Kyle McEntee LSAC

Kyle served as Law School Transparency's executive director from 2009 to 2022. He co-founded the organization with Patrick Lynch in 2009 and ran the organization until its acquisition by LSAC in 2022. Today, he is Senior Director for Prelaw Engagement at LSAC.
Kyle is a key figure in American legal education, publishing scholarly articles, issuing reports, and speaking at conferences and seminars on legal education. He is a frequent commentator in the press, having been quoted hundreds of times in the world's most reputable news organizations, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Economist, NPR, and others. He has written columns in Bloomberg, the National Law Journal, ABA Journal, Above the Law, Inside Higher Ed, and elsewhere.
Kyle is a licensed North Carolina attorney with a J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He does research for the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System. He is a special advisor to The Pipeline to Practice Foundation, an organization committed to enhancing diversity in the legal profession by supporting and nurturing diverse law students and early-career attorneys at key stages of their academic and professional development. He is the chief programmer behind LST's innovative web-based tools, including the PreLaw Platform. His work as a web developer has played a major role in making the fruits of LST's advocacy efforts accessible to the general public.
His work in legal education has been nationally recognized by a number of organizations. While still in law school, he was voted Lawyer of the Year by readers of Above the Law. The ABA Journal named him a Legal Rebel for his work "challenging the institutional gatekeepers of the legal profession" and the National Jurist has named him the 5th most influential person in legal education. In 2013, at age 27, the National Law Journal named Kyle to its list of the 100 most influential lawyers in America, the youngest ever on the list, which has been periodically produced since the 1980s.
Podcast episodes

Death and Taxes: Estate Planning for High-Net-Worth Clients
Linsey Gleason, a 2008 graduate of Michigan State University College of Law, talks about her estate planning practice at a large firm in Michigan. Her role involves helping clients determine their beneficiaries, trustees, and how to distribute their assets after death. She navigates emotionally complex conversations about end-of-life wishes and legacy planning. Her work often extends beyond just legal matters, as she guides clients through the practical and emotional dimensions of estate planning. The conversation also delves into networking and client acquisition strategy.

Commercial Litigation at a Large Firm
Chukwukpee Nzegwu, a graduate of the University of Maryland, is a junior associate practicing commercial litigation at a large, general practice law firm. While he didn't go to law school to do commercial lit, he's found it both exciting and challenging. He explains that his decision was influenced by the opportunity to gain trial experience and be involved in oral advocacy. Chukwukpee discusses his work as a problem solver for clients involved in lawsuits and highlights the complexity of commercial litigation. He shares his experiences working on cases from the beginning to the end, including drafting motions, researching statute of limitations arguments, and participating in appeals.

Doc Review Hell: A Culture of Fear But Not Totally Awful
We dive into a roundtable discussion with three law school graduates about short-term contract work, a job that resides at the bottom of the legal profession hierarchy. Known to some as “the circuit,” it's filled with new graduates trying to break into the profession, older graduates trying to on-ramp back in, and others who need the money to get by as they start their own practice, balance a family, or try to start fresh after a grueling job.

In-House Counsel at a Software Company
Zoe Sharp, a graduate of Stanford Law School, works at Optoro, a software company that keeps her busy in many areas of law. She talks about how she plans for the worst, which has been especially helpful during a pandemic and after a tornado destroyed one of the company's warehouses.

Sports & Entertainment Law: Making a Solo Firm Work Against the Odds
Jeremy Evans, a graduate of Thomas Jefferson School of Law, managed to outlast hundreds who started law school hoping to do sports and entertainment law. He talks about the struggle to start his own firm and why he thinks he was among the last standing.

A Lawyer for Tourists in Trouble
Alan Fowler, a graduate of Mercer University School of Law, primarily represents tourists who got into trouble while on vacation. He talks about finding clients, their urgency in resolving their legal trouble, and how he learns about what they really want.

IRS Tax Lawyer: From Tax Strategist to the Government
Deepan Patel, a graduate of Florida State University College of Law, explains his role at the IRS. While the IRS has many types of lawyers, he focuses on business taxpayer guidance, which ensures certainty for businesses making major decisions. He describes how he got into tax, where his career might go, and trade-offs between government and private practice.

Estate Planning and Probate Counseling
Kathryn Cockrill, a graduate of Touro Law School, started her career at a small firm and then went out on her own to reap the rewards of building a business in estate planning and probate. In this episode, Kathryn explains the ins and outs of probate, for both the living and the deceased. She also talks about how she avoids bill collection pitfalls, why she plans to hire help once her firm is on a more stable financial footing, and why her practice keeps her interested and invested.

Appellate Lawyer: Telling a Court They Got It Wrong
Virginia Whitner Hoptman, a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, changed course several times throughout her career before settling back where she started with a highly specialized appellate practice. In this episode, Virginia explains the appeals process for winners and losers at the trial level. She also talks about elitism in the world of appeals, how difficult it is to become a full-time appellate lawyer, and what makes appellate lawyers fundamentally different than trial lawyers.

Criminal Justice Advocacy from Within the L.A. Mayor's Office
Kimberley Baker Guillemet, a graduate of the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, helped form the Los Angeles Office of Reentry to ensure that when someone leaves prison, limited employment options do not lead to a cycle of crime. In this episode, she discusses her work helping the formerly incarcerated rejoin society and altering conditions that lead to initial jailings.

Public Finance in New York City Biglaw
Joan Kerecz, a graduate of Duke University School of Law, discusses the various roles she’s played in helping public entities pay for, among other public projects, school and road expansions. Joan also talks to us about the on-campus interview climate at her law school and her decision to move firms after just two years.