WE BELIEVE IN THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF LSAT PREP
The LSAT is not a hurdle you jump to get into law school: it is an essential part of your preparation for law school.
The right LSAT program presents students with a golden opportunity to refine the fundamental reading and reasoning skills that will carry them through their legal education. In our courses, students learn to read critically, reason logically, work efficiently, and think calmly under duress.
This isn't just LSAT Prep: it's real education. And for far too long, this kind of quality was only accessible to students who could pay big money to boutique providers. We aim to change that by partnering with universities, law schools, and pipeline programs to give students from every background their shot at 180.
Meet the Founder
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Rise founder Laura Baragona Damone began teaching LSAT in 2007. After a brief stint at Kaplan, she went on to spend 4 years teaching for Testmasters, then 11 with ManhattanPrep, eventually leading the LSAT Curriculum team there and managing the program's institutional partnerships.
During those years, despite the joys of helping so many students succeed, she was deeply troubled by the lack of diversity in her classrooms. Laura grew up in a small town in Appalachia and received her degree in Women's Studies and Africana Studies from Virgina Tech. This background made her particularly attuned to the way the test prep industry cements racial and class divides, leaving students without means both underserved and underrepresented.
When ManhattanPrep folded their LSAT program in 2021, Laura was faced with a choice: she could join another big-name boutique LSAT prep provider, or she could figure out a way to teach the material she loved to the students being disenfranchised by the pay-to-play LSAT industry. She chose the latter.
Building on the work she did in partnership with SEO/Catalyst while at ManhattanPrep, Laura launched the Rise program. She also joined the team at LSAT Lab, who share her commitment to expanding access to LSAT prep. Through her work at these two sister companies, Laura is finally able to live her values, teach the material she loves, and reach the incredible students that the industry ignores.
Meet the Partners
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When Rise founder Laura joined Matt and Patrick at LSAT Lab, she joined the LSAT dream team. Together, they make LSAT dreams come true. The LSAT Lab partnership is the backbone of the Rise program, and it gives Rise the breadth, depth, and flexibility to serve students and organizations across the globe.
LSAT Lab founder Matt Sherman was head of LSAT Academics at Manhattan Prep until 2016 when he decided to strike out on his own to build the world's best and most affordable LSAT learning platform. He launched LSAT Lab in 2018. Since that time, LSAT Lab has led the industry in average score increase, and at prices that guarantee access to every student (yes, every student: send Matt your LSAC fee waiver, and he'll let you study for free). It is this exceptional quality and this commitment to the democratization of LSAT prep that make LSAT Lab the perfect partner for Rise.
LSAT Lab VP of Academics Patrick Tyrrell began teaching LSAT in 2007 at Princeton Review. After spending 4 years in their elite "super teacher crew," he went on to join ManhattanPrep in 2011. There, under the moniker ohthatpatrick, he authored a prolific collection of LSAT explanations that are legendary in the field. He was also a test prep triple threat, leading students to success on the LSAT, GMAT and GRE, and winning the coveted GMAT "top score mover" award. In January of 2020, he left ManhattanPrep to focus on moving LSAT scores full time. His commitment to both LSAT excellence and educational equity made LSAT Lab the natural landing place, and the incredible content he has generated there is a foundational part of every Rise student's LSAT education.
