Having the best LSAT resources in the business wouldn’t mean a thing without our rockstar instructors. Learning begins with clear and engaging delivery of concepts and methods, and that’s why we’re embarrassingly enthusiastic about wrangling up the best LSAT instructors around.
If you haven’t scored 170 or better on a real LSAT — the kind administered by LSAC, not a practice exam — don’t even bother applying. Every single Blueprint instructor since the dawn of time has notched that achievement, and applications without it make their way immediately to the no pile.
We take applicants from all over the nation and fly them out to HQ Los Angeles to see for ourselves whether they’ve got what it takes to teach the Blueprint LSAT course. Aspiring instructors only get that offer by sending us a video intro letting us know what makes them tick and why they’d be perfect for Blueprint. The vast majority don’t make it through the process, and only the best and brightest LSAT mavens remain standing when it’s all over.
Over a 70-hour pre-hire training period, applicants participate in improv comedy and teach us the ins and outs of a topic of their own choosing, all while showing us they can deliver the lessons with clarity and precision.
After that, instructors complete another 118 hours of training, including 40 hours of personal mentoring by a veteran Blueprint LSAT instructor, and 6 hours of evaluation and feedback.
Then we pay them the highest wage in the business to make sure they’re content and focused on giving students a great learning experience.
Click on a photo to read instructor’s bio.
Boston
Keith is a Massachusetts native where he spent his teenage years as a long-haired heavy metal drummer. These days the long hair is gone, but Keith continues to play music around Boston - mostly finding himself playing and dancing with fellow Grateful Dead fanatics (otherwise known as Dead Heads).
Keith attended Brandeis University and NYU Law, where he was on a full-tuition merit scholarship. During college he was a debate champion and later a debate teacher. No doubt that experience helped him score his 180. Prior to college, Keith spent a number of years as a laborer in the Teamsters Union pushing heavy boxes around Boston. That experience, in its own way, also paved the way for Keith’s 180. Keith’s teaching philosophy is based on his own experience with the LSAT: the test is extremely learnable. With enough time and effort, anyone can do well on it. The LSAT is beatable and Keith is excited to help his students win that fight.
Keith’s favorite TV shows include BoJack Horseman, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. He met Larry David once who was as wonderfully rude as you would hope and it was glorious.
Manhattan
Joshua Bean hails from the great state of New Hampshire. You know, the one above Massachusetts, in between Vermont and Maine? Yeah, that one.
When he entered Harvard in 2012, he dreamed of becoming the Chair of the Federal Reserve System someday, but somehow ended up with degrees in Music and East Asian Studies instead. Determined to make his degrees feel useful, he spent several weeks in the Tuscan countryside immediately upon graduating, working as an au pair and teaching kids piano. He then found his way to Beijing, where he did some research, sang a bit, taught English, and "consulted." Later, Joshua decided to sit for the LSAT (after preparing with a Blueprint prep course), and scored a 172.
Joshua likens the LSAT to learning a new language. First, you'll need to learn some foundational rules of the language. Once you feel comfortable with its parameters, it'll be time for full-on immersion. It'll be rough at first (Josh cried during his first week at the Harvard-Beijing Academy in 2015), but with consistent practice and determination, you'll be speaking like an LSAT native in no time.
If you ask Joshua about his one true love, he'll eagerly tell you it's an Argentinian Syrah-Malbec blend, but to tell you the truth, he's not really capable of love; he only pines.
Riverside
Riddhi strongly believes in trying everything once - she’s dipped a toe in medicine (after the crowning achievement of “most likely to cure cancer” back in high school), the startup scene (which is basically a requirement of going to school in the Bay Area), and political arena, before eventually jumping into law. Her desire for exploration has also extended to some questionable fashion decisions and food choices (though, she will stick by curried coconut toffee as being deceivingly good).
