THE S2S JD GUIDEBOOK - A guide for veterans applying to law school - Version 2

Aug 30, 2026

Comprehensive admissions guidance for military veterans applying to law school, focused on helping applicants transition from service to a civilian legal career. Covers the full application workflow from deciding on law school to logistics, the veteran advantage, and standardized testing preparation, including the LSAT. Provides detailed instruction for core materials such as GPAs and transcripts, the personal statement, addenda and optional essays, resumes, and recommendations, aiming to maximize acceptance to strong graduate or undergraduate programs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages38

Reading Time1 h 36 min

AccessFree to download

Preface

Introduction: Why Go to Law School

Choosing to Leave the Military

Chapter 1: Application Logistics

Chapter 2: The Veteran Advantage

Chapter 3: The LSAT

Chapter 4: GPAS and Transcripts

Chapter 5: The Personal Statement

Chapter 6: Addenda & Optional Essays

Chapter 7: Your Resume

Chapter 8: Recommendations

Conclusion

THE S2S JD GUIDEBOOK A guide for veterans applying to law school To help every military veteran transitioning to school win admission to the very best graduate or undergraduate institution possible. TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ........................................................................................................................... 3 INTRODUCTION: WHY GO TO LAW SCHOOL .......................................................................... 4 CHAPTER 1: APPLICATION LOGISTICS................................................................................. 10 CHAPTER 2: THE VETERAN ADVANTAGE .............................................................................. 15 CHAPTER 3: THE LSAT....................................................................................................... 18 CHAPTER 4: GPAS AND TRANSCRIPTS ................................................................................ 23 CHAPTER 5: THE PERSONAL STATEMENT ............................................................................ 25 CHAPTER 6: ADDENDA & OPTIONAL ESSAYS ...................................................................... 29 CHAPTER 7: YOUR RESUME............................................................................................... 30 CHAPTER 8: RECOMMENDATIONS...................................................................................... 34 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................... 38 PREFACE Congratulations on your decision to apply to law school. For most of us, serving in the Armed Forces has been the high point of our lives. The camaraderie, leadership, and teamwork were experiences that set a high bar for any future career. But there comes a time when the moment is right to transition to the civilian world. Going to law school is a great way to help you ease that transition and jump into an honorable and challenging new career path. After a decade of combat, veterans today possess a level of leadership, maturity, and experience that law schools desperately want to bring into their institutions and the profession at large. Most law schools are now actively recruiting veterans. If you are considering applying to law school, the bottom-line is that now is the best time to do so. We hope you find this book to be a comprehensive guide to law school admissions, and we are always open to feedback. -THE S2S TEAM INTRODUCTION: WHY GO TO LAW SCHOOL Choosing to attend law school is a big life decision. The degree is expensive, time consuming, and rigorous. More so than a masters program, law school gives you entrance into a specific profession. And despite the endless derision aimed at lawyers, the legal profession can be an honorable, demanding, elite, and varied career path. Paired with your military background, a law degree can be a powerful tool in today’s world. But a law degree is not the golden ticket to a comfortable life it used to be. Like American education generally, the legal world today suffers from credential inflation. There are too many law schools charging too much tuition and producing too many lawyers. Only about half of graduates of today’s law schools find themselves in what are called “JD Plus” jobs (jobs where having a JD is at least preferred, if not required) . At the sametime, the profession itself has been reorganizing, consolidating, and generally becoming more competitive – which means there are fewer and fewer high paying jobs for law school graduates. The employment results for law school graduates are not random, though. Getting into the best law school you possibly can for the career path that you want matters a great deal. In the end, there are many different reasons to apply to law school – some good ones and plenty of bad ones. Before you begin the application process, we strongly recommended you REALLY figure out if law school is

FAQs

Why should a veteran consider applying to law school, and what are key decision factors?

Law school can be a strong tool for easing the military-to-civilian transition and launching an honorable, demanding legal career. The guide emphasizes that timing and realistic career outcomes matter more than generic expectations.

When should veterans start planning for law school applications after leaving the military?

The guide recommends beginning serious planning at least one year before the exit date. This provides time to make informed choices and complete applications for the next school year.

What does the application guide cover besides submitting basic forms?

It walks through LSAT preparation, GPA and transcript considerations, the personal statement, addenda and optional essays, resumes, and recommendation planning to support a complete JD application package.

Aug 30, 2026

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