Admissible: A Look Inside Law School Admissions

Artificial intelligence expert and UVA Law professor Mike Livermore joins Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 to discuss how AI is affecting legal academia and the future of legal practice. Far from replacing the need for lawyers in the future, Livermore argues that AI — when harnessed properly by humans — could in fact elevate the standing of attorneys and democratize access to legal services.

They’ve seen it all and heard it all, and now they’re spilling the tea. Third-year law student workers join Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 to share advice and insights based on hundreds of interactions with applicants and prospective students each cycle.

Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 ventured outside the studio and into a freak snowstorm to report heartwarming stories from behind the scenes of UVA Law’s 2026 Admitted Students Open House. Through on-site interviews with admitted students, their guests, current law students and alumni, this episode highlights the admissions cycle’s main event that brought hundreds of visitors to Charlottesville...

Assistant Dean for Community Engagement Mark Jefferson joins Dean Blazer to discuss how UVA Law students are trained to become outstanding lawyers by learning to disagree with one another in a supportive environment.

Amelia Isaacs ’26 and Kyle Trotman ’26 met as undergraduates at Florida State University and quickly bonded over their interests and aspirations for law school. The couple joins Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 to share how they navigated the application process, 1L coursework, leadership positions, job searches and more, all while leaning on one another for support and encouragement.

UVA Law’s three directors of admission — Katie Delsandro ’12, Rosanne Ibanez and Jennifer Echemendia — discuss the 2026 application cycle and offer advice to candidates seeking to obtain admission to a top law school in an increasingly competitive process.

Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 wraps up the year with insights about each episode of Season 7.

Assistant Dean for Private Practice Lauren Parker ’08 and Director of Private Practice Kira Walmer ’08 join classmate Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 to discuss how UVA Law’s individualized approach to career counseling prepares students to navigate an increasingly fast-paced and unpredictable job market. Parker and Walmer offer practical tips for balancing the job search with first-year course...

UVA Law Professor and Education Rights Institute Director Kimberly Jenkins Robinson discusses her passion for education rights and why she founded ERI, how law students are critical to the institute’s operation and the work the institute is doing to further the right to a high-quality education in America. Robinson also shares why she loves teaching at the Law School and why she believes UVA Law s...

Older, wiser law students (“owls”) Neil Noronha ’26 and Kathleen Samuelson ’26 join Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 to discuss how they forged their paths as nontraditional applicants and found community at UVA Law.

Judge Lisa Lorish ’08 joins her classmate, Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08, to discuss her path to the Virginia Court of Appeals following a successful career in private practice and as a federal public defender. Currently a lecturer at UVA Law, Judge Lorish offers advice to law school applicants, students and graduates, and shares what she loves most about serving on the bench.

From college sophomores to first-year law students, Sarah Beddingfield ’28 and Morgan Gaspar ’28 join Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 to discuss their experience in UVA Law’s Roadmap Scholars Initiative.

Professor and Double Hoo Xiao Wang, director of UVA Law’s Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, joins Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 to discuss how the clinic gets selected to take on high-profile cases; why a people-first approach is critical to successful advocacy; and how his time at UVA helped prepare him for the grand stage of the Supreme Court. Following the clinic’s back-to-back 9-0 victorie...

Virginia men’s basketball Associate Head Coach Griff Aldrich ’99 joins Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 to discuss his journey from UVA Law student to college basketball coach to corporate attorney and back again. Now in his first season coaching at UVA, Aldrich shares the “intangibles” he looks for that signal success on the court and in the classroom, his take on the transfer portal and the re...

Assistant Dean for Public Service Ryan Faulconer ’08 joins Dean Blazer to discuss how political instability creates an even bigger demand for great lawyers, and how UVA Law students in particular benefit from the customized counseling and support that his office provides. Reflecting upon his 15-year career as a federal prosecutor, which took off at the height of the Great Recession, Dean Faulconer...

Back by popular demand, Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 and her microphone venture outside the studio to give listeners a look inside UVA Law’s Admitted Students Open House. Through on-site interviews with admitted students, their guests, current law students, alumni and staff, this episode highlights the admissions cycle’s main event that brought hundreds of visitors to Charlottesville this spring.

First-year law student Colleen Sullivan joins Dean Blazer ’08 to discuss how she navigated one of the most competitive and uncertain application cycles on record. From authentic communication to patience to staying true to her goals, tune in to hear Sullivan’s advice and how her journey brought her to UVA Law.

Kimberly Emery ’91, assistant dean for pro bono and public interest, joins admissions dean Natalie Blazer ’08 to discuss how the Pro Bono Program at UVA Law helps bridge the justice gap by providing free legal services to clients and communities in need and prepares law students for the significant responsibilities they will carry as attorneys. Through a variety of projects that span nearly all le...

Matt Wakeman, assistant dean for financial aid, education and planning at UVA Law, joins Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 to discuss the ways in which merit-based scholarships should – and should not – factor into an admitted student’s decision-making process when it comes to selecting a law school.

Mason Davenport ’25 joins Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 to discuss how a UVA Law externship immerses you in legal practice and prepares you for a successful career, all while earning credits toward your J.D. Tune in to learn how the Externships Program works, where in the world our externs are working, what it was like for Mason to extern in the Office of the White House Counsel and so much more.

UVA Law’s newest admissions director, Jennifer Echemendia, joins Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 and fellow directors Katie Delsandro ’12 and Rosanne Ibanez to discuss the highs and lows of the 2025 application cycle so far.

In advance of the Thanksgiving holiday – always a popular time of year to submit law school applications – Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 collected applicants’ questions via voice memo, email, social media and an in-person Q&A session to learn what’s on their minds. With the help of Admissions student worker Chelsea McKelvey ’26, Dean Blazer addresses concerns about application timing, LSAT sc...

Psychotherapists Dr. Kate Gibson and Karen Painter join Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 to discuss how they support students at the Law School, offering insights on how individual counseling can help students overcome challenges to achieve success in school and in legal practice.

Assistant Dean for Academic Services and Registrar Jason Dugas ’01 joins Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 to discuss how UVA Law students can earn a second graduate degree along with their J.D., study abroad while in law school, enroll in elective courses and more.

What differentiates a good application from an admissible one? Tyler Stapleton ’27 joins Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 to discuss his journey as a reapplicant to UVA Law, sharing how he approached his essays, resume and letters of recommendation the second time around — all while staying optimistic about the process.