Riddhi wanted to leave SoCal and adventure into a foreign area, but as a true California native, she was reluctant to totally leave the Golden State. So she found herself trading in SoCal for NorCal (that’s foreign enough, right?) and spent four years at UC Berkeley studying Political Economy and International Trade. After graduation, that same desire for exploration led her to… take the LSAT? Nevertheless she achieved a 171.
If her path of exploration has taught her anything, it’s that staying calm and keeping a positive attitude are two things that can carry you through any situation. The LSAT can be a tricky beast to conquer, and half of the battle is not letting the anxiety of it get the better of you. Her teaching style is one of constant encouragement and motivation. The best remedy for test stress is preparedness - so prepare to practice, practice, practice!
Riddhi is equally as likely to be found discussing disparities in international trade over coffee as debating the finer details of Harry Potter over drinks. She’ll say she spends her free time painting, reading, and keeping up with current events in politics and pop culture, but in reality she’s probably binging a baking show while failing to actually bake anything herself.
Washington DC
Thom has a bit of an obsessive streak (that's what helped him get his 180). In that vein, after he had a great cocktail on vacation one day, he looked up four months later to realize he'd become an amateur mixologist and bitters designer. Maybe that memory gap is just good storytelling, maybe it's an extended blackout. Who can say? Not Thom, that's for sure.
Thom is occasionally - but rarely - serious. He went to Davidson College and later Johns Hopkins University, studying mathematics and applied economics. Thom tried the think tank scene in DC for a while and wrote a bunch of technical public health papers. He's still a statistical data analyst when he isn't bartending or teaching the LSAT.
Thom will use as many pop culture analogies as he can possibly fit in to keep you engaged as you wade through logical reasoning. Look, you're giving up your free time for months to study for a test. Might as well have fun with it!
Thom has bad balance and breaks easily, so don't ask him about most sports. But if you wanna run a triathlon, read some trashy fantasy novels, or hear about why the corn lobby is the root of all evil, he's your guy.
Phoenix
Dylan has worked as a used car salesman, an online poker pro and for the past six years as an LSAT instructor. While his affection for selling '92 Cabriolets and losing money on the river card has waned, his love for teaching continues.
Dylan was an undergraduate at Yale, where he spent time debating and developing an affection for Cheetos. In between washing orange dust off his hands, he became the second person ever to be both a national debate champion and North American debate champion in 2007, and the only American undergrad to win Cambridge University's invitational tournament. The latter allowed him take part in the quintessential American activity: beating the British.
Dylan believes strongly that his philosophy degree and his LSAT score of 178 should be only partially wasted, and so emphasizes understanding the logical structures on the LSAT. He'll also teach you the importance of understanding why the incorrect answers are incorrect, as well as the role Cheetos can play in a well-crafted study plan.
In addition to helping you get a great LSAT score, Dylan knows where you can get a good price on a 2005 Spectra.
Los Angeles
Kyle is from the frozen tundra of Minnesota. He remembers one particular walk home from school in which his eyelids froze to his eyeballs and got stuck. Ouch. He moved to balmy Chicago for a change of scenery — think snow and elevated trains rather than snow and tractors. Graduating from Northwestern with a degree in theatre (yes, “-re” not “-er”), he took the LSAT as a challenge from his friends. He came out of it with a mighty 171, which made him think, “Hey, this lawyer stuff must be easy.” Then he attended University of Chicago Law School which made him think, “Hey, this lawyer stuff is hard.” Now he takes LSAT aspirants from zero to hero in no time flat.
Kyle has a true coaching instinct, and brings that into the classroom. He wants everyone to be the best they can. He's been told he has a calming influence on a group, all the better to lead you through the most complicated logic game.
When he's not thinking about the LSAT, Kyle is probably practicing yoga, meditating, tending his herb garden, running, speaking French, making artisanal bread, or doing any other sort of old lady thing.
St. Louis, MO
Joshua Katz was elected Planning Commissioner of Westbrook, Connecticut in 2013. He was the first person elected to any office in Westbrook on a third-party line.
