Hello.
There are several states that allow you to take the bar examination
without graduating from law school. These states include: New York,
California, Maine, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming, and Washington.
BUT... these states require you to be an "apprentice" to a licensed
attorney or judge for several years before becoming eligible to take
the bar exam.
What does "apprenticeship" (also known as "law office study") involve?
Well, the exact requirements vary depending upon the state, but,
typically, apprenticeship involves studying in the office of a lawyer
or judge for a specified number of hours per week for a set number of
years (e.g., four years).
See:
"The self-made lawyer," Christian Science Monitor, June 03, 2003
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0603/p13s01-lecs.html
"Skip Law School, Be a Lawyer Anyway," Slate, Oct. 19, 2004
http://slate.msn.com/id/2108397\
"Apprentices Take Law Into Their Own Hands"
Los Angeles Times, October 10, 2004
http://www.knowledgeplex.org/news/48506.html
As I mentioned, the exact requirements vary among the states that
allow apprentices" to take the bar exam.
Just to give you a sense of what's involved, take a look at:
Vermont: "How can I take the bar exam without going to law school?"
http://www.vermontjudiciary.org/BBE/BBEfaq.htm#How%20can%20I%20take%20the%20bar%20exam%20without%20going%20to%20law%20school
Or:
State Bar of California:
"Section 3. Study in a Law Office or Judge's Chambers,"
http://calbar.ca.gov/state/calbar/calbar_generic.jsp?sImagePath=Bar_Exam.gif&sCategoryPath=/Home/Attorney%20Resources/Bar%20Exam&sHeading=Rules%20Regulating%20Admission%20to%20Practice%20Law%20in%20California&sFileType=HTML&sCatHtmlPath=html/GI_Rules-Regulating-Admission.html#vii
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search strategy:
"without attending law school"
apprenticeship, vermont, california, "bar exam"
I hope this helps. If anything is unclear, please let me know via the
"request clarification" feature. Thanks. |
