be a great experience, but it seemed to have gone above and beyond her expectations, which reassured me that it was all very worthwhile. I was very confident about her ability to navigate law schools. The program seemed to give her a step up that she might not have otherwise gotten.”
As a parent, what excites you about the Lex Fellowship?
“It allows Fellows to experience the world in a very safe environment. I enjoyed the amount of people working to ensure that Amber was safe while in Italy. I was also excited about her opportunity to interact with a different legal system because the world is getting smaller, so to speak.”
What would you tell the parents of a student considering Lex?
“It is a great opportunity for their child to study abroad and come back with a wide variety of experiences they may not have gotten otherwise.”
Amber and her Lex cohort on program in Rome