Prior to politics and law school, Mr. Katz taught several subjects at the Oxford Academy in Westbrook, Connecticut, Connecticut College in New London, and the University of Hartford. At Oxford, he was Chair of the Mathematics Department, Director of Health and Safety, and a Duty Administrator. He then earned a 174 on his LSAT; he is currently a 3L and a Webster Scholar for Public Interest Law at Washington University in St. Louis, where he ranks 6th in his class of 250. He is an Articles Editor on the Washington University Law Review, and will clerk after graduation.
Joshua believes that successful LSAT preparation means learning to enjoy LSAT problems. Test day should be fun (in addition to stressful). He also believes that, since the LSAT is designed to predict first-year performance, quality LSAT preparation is also preparation for law school. Learning to think for the LSAT pays dividends in law school, while just learning to "game" the system does not. If you elect to work with Joshua, you can expect fun times, and some LSAT prep too.
Long Beach
Kristin hails from Southern California, but has lived in almost every state once, and at least one state twice. Her academic background followed the logical progression from art school to engineering school, and then on to law school (as one naturally does). Along the way, she has taught math and chemistry, designed equipment for refineries, made lots of plastic, and most importantly, tended bar at many locally-famous dives in LA.
In the classroom, Kristin knows from experience that with hard work, patience, and perseverance, she can teach you everything you need to know to succeed on the LSAT (she toilet-trained her three cats and scored 170 on her own LSAT, both seemingly impossible feats).
She will entertain and impress you with her knowledge of 70’s and 80s pop music while making difficult material accessible, and she promises to try not to talk about her pets all of the time. When she is not teaching or lawyering, Kristin can be found in a museum, her kitchen, her garden or trying to convince her husband that if she switches from patent law to animal law, her clients won’t “all live with us,” and will pay their bills.
Bay Area
When Blair heard that Arnold Schwarzenegger was the governor of California, he went to college in hopes that he could get the Governator's signature on his diploma. Unfortunately, he missed that opportunity, but ended up with a degree in Philosophy anyways.
In between playing in Cal's marching band (trombone players, unite!) and pounding protein shakes, Blair really excelled in his formal logic classes, and thought taking the LSAT would be fun. Spoiler alert: it wasn't. Using the study techniques he learned from being a tutor for many years, he worked hard and scored a 173. He also came out with a desire to put others through the same pain.
Blair believes the LSAT is just like bodybuilding - sometimes you just gotta get up on stage in your underwear! Even if you do it with clothes on, slow, steady practice with expert guidance is still the best way to progress with mental or physical challenges (#gains).
When he's not playing with his toy poodle, you can find him searching the Bay Area for the best cookie. He's always on the hunt for that perfect milk to cookie ratio, and is currently accepting any and all recommendations.
New York
Sena moved to New York City at 17 years old to become a dancer. Since no New Yorker has ever been content with just one job, Sena decided to pick up two additional hobbies: teaching high school students 40 hours a week and getting a degree in International Business. Although Sena was born in Nebraska, she spent her early childhood, and attended school, in Arizona, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, and Turkey. She views the LSAT as another language that anyone can learn- as someone who speaks 8 languages, she would know!
Sena's status as a New Yorker has branded her as a coffee addict. One cup led to another, and she started a non-profit sustainable coffee project, Pangaea Coffee, in 2018. She sources coffee beans from farms around the world and used the proceeds to buy jeans for farmers. From interacting with farms from different countries around the world, she became highly interested in international legal issues.
During a dance photoshoot in Greenwich Village, Sena had an embarrassing fall; the closest building where people could witness her tumble happened to be NYU Law. A kind security guard came to her rescue with a band-aid. She took that as a sign and bought her first book of LSAT Prep tests the next day. That’s when Sena realized she loved studying for the LSAT almost as much as she loves coffee and dancing. She spent the next few months solving and writing explanations for over 80 tests. After scoring a 178 on her LSAT, Sena realized that anyone can learn the language of the LSAT and beat the test.
