How to Become a Lawyer without Law School

I’m going to tell you how you can accomplish your legal career dreams with a viable alternative to spending $200,000 in Law School.

Going to Law School can be an extremely daunting 3 years and simply isn’t an option for many people that don’t have the time, money or resources to complete Law School.

If you are serious about pursuing your legal career and are looking for a viable alternative to law school, please contact me at info@lawprentice.com. I help aspiring lawyers become a lawyer without debt and law

As a current Law Apprentice, I’m going to share with you the 5 things you need to know to successfully complete a Law Apprenticeship.

These are the ultimate 5 things you need to know when thinking about your legal career and why you should seriously consider the Law Apprenticeship path in lieu of law school.

After reading this post, you will wonder why you ever wanted to go to law school in the first place!

1. Decide Whether Law Apprenticeship Is Right For You

The Law Apprenticeship is a program where you can take the bar without having to go to law school. This is a viable path for those that would like to fulfill their legal journey on their own time.

A Law Apprenticeship allows people to read the law while being supervised by a Lawyer or a Judge as opposed to going the traditional Law School path.

Most States in the U.S. define the requirements to become a lawyer as having completed a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited American Bar Association (ABA) Law School and to have passed the Bar.

The American Bar Association is responsible for law school and paralegal program accreditation across the United States.

The Law Apprenticeship is completely separate from all ABA Law School Requirements, but still follows the general Bar Admissions practice from the ABA.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners offers a Comprehensive Guide to each states’ Bar Admission Requirements.

Law Apprenticeships are actually quite rare. If you ask most people, they won’t even know that this type of program existed! However looking back through history, this was the main way that legal professionals could begin to practice law.

Where are Law Apprenticeships offered?

Right now only 4 states offer a full legal apprenticeship where you do not have to go to Law School; California, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. However, there are 3 other states that also try to offer a combination of law school and law apprenticeships.

Law Apprenticeship States

California Law Apprenticeship

Find the link here for California requirements to study in a Law Office or Judge’s Chamber: California’s Apprenticeship requirements include:

• 2 Years of completed College Courses (No Law classes required) with Transcript
• Supervising Attorney to have 5 years of active practice in California
• 4 years of study in a Law Office or Judge’s Chamber
• During the 4 years you must have 18 hours a week of study with 5 of those hours being under direct supervision from your Lawyer.
• Moral Character Application

Reports to Submit:

• Intent for Law Office Study — including Study Plan
• Monthly Exams
• Bi-Annual Progress Reports

3 Exams:

• First Year Law Students’ Exam (Baby Bar)
• MPRE
• Bar Exam

Vermont Law Apprenticeship

Find the complete requirements here for Vermont’s Law Office Study Program: Vermont’s Apprenticeship requirements include:

• Completed Bachelor’s/Undergraduate Degree — with Transcript
• Supervising Attorney to have 3 years of active practice in Vermont
• 4 years of study in a Law Office or Judge’s Chamber
• During the 4 years you must have
• Each year be at least 44 weeks of study pursued
• At least 25 hours of study during a period of 7 consecutive days or
• At least 30 hours of study during a period of 14 consecutive days
• Moral Character Application

Reports to Submit:

• Program Registration
• Notice of Commencement

Exams:

• Six month Report — including Study Plan

Virginia Law Apprenticeship

Find the link here for the complete requirements of Virginia’s Law Reader Program: Virginia’s Apprenticeship requirements include:

• Completed Bachelor’s/Undergraduate Degree — with Transcript
• Supervising attorney to have at least 10 years of experience in Virginia (cannot be retired for more than 5 years). Note that the apprentice may not be employed by or compensated by the supervising attorney
• 3 years of Law Office Study
• During the 3 years you must have
• 40 weeks per year
• 25 hours per week, with 3 hours per week of direct supervision by attorney.
• Moral Character Application
• Reports to Submit:
• Interview if needed
• Application for Law Reader Program
• Supervising Attorney’s Statement
• Exams
• Quarterly Report including Study Plan

Washington Law Apprenticeship

Find the link here for the complete requirements of Washington’s Law Clerk Program Washington’s Apprenticeship requirements include:

• Completed Bachelor’s/Undergraduate Degree — with Transcript
• Requires 4 years of full time employment in a law office.
• Note that the apprentice must be employed by the attorney.
• The supervising attorney must have 10 years of active experience in Washington.
• 32 hours of work/study per week, 3 hours per week of direct attorney supervision.
• Annual fee of $2,000
• Reports to Submit:
• Law Clerk Application
• Essay for Law Clerk Consideration
• 2 Letters of Recommendation (cannot be proposed supervisor)
• Interview

Other Law Apprenticeship States

Maine Law Apprenticeship

Find the link here for the complete requirements for Maine’s Bar Admission Rules

See Rule 10(c)(5)

• 2 Years of Law School Study
• 1 Year of Law Office Study

New York Law Apprenticeship

Find the link here for the complete requirements for New York’s Bar Admission Rules

See Section 520.4.

