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To-Do Tuesday: Issue 2 | May 12, 2026

Mario Porras - Tuesday, May 12
 Events 
To-Do Tuesday: Issue 2 May 12, 2026
*crown* Columbia Law School To-Do Tuesday

Dear [FIRST_NAME],

Happy To-Do Tuesday! This is the second of our weekly emails for incoming Columbia Law School students from the Office of Student Services. Today, find information about your UNI/Lionmail account, the official documents that you need to submit, and the Max Berger ’71 Public Interest/Public Service Fellows Program Application Information Session. Also see a list of deadlines to keep you on track.

Reminder: Activate your LawNet account. CLS Connect and LawNet are synced, so you need to activate your LawNet account and set up your profile in order to access CLS Connect and receive important emails from Columbia Law School.

Note: It takes 24 hours for CLS Connect to update with your profile after you activate your LawNet account.

Check Your UNI/Lionmail Email

This week's To-Do Tuesday will be the last one sent to your personal email account. Starting next week, all messages from Student Services will go to your Lionmail account, so be sure to activate it, and check it regularly. Your UNI/Lionmail email is the only email account to which Columbia departments, including the Columbia Residential office, will send messages.

Columbia University Information Technology (CUIT) launched Proofpoint Email Protection as a first line of defense to help protect the University's email against spam, phishing, and unsolicited bulk emails. Occasionally, Columbia emails sent through third-party accounts get blocked. If this happens, please be sure to unblock Columbia messages by taking the following steps:

  • Go to CUIT's Proofpoint page and navigate to "End User Web Application."
  • Expand "How do I access the End User Web Application?" and "How can I allow or block senders from quarantine" and follow the instructions to block a sender or allow emails to be released directly to your inbox.
The email will look like this:
Example of Spam Email sent to student account

Due May 15—Deferral Request Deadline

Students who have submitted their enrollment deposit may request a deferral of their admission for one or two years. If you wish to defer your matriculation at Columbia Law School, submit your request in writing to admit@law.columbia.edu as soon as you have finalized your intention to defer, but no later than May 15, 2026. Additionally, if you have questions about the deferral process or eligible activities, kindly send your email to the attention of Hasmik Sargsyan, Associate Director of Admissions.

Due June 15—Dean’s Certification(s)

To matriculate at Columbia Law School, you must submit a completed Dean’s Certification Form from each school at which you matriculated toward a degree, including graduate programs and any school from which you may have transferred.

The Dean’s Certification Form should be given to a dean or other administrator who has access to your complete school records. Note: It is not required that the dean or other administrator know you personally; the certification is often a report based on an examination of your school records.

 

Upon completion, instruct the dean or other administrator to send the certification(s) directly to the Columbia Law School Office of Admissions no later than June 15, 2026.
 

  • Via email (strongly preferred): to deanscerts@law.columbia.edu (email must come from an official university account).
  • Via post (in a signed and sealed envelope): to Columbia Law School, Office of Admissions, 435 West 116th Street, MC 4004, New York, NY 10027-7297.
 
Please note that Dean’s Certification Forms submitted as part of your initial application are sufficient as long as they were signed after the degree conferral date. Those completing their undergraduate studies in 2026 should wait until their degree is conferred to submit the Dean’s Certification Form, to avoid having to resubmit it.

Due August 1—Official Transcript(s)

Submit final, official academic transcripts from all schools of higher education that you have attended, including schools where you earned credit and/or spent a semester abroad, transferred, and from which you graduated. Failure to submit all required transcripts by the deadline may result in your offer of admission being rescinded or your withdrawal from the Law School.

  • Via LSAC CAS reports: In most instances, we will be able to use the transcripts included in your LSAC CAS reports, so long as these transcripts were final copies and include the degree conferral and conferral date.

  • Via post: to Columbia Law School, Office of Admissions, 435 West 116th Street, MC 4004, New York, NY 10027-7297.

For students graduating in 2026, please wait until you can order a final, official transcript that will show degree conferral and conferral date.

Tuesday, May 19—Max Berger ’71 Public Interest/Public Service Fellows Program Information Session

Attend the online information session on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. EDT to learn more about the Max Berger ’71 Public Interest/Public Service Fellows Program (Berger PI/PS). The information session will be led by Jean Fischman, associate director of the Berger Fellows Program. Hear from alumni and current fellows about their experiences. This is an opportunity to ask questions about the program and the application process! Register here. (If you are unable to attend the information session and would like to view a recording, please contact Jean Fischman at jf3633@columbia.edu).

Tuesday, May 19—Max Berger ’71 Public Interest/Public Service Fellows Program Information Session

Attend the online information session on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. EDT to learn more about the Max Berger ’71 Public Interest/Public Service Fellows Program (Berger PI/PS). The information session will be led by Jean Fischman, associate director of the Berger Fellows Program. Hear from alumni and current fellows about their experiences. This is an opportunity to ask questions about the program and the application process! Register here. (If you are unable to attend the information session and would like to view a recording, please contact Jean Fischman at jf3633@columbia.edu).

Due June 5—Max Berger ’71 Public Interest/Public Service (PI/PS) Fellows Program Application

The Max Berger ’71 Public Interest/Public Service (Berger PI/PS) Fellows Program is now accepting applications for the upcoming 2026–2027 academic year! The Berger Fellows Program brings together and supports a community of students committed to pursuing public interest, government, or human rights careers immediately upon graduation or following a judicial clerkship. The deadline to apply is June 5, 2026.

Super Student Services Team Spotlight

Male, White and blue striped shirt, smiling

Jeffrey Bagares, Executive Director of Student Services, leads the operations of the Office of Student Services (OSS). He manages key operational functions including event management, exam administration, vendor relationships, and policy compliance, while serving as the Dean's designee to University partners. In close collaboration with the Office of Registration Services and other student-facing units, Jeffrey ensures a consistent and high-quality student affairs experience across the Law School. Jeffrey holds a Master's in Public Administration and Finance from Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).
Fun Fact: Jeffrey speaks four languages — Tagalog, Mandarin, English, and Fierce!
Resources

You can access past To-Do Tuesdays in our archive. If you need assistance or have any questions, please reach out to the respective offices, below:
check mark with the word checklist

This section will be updated with dates for approaching deadlines. As new tasks are added, this section will expand each week. You can also review and use this checklist in CLS Connect

 

May

June

 

July 21

Disability Accomodations Registration

August 1

Transcripts (questions: admit@law.columbia.edu)