Bay Area
Mike Moss once got lost in the woods in winter and saved his own life by constructing a crude shelter of twigs and leaf litter. While this might seem impressive, it would have been better if he had just brought a map and a cell phone.
Mike has always enjoyed speaking to a crowd. He is extremely proud of the commemorative silver platter he won at the USC Mock Congress competition, and serves turkeys on it to this day. After studying psychology at UCSD, he used his degree to work in mental health. When everyone’s psychological problems were fixed he moved on, using his knowledge of the mind to crack people up as a stand-up comedian. He scored a 173 on the LSAT, and now uses his stand-up comedy experience to “kill” his Blueprint classes.
Teaching and tutoring have always been a part of Mike’s life. The key to his success as a teacher is his genuine love of the LSAT. He finds beauty in the clarity of the thought required, and hilarity in the absurdity of the subject matter. Mike prides himself on going the extra mile to make sure each student has the tools to succeed, so if you want to get “killed” Mike’s your guy.
San Diego
Courtney has one basic rule that has gotten her pretty far in life: If you’re going to walk around with your head in the clouds, wear shoes. There’s less of a chance you’ll break a toe—she knows this from experience.
This kind of principled thinking may stem from her having received a PhD in philosophy from Emory University, where she spent much time walking around with her head in the clouds. After leaving the south for less humid conditions, she now lives happily in San Diego where she is raising three kids, three dogs, and a horse. When she’s not taking care of them, she teaches philosophy at a local community college. Her teaching style is warm, friendly, and encouraging, and she tries to be funny. But, it’s hit or miss really.
Thinking she might need a change of pace, what else would a philosophy PhD do but go to law school? After taking a Blueprint course herself to prepare for the LSAT, not only did she love the course, but she ended up scoring a 173. But, “Screw law school!” she thought. “I want to do LSAT tests forever!” And thus, Courtney came to work for Blueprint as an instructor herself.
Courtney believes the LSAT can be fun, and with the right attitude and commitment, anyone can score high enough to teach the LSAT—er, go to a great law school. In her spare time, she is often being talked out of acquiring more animals—lately, alpacas have her interest. And goats. And then there’s chickens. Oh, and a donkey. Her head may still be in the clouds.
Orange County
Ross spent his formative years in San Diego, where he picked up a skateboard and has been annoying pedestrians, dogs, and security guards ever since.
While earning his degree in English and Political Science at UCLA, Ross wrote pretentiously overwrought album reviews for the Daily Bruin. One in particular inspired his then-girlfriend to say, "That was the least fun thing I've ever read." Finding that a career in music journalism was not in the cards, Ross signed up with Blueprint, which helped him earn a 170 on the September 2009 LSAT. Ross matriculated to the USC Gould School of Law in 2010 where he spent time working on the campus' Post-Conviction Justice Project and apologizing to his Bruin friends for setting foot on the Trojan campus.
With eleven years of teaching experience under his belt, Ross strives to create a convivial environment in his Blueprint classes so that students can feel comfortable during what is often a stressful time in their lives. Ross also knows a little about picking yourself up after falling down (conservative estimates indicate that Ross has failed over 2,810,543 skateboard trick attempts), so he knows how important it is to provide support for his students as they learn the skills that will get them a great LSAT score.
Ross will tell you his favorite movies are La Dolce Vita, Bicycle Thieves, and Breathless, but we know Purple Rain and Clueless actually top the list.
Los Angeles
Spencer has seen Bruce Springsteen in concert over 20 times. This number would be far greater if Spencer had been alive during the '70s.
After a childhood spent negotiating the concrete playgrounds of New York City, Spencer attended Amherst College in Massachusetts where he studied Philosophy. When paid itinerant philosopher positions failed to materialize, he returned to the big apple and spent three years teaching middle school.