• 4 Years of Law Study
• At least 1 Year of Law School Study
• Rest of the studies can be Law Office Study

West Virginia Law Apprenticeship

Find the link here for the complete requirements for West Virgnia’s Bar Admission Rules

See Rule 3.0(a) & 3.0(2)(a).

• 3 Years of Non- ABA Accredited Law School
• 3 Years of Law Office Study
• All which must be approved by the board as these are seen as special circumstances

Wyoming Law Apprenticeship

Find the link here for the complete requirements for Wyoming’s Bar Admission Rules

• Wyoming No longer offers a Law Apprenticeship as of 2015.

History of Legal Apprenticeship

The beginning of the history of law apprenticeship starts in the 12th century, with the English Inns of Court. This was essentially a meeting place, where aspiring lawyers sat down together, but individually read the books of the law.

During this time until the 17th century, most lawyers became established through the legal apprenticeship. At the core of the practice, a legal education was offered in exchange for work, a mutual transaction.

Aspiring Lawyers watched court proceedings, learned from their mentors and became experts by actively doing and learning. Even in today’s law firm world, you will see the same concept of mentoring; having an established lawyer train an apprentice, or as more commonly known as an associate.

This all started to change in the late 1800s, early 1900s as the world needed to adapt to rising tensions post World War I and the skill to reduce tensions became more desirable. The need for skilled lawyers opened up the issues that some apprenticeships had at the time.

Many apprenticeships lost the root of what it stood for and started to favor nepotism and would only extend the knowledge and opportunity to those that were in the close circle of the Supervisor. The lines also blurred when many parents would force their children into apprenticeship and create the blurry lines of involuntary servitude.

From this, Law schools became established as a way to disassociate from the bad reputation that lawyers were getting as well as weed out potential applications so that only the finest and most studious could apply for Law School and serve their community as a Lawyer.

The problem is that while law schools teach students how to read and think and analyze cases, they do not teach them how to practice law in the real world. The ones who learn and do well can rise up in their firm and complete the cycle of them teaching another apprentice.

Most lawyers straight out of law school have no idea what it will actually be like to work as a practicing lawyer. You give someone a law degree, they will be a lawyer. You teach someone how to practice and understand the law and they will change the world.

Famous Lawyers that Didn’t go to Law School

You may recognize some of these names, if you have already started your law school education. If not, focus on the one name you’re likely to know.

1. Patrick Henry (1736–1799), Member of the Continental Congress, Governor of Virginia

2. John Jay (1745–1829), First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

3. John Marshall (1755–1835), Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

4. William Wirt (1772–1834), Attorney General

5. Roger B. Taney (1777–1864), Secretary of the Treasury, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

6. Daniel Webster (1782–1852), secretary of state

7. Salmon P. Chase (1808–1873), Senator, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

8. Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), President

9. Stephen Douglas (1813–1861), Representative, Senator from Illinois

10. Clarence Darrow (1857–1938), defense attorney in Scopes trial of 1925. [While Clarence Darrow attended a law school for one year, he did not distinguish himself and preferred to study law on his own. He received the greater part of his education in a law office in Youngstown, Ohio.]

11. Robert Storey (b. 1893), president of the American Bar Association (1952–1953

12. J. Strom Thurmond (b. 1902), senator, governor of South Carolina

13. James O. Eastland (b. 1904), senator from Mississippi

The name Abraham Lincoln may sound familiar to you. He is well regarded in America’s history, if not regarded as a hero and one of the most famous legal apprentices. He came from humble beginnings and rose to achieve the highest title you could achieve at that time.

Abraham Lincoln was a self taught lawyer, advocate and legislator. He fought to abolish slavery and proved so with the Emancipation Proclamation and his Gettysburg Address.

To be among the greats, who also walked the path of legal apprenticeship is a feat in of itself.

Disadvantages of Apprenticeship

Total Pass Rate of Bar Takers vs Apprentice Pass Rate of Bar Takers

It is no surprise that those who take the bar while doing a Law Apprenticeship typically don’t fare as well. With California’s already less than 50% bar passage rate, the very low pass rate for apprentices is not surprising as the CalBar offers little to no support.

There is no curriculum in place and most states don’t want to invest the resources it would take to map out a curriculum for these self-learners.

