You might have heard that Kim Kardashian is trying to become a lawyer. Depending on how much you keep up with the Kardashians, you also might have heard that she is trying to do so without getting a law degree. If you have been considering attending law school and are daunted by the time, money, and admissions process involved in applying, the idea of taking this route to become a lawyer may seem too good to be true. Well, to a certain degree, it is.
In this article, we at Stratus walk you through the realities of taking the bar without first earning a law degree.
How Does the Process Work?
If you are asking whether you can truly take the bar without a law degree, the short answer is “Yes.” However, the long answer is “Yes, but…”
To start, only four states allow someone to take the bar without attending law school: Washington, Vermont, California, and Virginia. Additionally, in Wyoming, New York, and Maine, you can take the bar without a law degree, but you will need to gain some law school experience.
In addition, if you have not earned a law degree, you will need to complete a legal apprenticeship. In an apprenticeship, you work a set number of hours under the supervision of a qualified lawyer. Each state has specific requirements in terms of the number of hours and years that must be completed. Sometimes it’s as long as ten years—much longer than law school. Also, depending on how much money you earn during this time, going this route could prove to be much more costly than attending law school.
California requires you to first take an exam, commonly known as the “baby bar,” to qualify for the bar. The baby bar is a one-day exam that is administered virtually twice a year and covers contracts, criminal law, and torts.
If you have met all of the state’s requirements for taking the bar, you will need to pay the fee to take the bar and pay for any preparation materials.
Challenges in Qualifying for the Bar
In addition to the fact that so few states allow aspiring lawyers to take the bar without first earning a law degree, it can be difficult to find an apprenticeship. Some states have apprenticeships more readily available than others. Ultimately, you’ll want to ensure that you find an apprenticeship that will provide valuable knowledge and experience. When researching apprenticeships, it’s best to leverage local legal publications and reach out to people who have completed apprenticeships.
The challenges don’t end with finding a good apprenticeship. For example, you will need to spend several hundred dollars on legal materials to prepare for the bar. One way to save money is to find textbooks at the library. You could also see if law school syllabuses are available online to get ideas about which books to buy and which readings to do. It’s also a good idea to read supplements on relevant subjects. If you are having issues with specific legal concepts, see if the attorney with whom you are apprenticing can explain them to you. Additionally, online forums such as the law school subreddit might contain explanations of difficult concepts.
In California, many people have issues passing the baby bar. This is why it is important to make sure you are doing all you can to learn the material. You could consider investing in an official bar prep package before attempting the baby bar. However, it will be costly, and some of the material will likely be difficult to understand for people who did not attend law school. Through networking, you could also find other people who are currently in an apprenticeship and form a study group with them.
Challenges After Qualifying to Take the Bar
The most immediate challenge after qualifying for the bar is passing the bar. Historically, people in apprenticeships have much lower pass rates than people who completed law school. Law school graduates have an advantage because they are more accustomed to taking exams and they’ve been responsible for learning each class’s concepts by the end of the semester. In contrast, with an apprenticeship, legal topics can fall through the cracks if the supervising attorney does not focus on them. Moreover, law schools face much stricter regulations than a lawyer that is supervising an apprenticeship, so the quality of education at a law school is ensured.
Even if you pass the bar, you will face problems in the employment market. Many firms will be reluctant to hire someone who did not attend law school. The hiring process in the legal field can be very formulaic, and part of that formula is having a law degree. So, fair or not, lawyers who have gone to law school will look down on lawyers who did not. Additionally, the legal market is oversaturated with attorneys who attended law school, so it will be difficult to compete with them.
Furthermore, pursuing this path will limit your portability. As discussed earlier, you can only qualify to take the bar without a law degree in a limited number of jurisdictions. Many of those jurisdictions, such as California, have limited reciprocity with other states. The reciprocity can be further limited when you qualify for the bar this way.
Finally, going this route may not be as financially beneficial as it seems. Ideally, if you attend a credible law school, you will finish in three years and get a job with decent pay. Student loans might make things difficult, particularly if you do not get a high-paying corporate job. But given that it can take up to a decade to qualify for the bar without a law degree—and potentially years more if you do not pass on the first try—the opportunity cost of working in another field versus working as an attorney, along with the costs of study materials, can make this alternate route more financially harsh than you might think. Couple that with today’s challenging employment prospects and you could end up “paying” for qualifying as attorney this way through your whole career.
The law school application process is stressful, and it’s natural to get overwhelmed and consider other career paths. Sign up for a free consultation with the Stratus team to see what path makes sense for you.