With nine years of teaching experience, Spencer's instruction style is a blend of the tactics that helped him achieve a 179 on his own LSAT and 7th grade pedagogy. This means he preaches the discipline to learn the Blueprint methods and practice them, but counsels taking frequent snack breaks and reading about dinosaurs.
While Spencer recognizes that LA is, objectively, a failed city whose population is doomed to die in a mudslide while waiting for traffic on the 405 to clear, he's really enjoying the beaches.
Chicago
Because David has trekked to an altitude of 20,000 feet and scuba-dived 130 feet below the surface of the ocean, he can shepherd you through the highs and lows of the LSAT training experience. By the time you’re ready to the take the exam, you’ll be able to articulate precisely why this is – or isn’t – a good analogy!
David holds too many advanced degrees for his own good. He attended and graduated from the NYU School of Law (his 176 on the LSAT helped him get in). After practicing law for a number of years, David studied education at Northwestern University and received a M.S.Ed. in teaching. Currently David tutors LSAT and GRE students, and also assists middle-school and high-school students who have executive functioning challenges.
David derives his inspiration as an LSAT instructor from such well-known legal minds as Yoda (“Do. Or do not. There is no try.” “Patience you must have, my young padawn.”), Gandalf (“Courage will now be your best defense against the storm that is at hand-—that and such hope as I bring.”), and Winnie-the-Pooh (“Think it over, think it under.”). Armed with these deep philosophies and expert knowledge both of the LSAT and how to teach, David will help you realize your best score, even if you're rolling your eyes at him all the while.
Miami
Though born in the Cuban metropolis of Holguin, Felipe spent the first 6 years of his life in a little-known wilderness simply called "Moa." There, Felipe decided early on he would grow up to be an astrophysicist or an iguana.
After puberty, Felipe realized the iguana thing wasn't going to pan out. And after watching a discovery channel documentary on black holes, Felipe realized that space was confusing and depressing. He ended up studying mathematics at FIU and teaching at a math learning center he would eventually leave in order to work as the director of.... you guessed it: a math center. It was there that Felipe first tasted the high octane, adrenaline filled world of test prep. After helping hundreds of students over the course of four years, Felipe left the center to pursue test prep exclusively and go back to school. He now teaches the LSAT, GMAT, and GRE. Felipe also plans to put his 177 LSAT score to use and apply to a joint JD/MBA program in 2020 (or maybe 2021... 2022?).
As an instructor, Felipe has learned that these tests, though difficult, are beatable. There are "success patterns" woven into the LSAT that, once seen and once mastered, will lead to not only a great score, but also a great time. Seriously, Felipe truly believes this test can go from torture to fun when you know what to look for. Don't believe him? Good! A little skepticism is healthy and will help you with the LSAT.
Felipe will tell you he's an avid chess player and cinephile, but what that really means is he plays 20 high-speed bullet chess games per day during meals and combs through Netflix's entire library for hours without ever actually picking anything.
Orange County
Robert was all set to head straight from undergrad to law school until he took a class on hedonistic philosophy. Realizing that Epicurus was on to something with the whole "avoidance of pain" schtick, he decided to give Blueprint a call.
Robert has, in fact, found teaching the LSAT to be marginally more sufferable. His experiences in debate -- both as instructor and competitor -- make Flaw questions easy as pie, and his Sunday mornings with Oma and the Times make Logic Games simpler than sudoku. While a UC Berkeley Philosophy degree and 174 LSAT pretty much demand he go the law school route at some point, Robert has interests in journalism, music, and home brewing Imperial IPAs that his cushy gig at Blueprint allows him to pursue for the time being.
Robert truly believes that with sincere dedication to the material, and willful adherence to the Blueprint Method, everyone can score great on the LSAT. He aims to make his classes every bit as enjoyable as they are educational, and he tentatively guarantees that at least two out of every five of his jokes will be funny.
Now let's go get that 180.
