Promoting diversity in the law

Legal education program naming

Background & Challenge

Best known for the LSAT (Law School Admission Test), the not-for-profit LSAC (Law School Admission Council) advances law and justice by encouraging diverse, talented individuals to study law and by supporting their enrollment and learning journeys from pre-law through practice. 

LSAC needed a name for its new Legal Education Program, which offers undergraduate students a holistic pathway to a law career. The program helps students who might not otherwise consider law prepare for the LSAT, navigate the law school admission process, build a supportive network, and develop the skills needed for success in law school and beyond. The organization turned to Catchword to develop a name for the program that would help elevate its profile and for help gaining consensus for the new name among the large group. 

Naming

After brand immersion and discussion with the client, we determined that the name needed to sound approachable, friendly, and culturally neutral. Target audiences should instantly understand the program’s purpose and benefit. And the name needed to be short enough to pair with LSAC and to avoid being turned into an initialism itself (a common practice in legal organizations that can be off-putting and feel exclusionary for those not in-the-know). 

We explored a variety of directions and created well over 1,500 names, but the jury agreed that the straightforward name LawReady best met the criteria. It clearly expresses what the program offers (to be ready for a career in law) while also serving as a call to action (“be law ready”). 

Client
LSAC
LSAC
Industry
Finance & Professional
Nonprofit & Education
Service
Product Naming
LawReadyFeaturedImage_1800x695
Outcome

LawReady’s pilot program launched in fall 2022 at Cornell, George Mason, University of Maryland, and University of South Alabama. The verdict has been overwhelmingly positive. More than 70 law schools have already agreed to consider LawReady as part of their admission process, including another Ivy (Penn) and the “Public Ivies” UCLA, UVA, William & Mary, University of Michigan, and more.

“We’ve talked to hundreds of individuals about what they hoped the program would offer. The greatest common thread was “readiness,” both for the challenge of a legal education and for success in the world of law. … The name LawReady evokes a sense of confidence and empowers students to believe that they are, indeed, ready and that the program will prepare them for success in law school and beyond.”

Kaitlynn Griffith | Senior Vice President of Product Development, LSAC

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