Man Sues to Get Twice as Much Time to Take the LSAT Due to ADHD

Matthew Scott Jones, a prospective law student in Austin, Texas, has filed suit in the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Texas against the Law School Admissions Council (“LSAC”), alleging that the LSAC violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to provide him with extra time to take the Law School Admissions Test (“LSAT”). Jones claims that he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (“ADHD”), which impairs his reading ability and his ability to concentrate “to the point that his competence level is below that expected in comparison to most people.”

Jones was scheduled to take the LSAT in 2009 in Austin. Jones alleges that the LSAC should provide him with double time and that his test results should not be flagged as “not taken under standard conditions.” He had asked the LSAC for accommodations for his disability in 2009, but the LSAC denied his request on the grounds that he had “not demonstrated that he was ‘substantially limit[ed]’ in a major life activity.”

Jones seeks a permanent injunction to prevent the LSAC from refusing to comply with his request, plus compensatory damages and attorney fees. If Jones wins, he still of course has to find a way to make it through the rigors of law school—and a subsequent law practice—with his impaired “competence level.”