New Orleans
Catching the best beads at a Mardi Gras parade is both an art and a science - and it's a mission that Ivan has mastered. His combination of charm, shamelessness and perseverance has earned him the title of UBM down in New Orleans - Ultimate Bead Magnet.
Ivan attended the University of California on a Regents Scholarship, and graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He scored a 178 on the LSAT and began teaching for the exam way back in 1992 - and for the past 25+ years has taught over a thousand students, trained hundreds of other instructors to teach the exam, and written course material for multiple major test prep companies. When it comes to the LSAT, he has done it all.
Ivan believes that mastering the exam doesn't depend on creativity, insight or originality - in fact, he feels just the opposite is what's required: students need to become an 'LSAT Robot.' He drills a consistent approach to each question type into a student's head through repetition and targeted practice until they can respond automatically to the question - all while keeping things loose with stories of New Orleans, living abroad, working in the film industry and being on the road in a rock band.
So, after you ace the LSAT with Ivan in your corner, you can celebrate your victory down in the Big Easy and get a lesson in the art of catching Mardi Gras beads. You will be an Ultimate Bead Magnet too!
Bay Area
A native of Boston, Meredith fancies herself a converted Californian—unabashedly enamored with In ‘N Out, acupuncture, and “artisanal mayonnaise.” But her love for Dunkin’ Donuts remains, a relic of her Masshole roots.
Before landing in California, Meredith studied at the University of Chicago. During her first couple years of college she worked as an EMT, which convinced her she wasn’t too fond of sick people or bodily fluids, and she abandoned her dream of becoming a doctor. On a whim, she applied for a small, interdisciplinary major in law and society, and was stunned to find that she loved it and wanted to go to law school. So she capitalized on the misery that is winter in Chicago and locked herself away to study for LSAT, emerging only for sustenance and her waitressing gig. Her hibernation period ended when the trees started to grow leaves again, and she scored a 172.
Meredith thinks the LSAT is kind of like a guy at a bar who just won’t leave you alone—it’s annoying at best and scary at worst, but if you get to know it a little bit, it might just surprise you by being quirkier and a little more fun than you thought possible.
Austin
Jenny graduated with a BA in Political Science from Stanford University, where she was cheerleader. To kill some time between football games, she picked up a prep test and ended up snagging a 174 on the LSAT and a JD/MBA from UT Austin, where she was the Editor in Chief of the Texas Journal of Women and the Law.
Not one to shy away from prepping for a high stakes exam, Jenny has passed the bar exam in both California and Texas. She practiced law as a mergers and acquisitions associate for more than 7 years, including a two-year stint in Tokyo where she learned that a magnitude 9.0 earthquake is no excuse for leaving the office early and that sushi is a perfectly acceptable breakfast food.
Jenny recently hung up her Big Law spurs and dusted off some dry erase markers in anticipation of her return to the Blueprint classroom--she has taught LSAT and GMAT courses for over 7 years and is a veteran at helping students raise their scores.
With a compassionate and indefatigable commitment to teaching, Jenny is a veritable cheerleader for her students. You can expect her to be patient, approachable, and kind hearted. If you perform really well, pirouettes and high kicks might not be out of the question, either.
Pasadena
Dane graduated from Yale University, where he double-majored in Literature and History. When he wasn’t studying (which was rare) he played drums in a band and rugby on the Yale Men’s Rugby team.
Dane has been tutoring for eight years and has enjoyed every minute of it. He especially enjoys getting to know his students and sharing in their excitement when their scores and grades improve. Dane’s teaching method centers around careful self-reflection: he believes that the most effective way for students to improve their scores is for them to form an understanding of themselves as test-takers.
He helps his students to reach this understanding by working directly with them to develop personalized lesson plans and test-taking strategies. Using this method, Dane earned a 172 on his first attempt at taking the LSAT, and then a 177. When he’s not teaching Dane works as a law clerk at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, where he helps to provide legal services to LA’s homeless and low-income population.
