Can I practice law if I don't go to an accredited law school?

Question

I ask because I am afraid my chances for an accredited law school are slim :(

Answer 1

Geez. Everyone's answer above me is WRONG.

Let me run through the steps to being a lawyer, then I'll go into more detail.

First, you get an undergrad degree. A bachelors degree. Law schools don't care what it is. They're looking primarily at your GPA and LSAT. The more competitive ones all have applicants with top notch grades/scores so the letters of rec, essays, etc become more important.

Then, you go to law school.

After law school, you still need to pass the bar exam of the state you want to practice in.

Let's use CA as an example. To take the Bar, they want you to graduate from an ABA approved law school. However, if you don't, it just means you have to take what's referred to as the "baby bar". It's known as the First Year Law Student's exam. It's just another hoop you have to jump through.

If you go to an ABA approved school, you don't have to take that extra test. But, even if you don't, it's not the end of the world. You can still become a practicing lawyer. Just have to take an extra test is all.

In NY, it's a little more difficult. You can take their bar exam, but you'll have to practice for a few years in another state. So, go to CA, pass their bar, practice for a few years, then go sit for the NY one. Yeah, a long way to go, but still possible.

All this leads to the question: if your stats are that bad, do you really want to practice law? Law isn't a guarantee for a great income. It's a lot of work. Many jobs are pretty low paying. Even the big law firms, while giving high salaries, work their associates like dogs so that if you break it down by hour, they don't make all that much.

Answer 2

You will have to check with your state board of law examiners -- this is the agency of the court system that administers the bar exam.

In some states, but not all, people are allowed to take the bar exam if they graduate from a law school in that state even if it is not accredited by the American Bar Association. If yours is one of these states, the board of law examiners will be able to tell you exactly which schools qualify.

In other states, however, you can only take the bar exam if you graduate from an ABA-accredited law school.

If you're worried about your grades or LSAT score, another option would be to work for a few years and build up some professonal experience. Law school admissions boards will take that into consideration and it might improve your chances, especially if you apply for admission to the night program. Not all law schools offer evening classes, but quite a few do. I had decent but not spectacular grades and LSATs and I attended law school at night because I wanted to keep my job.

Check first with the state board of law examiners, and then perhaps give a call to the law school admissions office. Also, if you think you might attend in the fall, file your FAFSA right away. Good luck!

UPDATE: Contrary to what the person below me wrote, as you can see from the chart listed under "Sources," below, there are a number of states that will allow someone who graduated from a non-ABA-accredited law school to take the bar exam and practice in that state.

Answer 3

Yes. After all, Ivy league schools are not accredited. Non-accredited does not mean bad. It just means they have different standards than the norm.

You need to be able to pass the bar exam.

Answer 4

specialists of permitted regulation colleges: - you're able to sit the bar and not using a difficulty - extra effective danger of employment - extra effective preparation Unaccredited regulation colleges will be a lot less intense priced yet you they are nonetheless a waste of money and no self-respecting man or woman might want to ever attend one.

Answer 5

you must pass a bar exam.

they typically don't let you take it without going to an accredited law school.

but check around!

Answer 6

NO Not by law you can't

End of subject