Do I Need Law School To Become A California Lawyer?

Almost every single practicing California attorney has completed law school. Notice how we said almost every practicing California attorney? You heard us correctly, you actually don’t need to go to law school to become a practicing attorney in California. So, you may be wondering, what is this loophole that nobody is talking about? In California, it’s called the “Law Office Study Program” and is codified in Rule 4.29 of the State Bar of California. Let’s discuss the program generally and take a look at its requirements.

Do I Need Law School To Become A California Lawyer?

What Is The Law Office Study Program?

You can think of the law office study program as a legal apprenticeship that can be completed instead of attending law school. Unlike law school’s traditional three-year timeframe, the program is completed by apprenticing for four years. Essentially, someone can elect to study under the guidance of an attorney/judge and must complete thousands of hours of work. How many hours are we talking? 3,456 to be exact.

What Are The Requirements?

Like we mentioned above, the requirements for the program are found in State Bar Rule 4.29. Things can get somewhat jumbled, so we’re going to provide a brief summary in bullet point format for you. In a nutshell, the program includes the following requirements:

1. Study law in a law office or judge’s chambers during regular business hours for at least 18 hours per week for a period of four consecutive years;

2. Pass the first year (“baby”) bar examination;

3. Pass the Multi-state Professional Responsibility Examination (“MPRE”); and

4. Pass the California Bar Examination.

The attorney/judge supervising the legal apprentice must also meet several requirements. These include:

1. Being admitted to the practice of law in California and in good standing for a minimum of five years;

2. Providing the State Bar of California with an outline of the course of study that they will provide the apprentice within thirty days of the apprentice’s start;

3. Personally supervising the apprentice for at least five hours per week;

4. Testing the apprentice at least once a month on study completed during the prior month;

5. Providing reports to the State Bar of California every six months regarding the apprentice’s study; and

6. Not supervise more than two apprentices at the same time.

What Are Some Benefits/Drawbacks?

Now that you know the basics of the program and its requirements, what are some of the benefits and drawbacks? We’ll start with the benefits – law school is an incredibly pricey endeavor to undertake. Depending on the school, law school can cost over $100,000.00! As a result, almost every law school graduate enters the workforce with student debt. the Law Office Study Program allows you to avoid high student debt, while also maintaining a paid position. The program is also an excellent way to get tons of hands-on legal experience in a practical setting.

On the flip side, law school offers students many benefits that simply cannot be replicated by participating in the program. For example, access to law school professors, access to the law school curriculum, the opportunity to make lifelong friends, powerful resources, and connections. As a law student, you’re paying the school to foster your legal education in numerous areas of the law. The same type of educational resources and support is likely not available in the same quantity or at all when participating in the Law Office Study Program. In addition, law school is a three-year commitment, whereas the program is a four-year commitment.

Ultimately, the decision is a personal one and everyone’s circumstances are different. For more information on the Law Office Study Program, check out the State Bar of California’s website.

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Do I Need Law School To Become A California Lawyer?