In his free time, Dane likes to practice music, take photos, read, and surf. Dane also likes to play video games. Maybe a little too much.
New York
Jerry is a kind, non-confrontational person who just happens to enjoy picking apart arguments. This puts him in a tough spot because most people who make arguments really, really don’t like having them picked apart. (Just look at what happened to Socrates!) And even though there are a few socially acceptable venues for dissecting other people’s arguments, most of those require some unpleasantness – like suing people or reading YouTube comments. So Jerry is grateful, almost beyond words, that there are people in LSAT HQ whose job it is to make bad arguments on purpose, just so that he can find fault with them. He’s even more grateful that he gets to coach students at doing the same, and he’s confident that he can get his students to enjoy argument-picking – including those who are not naturally inclined to it.
In his teenage years, Jerry was a successful debater for the public high school in his hometown of Miami Beach, Florida. He then did a reverse LeBron – also known as a LeBron – taking his talents from South Beach. He went to Yale for a B.A. in philosophy, puzzled his way to a 179 on his LSAT, and then re-upped at Yale, where he earned his J.D. He’s slowly but surely working his way toward a Ph.D. in philosophy at UC Berkeley, and he’s excited to bring his fifteen years of teaching experience to Blueprint.
Jerry is especially eager to work with students who come to Blueprint fearing or disliking the LSAT. He wants them to see this exam, for all its bluster, as a cartoon villain. It’s there to provide a certain, minimally necessary level of narrative tension in your story, but it’s really nothing to fear. It tries to unnerve you with clichéd plot elements, such as a ticking clock. It laughs at its own jokes. Its moves are predictable, and once those moves are known and understood, it is easily vanquished (after a lot of hard work). And despite its efforts to appear menacing, you come to see that, deep down, the LSAT just wants to be loved.
Orange County
Chris is an affable dude who gets along well with just about everyone and everything. Notable exceptions include Bob Costas, Kenny G, and pickles; Chris would send them all to hell if he had Death's scythe.
A journalism major in college, Chris spent three broke and happy years working for a music magazine. He interviewed many of his musical heroes -- including Mike Patton, Ben Folds, Outkast, Jane's Addiction, and Weird Al -- but convinced himself that he needed a greater intellectual challenge. Chris scored a 171 on the LSAT and graduated from Loyola Law School in 2006. A well-respected litigator, Chris was recognized by Super Lawyers' Rising Stars list in 2009, 2013, 2014, and 2017. Chris now owns a legal practice specializing in estate planning, probate, and trust litigation.
hris believes his experiences with diverse personalities, from eccentric rock stars to stodgy judges, give him the patience and persistence to successfully teach the LSAT to anyone. No matter a student's background, Chris is adept at eliminating the baggage that harms LSAT performance and replacing it with proper Blueprint methods.
Although Chris has had far fewer rock star encounters since becoming a lawyer, he did use a urinal next to Kenny G in a superior court restroom. Unlike Elvis Costello, Chris's aim was not true.
Los Angeles
Although Linette spent most of her childhood in Romania herding goats on her grandparents’ farm, when she was in her teen years she decided to move to the US, learn English, and give college a try. She started off as a Pre-Dent student at La Sierra University, and although she took the DAT and scored in the 99th percentile, she quickly discovered she was rather squeamish and preferred talking to people from a comfortable distance. After an intense brainstorming session, she decided to intern at a corporate law office and fell in love with the profession. She switched her major to Pre-Law, took the LSAT, and scored a 171.
Linette has traveled to every country in Europe and has spent time learning from each culture and adapting to their way of life. Because of that, she understands that everyone learns differently, which is why she makes sure to adapt her classes and teaching style to the needs of her students. She believes it’s extremely important to celebrate the small victories along the way, preferably with some rocky road ice cream (but any desserts are highly encouraged).
In her free time, Linette likes to get back to her roots by backpacking and camping in the wild. Although there are no goats around, the occasional bear and deer make up for that.
