Hey simo,
The short answer to your question is yes. Yes, your GPA will affect your law school admissions chances. And if your LSAT is low, that will definitely worsen the situation. Although applicants with foreign credentials are sometimes evaluated slightly differently than American applicants, the fact remains that, in U.S. law school admissions, the numbers rule the game--and yours are not stacking up.
A GPA of 2.89 is very low for admission into any law school--and if you're aiming for any schools in the top of the rankings (even at the bottom of Tier 1), it is extremely low. Although you do have an interesting profile with graduate work, foreign languages, and an obvious interest in the law, this won't go very far in making your GPA more palatable. While your MS GPA is certainly a great one, it will not take the place of your UGPA (graduate grades are often seen as inflated, which is why they don't carry as much weight as the UGPA). Your LSAT is what is going to make or break your admissions chances. If your LSAT is low, it will make your admission into any worthwhile law school very difficult.
Your job now is two-fold:
1. Max out the LSAT. Depending on where you want to attend (and you should aim high, given the current state of the legal job market), you will need to get a score at least in the mid- to high 160s. A score in the 170s would be ideal (although understandably difficult to obtain). If you don't know the numbers for the schools you're interested in, now's the time to get familiar. Go to LSAC's Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools (available for free here:
http://officialguide.lsac.org), and get the percentile scores for admitted students for the schools on your list. Your goal should be to get a score at or above the 75th percentile for each school.
2. Work extensively on the "softs" of your application. Of particular importance will be your personal statement and letters of recommendation. Your PS will allow you to showcase a human side to your numbers, which will be essential in getting the admissions officers reading your file to care about you, and make them willing to give you a chance. Your LORs will allow you to have others talk about your academic potential, which is not accurately reflected in the your numbers. The LORs can counteract some of the harm done by your low UGPA. Use your résumé to your advantage, too, and showcase unusual experiences, jobs, and skills you may have. Show the schools that you can bring a unique, unusual, and diverse perspective to their school, and that may increase your chances.
I hope that helped! Please let me know if I can be of further assistance. Best of luck!
