Melissa Hale

Melissa Hale is the Director of Learning for Legal Education Solutions at the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). Prior to joining LSAC, Melissa was Director of Academic Success and Bar Programs at Loyola University Chicago and has over 15 years of experience in academic support and bar programming.

Melissa focuses her research and writing on teaching methods and first-generation student success. Some of her presentations include : Putting First Gen First: Supporting First Generation Law Students through Academic Success (October 2019), Designing Asynchronous Tools and Programs to Assist First-Generation Students (November 2021, with CALI fellowship), Perfectly Imperfect: What Students Can Learn from Real Bar Exam Answers (April 2022), and Empowering the First-Gen Student Journey through Your School’s ‘Hidden Curriculum’ (November 2022).

Melissa is also the author of “A First Generation’s Guide to Law School”(with CALI) and “The Ultimate Guide to the UBE Redesigned (Bar Review).” Melissa has served as a national leader in the academic support community, serving as a former president of the Association of American Support Educators, as well as the former AALS Section Chair for Academic Support. Melissa was a first-generation student herself, and earned her BS in Political Science and Psychology from Central Michigan University, and her JD from New England School of Law.

At LSAC Melissa has developed programming to help students make the transition to law school, including the popular “Law School Unmasked” and “Ultimate Law School Prep” series.