San Diego
Hearing this guy talk, you will probably think you are talking to a surf coach, not an LSAT instructor. This Orange County native turned bartender traded in his wetsuit and his “spacious” attic loft for the LSAT books after he realized a future in the World Surf League wasn’t in store.
Blake attended the University of Southern California, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Public Policy and Law. He spent time working for a few different NGOs in the education reform space, eventually leading to work with a Congresswoman in D.C. After realizing there were no beaches in sight, Blake returned to Southern California, where he used the Blueprint curriculum to help him score a 175 on the LSAT.
Blake’s specializes in taking complex subjects and breaking them down be easily understood. Because the LSAT did not come intuitively to him, he knows the strategies to take even the lowest test scorers to the heights of LSAT glory. Blake believes the biggest breakthroughs happen in classroom environments that are laid back and fun. He also believes that the LSAT is a beast, and requires a lot of time and the correct strategies to master it. Once these strategies are learned, the LSAT is a piece of cake.
Blake will be teaching until he decides to exchange a well-paying job for lots and lots of debt and attend Harvard Law. Until then, you will find him dreaming about the World Surf League.
Sacramento
During his sophomore year of college, Mehrdad nearly single-handedly raised Chipotle’s stock price. He frequented the chain five times per week and got guac with every one of his burritos; he is no longer a Chipotle fanatic.
Mehrdad graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Managerial Economics with honors distinction. Undeterred after reading Monkey Business: Swinging Through the Wallstreet Jungle, he hoped to change the world as an investment banker. However, his tenure in the private equity industry highlighted the flaw in his logic and he decided that law school would be more impactful. After scoring a 171, he found a passion for the exam and decided to teach with Blueprint.
Mehrdad believes true learning requires enjoyment and constructs his lessons in a manner that will engage students while providing them with the tools to excel on the exam. He vows by the effectiveness of Blueprint’s method and tailors the nuances of his practices to fit the individual student. His ultimate goal is to help students receive a score that is better than the one they hoped for.
Mehrdad cannot wait to get you the score that will allow you to put guac on every one of your burritos!
Philadelphia
Between her classical virtue name and winter solstice birthday, Hope always kind of figured that she’d end up a YA protagonist. But since she didn’t manage to find any magic swords or ominous prophesies lying around, she decided that she’d have to forge her own path.
Hope graduated from Grinnell College in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in political science and biology because when confronted with options, Hope tends to respond “why not both!” (That’s why she also spent her undergrad years editing for a small-book press, coordinating volunteers with a local animal shelter, co-staffing an annual bone marrow donation drive…you get the idea.) Post-graduation, she spent a few years working in anti-hunger nonprofits and academic editing before realizing that she could use her 170 LSAT score for something other than winning bar bets.
Her years tutoring the LSAT have shown her that for all the tricks the test tries to throw, the LSAT is still a standardized test, which means that it’s full of learnable, predictable patterns that anyone can master, given time and a few pointers here and there. Hope loves breaking those patterns down to make the testing process approachable.
When not tutoring, Hope can be found promo-ing her foster cats on Instagram or catching up on her totally reasonable and not-at-all excessive 30-45 podcast subscriptions.
Los Angeles
John has spent the last 10 years coaching high school debate, including the 2017 Lincoln-Douglas National Champions. (His claim to fame.)
Hailing from Minneapolis, MN he spent his college years at the University of San Diego. In the years that followed, he built a debate coaching business before deciding to take a swing at the LSAT and join both parents and older sister in the legal community. He scored a 171 on his first attempt, but still manages to makes time for his first love--debate.
John approaches the test as a coach first and foremost. He enjoys teaching his students the tricks of the trade and argues that each student is capable of reaching their target score; they just need to find that part in themselves that will drive them to work a little extra to achieve those goals.
When he’s not teaching or debating LSAT logic, you can find him at a card game, playing a round of golf, or reading a good book.
