About Ellen
Ellen Cassidy, Founder
The luckiest day of my life was March 18, 2011. My best friend prodded me out of the house to a “hot tub” party I really didn't want to go to. I was determined to avoid all hot tub-related activity, so I spent the whole party listening to a stranger tell funny stories about her clients. She was a public defender. I thought, “Law is hilarious. I should take the LSAT.”
I bought the PowerScore Bibles on my phone before I even left the party. It was an impulsive, unreasonable decision. It was the opposite of logical reasoning. But when I started doing LSAT, I was enraptured. It felt like my brain had always been running at about 70% capacity until that day, and suddenly it ramped up to 100%.
Prepping for the LSAT was one of the most invigorating experiences of my life. When I got in the car after taking the test, I said, “I wish I could just do the LSAT forever.” I didn't understand how that could be a realistic life plan, so I figured I had to apply to law school. The best school I got into was Harvard Law School, and I deferred three times before turning them down to teach the LSAT. Turns out, you can do the LSAT forever.
I've taught the LSAT ever since. I have the unique privilege of helping my students through what can be a super-stressful time. That's the purpose of my life. Whether it's one-on-one, in the classroom, in a book, or online, I'm here to take this dreaded law school process and turn it into something great. That's why I founded Elemental Prep. That's why I wrote The Loophole in LSAT Logical Reasoning. That's why I'll keep writing LSAT books until there is seriously nothing else to write about.
We're in this together, reader. Let's do it.
See what The Loophole readers are saying:
The Best LSAT Book on the Market
I have read several LSAT prep books — including The LSAT Trainer and the PowerScore Bibles — and taken in-person prep courses. I was stuck forever, improving little above my first diagnostic. NOTHING has improved my score more than The Loophole. Ellen's writing frames the LSAT as a fun, exciting challenge rather than a daunting exam, and her translation drills improved my score an additional 10 points after I had already gone through full prep courses. It changed my entire approach and made me actually enjoy studying for the LSAT — something I never thought possible.
What finally helped me break into the 170s
Before finding The Loophole, I had spent months studying with traditional methods — drilling question types, taking practice tests, deeply reviewing explanations. Despite all that effort, I was stuck in the high 160s and couldn't break into the 170s. The Loophole completely changed the way I approached the LSAT. Instead of just teaching me to recognize question types, it fundamentally changed how I read stimuli and processed arguments. For the first time, I understood how to think through questions rather than memorize strategies. That shift alone got me into the 170s.
READ IT!
I had been struggling with the LSAT for 7 months when I came across The Loophole. The translation drills have been extremely helpful — I learned to go slower, which made me faster at translating and improved my memory retention. My advice: READ THE LOOPHOLE. ONE. PAGE. AT. A. TIME. Give it a try and find out for yourself why it's so effective — it's the holy grail.
An incredibly dedicated team
Beyond the book, the Elemental Prep team has the same level of dedication that Ellen does. I emailed them to ask about reading-comp translation drills and within a few hours received an extensive, genuinely helpful reply with additional resources and advice. Absolutely amazed by this book, the team, and Ellen's dedication to both the LSAT and the needs of her readers.
Recommend for LSAT LR
I really enjoyed reading it. It helped me a lot to understand the LSAT overall, and especially how to identify the traps in a stimulus and avoid trapping yourself. I love the flow of the topics and the exercises. I definitely recommend this book for anyone having trouble with strengthen/weaken problems and other argument-related issues.
Great for the LSAT
An awesome and straightforward book for the LSAT. Easy to follow, and easy to understand the content of each chapter.