However, if you closely analyze the graph, you actually see that the states of Vermont and Washington, the apprentice pass rates are not trailing too far behind. Which would indicate that perhaps there is something that law schools offer, that apprenticeships could benefit from, but that it is absolutely possible to overcome these dismal statistics.

I can help you with the CA Bar if you’re considering an apprenticeship program. Email me at info@lawprentice.com

Why You May Consider Law School Over Law Apprenticeship

For those that need a classroom structure and have an extremely hard time motivating themselves, the Law Apprenticeship will prove itself to be a challenge. Law school does offer the additional benefit of having a community of like-minded people.

With the ever expanding law apprenticeship program, you will be able to find your community anywhere.

You may fall into the Law School Scam. It’s true that some employers won’t like to see the lack of degree and prestige that comes with a Law School Degree. However, Law School Prestige is a myth.

Nothing good ever comes easy, If you are not willing to put in the time and the work then it will be hard to remind yourself how a law apprenticeship can benefit you so much more in the long run.

Take Advantage of Reading the Law

If you had the freedom and flexibility to spend 4 years saving yourself from years of piled up debt, learning valuable life experience that will benefit your career, and the chase to change the way the practice law is valued, would you do it?

Cost of Law School vs Apprenticeship

The cost of law school alone can put the potential lawyer graduated with a degree, but with crushing debt that could last for years. This leads to the stigma where lawyers are an evil necessity and only care about money.

When you look further into it, it’s no wonder why anyone with years of debt piled on top of them would look for a bigger, corporate firm that pays better and can help them pay off that debt.

Just paying off law school debt shouldn’t be the reason you go to law school.

There are some that go into the legal profession just for money and that’s okay! Even those that want to make money need to save money.

The high costs of Law School perpetuate a never ending cycle of rising costs for legal services, scarcity of lawyers, and lawyers dispassionate about their clients. This doesn’t benefit anyone.

Law school costs based on tuition + fees at Boalt (UC Berkeley); apprenticeship figures are averages accrued through interviews with members of California’s Law Office Study Program

While this comparison is specifically just for the California Law Office Study program it shines a light on just how much you are paying for and that amount you pay isn’t worth it for your career.

Why you should do Law Apprenticeship

This is a journey of proving to yourself what you are capable of.

No matter where you are in life, whether you are 22 or 72, the apprenticeship is available for your needs and life circumstances. Because let’s face it, it isn’t realistic to think that we can expect mothers and fathers that work full time and have 4 children to relocate their house and drop their job, still be able to feed their children and to go to law school.

We are here to change the world, are we not? It may seem silly to think that only one person can make a difference, but as you’ve read above, one person can make history and change the course of the world forever.

I’m not going to tell you that you will be the next President, but you could be the next Abraham Lincoln.

Also, I can help you with this whole process for little to no cost. Email me at info@lawprentice.com to discuss your situation.

Why it benefits the Legal Profession and the World

There is a very clear gap in the legal profession of the type of population that is a lawyer and who those lawyers represent. The facts are this:

Let’s take a look at why that might be:

• Law Apprenticeships are not widely available.
• Distance of Law Schools in rural, underserved
• Financial Obstacles — Law School can cost up to $200,000.
• Family Obligations

Shouldn’t we have lawyers that understand where people are coming from in order to find justice for them?

Find a Mentor for your Law Apprenticeship

A huge part of the Law Apprenticeship program is finding a mentor. Finding someone to supervise you for 3–4 years is not an easy task!

In fact, this may be the only thing that is preventing you from accomplishing your dreams.

Many lawyers simply lack the knowledge of the program in order to effectively guide aspiring apprentices. They often feel overwhelmed with having to plan 4 years of coursework and how to fit that into their current schedules.

Don’t worry, because there are Lawyers out there that want to help you accomplish your dreams! We are working hard every day to expand the network of available mentors.

Let your prospective mentor know how they can benefit and make a wise investment for their future. Contact me at info@lawprentice.com and I can help you find a mentor.

Benefits for Supervising Attorneys

If you’ve ever tried teaching someone else a topic you’re familiar in, you’ll see that it helps you understand and feel even more confident about the subject matter. The same concept applies to supervising attorneys that can brush up on their law topics and feel even more confident about serving their clients.

Learn and Grow: Attorneys will find the joy in mentoring someone new to the field of law and increase their confidence in their knowledge of the law. Watching someone learn and grow while under your wing, is one of the greatest feelings to experience.

Investment: After the supervising attorney has spent 4 years with their apprentice, they will have likely built a bond and in turn molded the perfect person to join your team! They will know the apprentice competency level, skillset and what it’s like to work with them.

Perspective: Having an apprentice under your wing can teach you how to convey your message in a different way. This improves conversation skills, empathy skills and ultimately gaining more meaningful and prospective clients.

