Who We Are

About LSSSE

As part of the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, LSSSE has been a provider of research products and services centered on the study of the law student experience since 2004. Through our consulting services, we help law schools maximize the usefulness of their survey data and their assessment activities. Through our research functions, we are a source of macro-level, empirical information about the law student experience.

Since 2004, 206 law schools in the U.S. (187), Canada (17), and Australia (2) have administered the LSSSE Survey, eliciting over 400,000 student responses—the largest such dataset in existence.

LSSSE adheres to the following core values:

  • Rigor in research practices
  • Responsiveness in meeting the needs of law schools and clients
  • Diligence in voicing the student perspective
  • Vigilance in remaining abreast of salient trends in legal education
  • Openness in fostering strategic partnerships
  • Dedication in working for the betterment of legal education

With LSSSE data, law schools are providing better, more rewarding experiences for their students.

Watch the overview video

Director's Message

Meera E. Deo

Students are the heart of legal education. Whether we seek to improve teaching and learning, incorporate skills-based training, or develop assessment measures, we must begin with students. Too often, however, the student perspective is missing from discussions of the future of legal education. Law school reform efforts, premised on benefiting students, are rarely made with a holistic understanding of the student experience. Broadening this understanding is one of the primary goals of LSSSE.

LSSSE provides valid and reliable insights about legal education, from the viewpoint of students. Decades of data have shown that increasing student engagement in learning improves both their educational and professional outcomes. We specifically examine student perceptions of the effects and impacts of their law school experiences.

Our flagship service is the LSSSE Survey. Since 2004, over 400,000 students from 206 law schools in the U.S., Canada, and Australia have responded to the Survey, contributing to the largest dataset of its kind. The LSSSE Survey represents a wealth of valuable insights, with a focus on teaching, learning, and interactive methods linked to student performance.

For law schools, LSSSE provides an array of assessment tools. Through the LSSSE Survey, schools acquire critical information about the experiences of their students, including comparative analyses with peer schools. Our consulting services help law schools maximize the tangible usefulness of Survey results.

All of this is premised on bringing student voices to the fore. The past few years have yielded significant soul searching and reflection within legal education. Schools have been forced to consider their future in the context of new realities. Central to this process has been the consideration of how legal education can better serve students and prepare them for future practice.

At LSSSE, we remain committed to helping law schools understand their students and the effects of institutional programming on learning and practice-readiness. We are also dedicated to amplifying the student voice. As legal education moves into the future, compelling data from the student perspective must help inform the path forward.

Sincerely,

-Meera E. Deo, J.D., Ph.D.

Meet the Team

Meera E. Deo

Director

Email:
mdeo@swlaw.edu

Meera E. Deo is Director of LSSSE and The Honorable Vaino Spencer Professor of Law at Southwestern Law School. She was previously the Neukom Chair in Diversity and Law at the American Bar Foundation. Her research merges jurisprudence with empirical methods to interrogate institutional diversity, affirmative action, and racial representation. Professor Deo’s book, Unequal Profession: Race and Gender in Legal Academia, examines how the intersection of raceXgender affects faculty experiences. She has received support from the National Science Foundation, Paul & Daisy Soros, AccessLex, and Wolters Kluwer. She is a member of the American Law Institute.

Chad Christensen

Project Manager

Email:
chachris@iu.edu

Chad Christensen is LSSSE’s Project Manager. In this role, he leads daily operations and works closely with law schools to encourage exploration and use of LSSSE results. Prior to joining LSSSE, Chad devoted more than a decade to student affairs working as a strategic manager for graduate and professional degree programs. During that time he focused on enrollment management, professional student engagement and success, and organizational strategy. Chad earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana University and a M.A. in English from the University of North Florida.

Jacquelyn Petzold

Director

Email:
jpetzold@iu.edu

Jacquelyn Petzold is the LSSSE Research Analyst. In this role, she creates reports for law schools, analyzes and publishes insights using LSSSE data, and works with outside partners who use LSSSE survey results for research purposes. She is passionate about providing law schools with useful, actionable data to increase equity and reduce barriers in order to allow law students to reach their full potential. Jacquelyn earned a master of library science and a Ph.D. in biology, both from Indiana University.