Ontario law schools say they'll continue to use LSAT

Despite moves in the US to loosen requirements to use the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), officials at Ontario law schools say the test is here to stay. The American Bar Association is reconsidering a rule requiring law schools to make the test mandatory in order to gain accreditation in the wake of studies suggesting that reliance on the LSAT is undermining diversity efforts. The assistant dean of students at Queen's University's law faculty says the problem is less pronounced in Ontario as most institutions have alternative processes to boost the proportion of historically disadvantaged groups in their classes. University of Western Ontario's law dean says law schools still need the LSAT to compare undergraduate grades across a wide range of fields from different universities, and as a result, it reduces the chances that law schools will overlook students from lesser-known institutions. Law Times