The government loan program's test for determining finan¬cial dependence is described above. Most other institutions apply similar criteria. It can be very frustrating to discover that you don't qualify as an independent when you fully intend to pay for law school yourself. If your parents want to see you get through law school, they may have no choice but to ante up in accordance with the judgment of potential financial aid providers.

Given that there's a limited amount of money around for people in your position, it pays to apply early for whatever financial aid options you're considering.

Many law school financial aid programs require you to fill out a Graduate and Professional School Financial Aid Service (GAPSFAS) form.

    The GAPSFAS (this business is fond of initials) takes financial information you provide about yourself, your spouse, and your parents, runs it through a computer, and comes up with a standardized financial profile that can be compared easily to that of any other applicant.

It's then up to the individual law school to decide whether to offer you aid, and if so, what kind and how much. The GAPSFAS form takes a long time to fill out. Get information on it early from your career counseling office or from GAPSFAS at Box 23900, Oakland, CA 94623. (Some schools require the Financial Aid Form of the College Scholarship Service, or the Family Financial Statement of the American College Testing Program; both are similar to the GAPSFAS form.)

Many law schools have special deadlines for financial aid applications. Even if they don't, it helps to get your bid in as soon as possible. Waiting until the last minute is easier, but isn't the chance for even a little extra cash worth the trouble? A Word About the Schools in This Book. Only schools that have received American Bar Association accreditation are included in this book.

    The ABA seal of approval guarantees that the facilities, course offerings, and faculty meet certain minimal standards.

    Even more important, going to an ABA-accredited school is usually the only way to become a lawyer. In the overwhelming majority of cases, you're not certified to practice law just because you've got a law degree. Rules for admission to the bar differ considerably from state to state, but almost everywhere, you have to pass the state's bar exam, give character references, and present evidence of graduation from an ABA-approved school. Although there are exceptions to the ABA requirement (including the state of California), you're limiting your future geographic options if you go to a law school that doesn't have the ABA sanction. (By the way, bar exams usually consist of a set of essay questions drawn up by the state's bar admission officials, plus a standardized multiple-choice test known as the multistate exam; some states also require a standardized multiple-choice professional respon¬sibility exam.)

    How to Use This Book important because member schools often refuse to work done at non-AALS institutions when they're evaluating applications from transfer applicants or from candidates fOr graduate law degrees.

This book covers 112 of the 175 ABA-accredited law schools in the country. Criteria for a school's appearance in these pages include its size, the extent to which it seeks a national student body, and the availability of information about it. Inclusion of a school does not constitute a recommendation of it, nor does exclusion constitute an adverse judgment on its quality.