Diane Curtis

Pre-Law Advisor & Senior Lecturer

The Director of Pre-Law Advising is Diane Curtis. Diane practiced law for 10 years in New York City and Springfield, Massachusetts. She has been a Pre-Law Advisor since 2004, is a member of the Northeast Association of Pre-Law Advisors (NAPLA), and has presented several times at the annual NAPLA conference on such topics as engaging legal alums and online advising. Diane also served previously on the National Advisory Council for Law School Transparency.

Diane is a Senior Lecturer in Legal Studies and Political Science at UMass. She has served as an adjunct instructor at the law schools of Western New England University (formerly College) and the University of Connecticut.

Diane received both her B.A. (in Comparative Literature) and her J.D. from New York University.

All Posts

Fall 2024 Law-related Courses

Every semester, we provide this list of the amazing array of law-related and law-adjacent courses that might be of interest to students considering legal careers. Some of these courses are squarely focused on the law. Others are more in the …

By Diane Curtis
Diane Curtis Pre-Law Advisor & Senior Lecturer
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Law School Forums: What to know before you go

Should you go to one of the LSAC law school forums or other big law fairs? What can you get out of these forums/fairs? All your questions are answered below.

What does a Law School Forum look like?
It’s a …

By Diane Curtis
Diane Curtis Pre-Law Advisor & Senior Lecturer
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Waitlisted? Some strategies and perspectives

Private pre-law advisor Ann Levine has produced a great article of tips for waitlisted law school applicants. First she’s got some great perspectives on what the waitlist looks like from the law school’s side:

Most law schools don’t even think …

By Diane Curtis
Diane Curtis Pre-Law Advisor & Senior Lecturer
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#BeLikeSimone #BeLikeNaomi

Brooklyn Law Prof. Heidi K. Brown offers some important insights about lawyers (and law students, and yes, it’s applicable to pre-laws as well) and anxiety, as well a some tips for working through the anxiety rather than pretending it doesn’t …

By Diane Curtis
Diane Curtis Pre-Law Advisor & Senior Lecturer
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Law School By the Numbers from AccessLex

By Diane Curtis
Diane Curtis Pre-Law Advisor & Senior Lecturer
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Act like you’re being watched — because you are

Every time I speak with a group of law school admissions folks, I’m reminded just how much information they are gathering about you. You’re no doubt planning to make your application package as convincing and respectable as possible. You may …

By Diane Curtis
Diane Curtis Pre-Law Advisor & Senior Lecturer
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LSAT Score Preview: Is it worth the cost?

In July 2020, the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) announced a new “score preview” service. Beginning with the September 2022 test, all test takers (not just first-time test takers) are now allowed to see their scores before deciding whether to …

By Diane Curtis
Diane Curtis Pre-Law Advisor & Senior Lecturer
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Why you should make time for visiting law school reps

I know what you’re thinking when you see that event listing for another visit from a law school admissions rep:

“I’m not really interested in that school.”

Or maybe, “I already visited the law school, so why do I need …

By Diane Curtis
Diane Curtis Pre-Law Advisor & Senior Lecturer
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