Revolutionize the Legal World: Imagine telling your coworkers, admired colleagues, friends and family that you are going to be one of only 1,200 supervising attorneys that have taken part in the Law Apprenticeship over the last 20 years.

Although now a rarity in the path to becoming a lawyer, this was once the best and only way to become a lawyer. Now that times are much different, it’s time to go back to the roots and allow the field of law to increase diversity, understanding and passion for the field of law.

Doing Something Positive: Especially as a Lawyer, you can get caught up in the frustrations and conflicts and become burned out. Take the time to teach someone will make you feel good and remind you why you chose to be a lawyer in the first place.

What can you do about it today? — Connect and Commit

1. Stay connected with me at: info@lawprentice.com to get the inside scoop and updated information as we are building our Supervising Attorney and Judge Network.
2. Sell yourself as an investment! Not only will they get the help they need, you can commit to working there afterwards so they can feel confident in knowing they have secured a great return on their time investment.
3. Keep following up and utilize social media: Email, call, text, facebook, youtube, expand your network and let these lawyers know why you are the right fit for them.

Be Patient and don’t give up!

Develop a Path to Becoming a Lawyer

Make a Study Outline

Your Study outline will depend on which state you are looking to apprentice in.

While you should absolutely go to your supervising attorney for help in completing your study outline, check our helpful resources to see sample curriculums for each state.

Each state has their list of topics they want you to cover and you should fit that into your weekly study schedule.

Your study Outline may look something like this:

Email me at info@lawprentice.com for full study outlines for your state!

Building Community

One of the drawbacks of not being in law school is the lack of connection with other like-minded people studying the same things you are.

That is why we are dedicated to making it easier for aspiring apprentices to have a support network and a place where you can talk to other people that are walking the same underrated path as you.

Join our Association of Legal Apprentices at LawPrentice.com

Commit towards the Ultimate goal — Passing the Bar

Make a Weekly Schedule

Make no mistake, that whether you are working or not, this will be a big time Commitment! Having a weekly schedule can visually display what your commitments will look like.

Here’s what my Weekly Schedule Looks Like while working full time

Will I ever get time off?

That’s the beauty of this program! The structure will depend on the state, but they leave the general requirements of 18 hours a week so you can fit that into your schedule however you like and however works for you.

Have to take a weekend off? Prepare in advance and adjust your studying time during the week. You may have a pretty stressful week if you’re also working full time, but that weekend away will be all the more rewarding.

Support System — Prepare yourself and your loved ones

This program is no joke! Make sure that you let your friends and family know that you are going to embark on this journey and that you’ll especially need their support for the next 4 years.

Think about people in your life that can help you. They can help you by being there to talk when you feel overwhelmed or people that will make you forget all your stresses for a few hours.

Don’t forget about all the people in your life, but understand that this is the investment you are making in your future and Aunt Susie can’t call you 5 times a day anymore. You will need to set boundaries with yourself and your loved ones.

Take care of your health!

This will be one of THE most important things you can do in life and that you can do while in an intense study program. You would be surprised how much things like sleep, food, self care and exercise can make a difference during your day and for your long term health.

Learn about positive stress and how to implement that into your coping skills. Positive stress actually has positive benefits for your health and immune system unlike negative stress.

SMART Goals

Setting up daily, weekly, monthly and long term goals that you can achieve will make all the difference in the world. With long term study programs it can be hard to keep sight of the long term and why you decided to do this program in the first place.

Specific — Your header: What exactly do you hope to accomplish?

Measurable — How can you measure your progress — how much, how many, how long.

Achievable — Be realistic with yourself, what goal do you want to achieve and how you can acquire the skills to attain it or are there outstanding factors that would prevent you from doing this.

Relevant — These goals should align with your current and long term goals. If this goal doesn’t help you, then rethink why it is important and how it can benefit you.

Time Bound — Connect this with your current and long term goals. Set some daily, weekly, monthly milestones to make these a real part of your life and routine.

What to Do Next

If you’re wondering how to become a lawyer without going to law school, review the 5 steps to enroll in the Law Apprenticeship program: 1.Decide Whether Law Apprenticeship Is Right For You, 2. Take Advantage of Reading the Law, 3. Find a Mentor for your Law Apprenticeship, 4. Develop a Path to Becoming a Lawyer, 5. Commit towards the Ultimate goal — Passing the Bar.

I help aspiring lawyers become lawyers without going to law school. If you have any questions if you would like my help to become a lawyer, email me at info@lawprentice.com

You can also call or text me at 818–814–6240 or visit lawprentice.com

Start your path to accomplishing your Law Dreams today!