Can Anyone Tell Me About Law School??
Q: I am a Senior in college and have decided that after I graduate I want to go to law school (in San Diego or Riverside area). I am hoping that someone can answer these questions: 1.Are you expected to have a high GPA (3.5 or above) to be admitted into many law school?) 2.Is it relatively easy to get a job making a decent salary after you pass the bar? 3. The CA Bar has approved law schools, accredited law schools, and unaccredited schools. What is the difference? Why would anyone go to an unaccredited one? 4. ARe there any correspondance type schools and are they worth it?
A: 1.Are you expected to have a high GPA (3.5 or above) to be admitted into many law school? No. Many or most law schools are geared toward the "gentlemen's 'C'" type student. The top law schools aren't but, for example, a teacher's college grad willing to work hard can expect to get in and through some law school. Each school trys to get the best students it can but there are a lot of law schools out there and every seat in the first year WILL be filled. You should take the LSAT (Law School Aptitude Test) ASAP and, of course, prepare youself with special classes or LSAT study books. 2.Is it relatively easy to get a job making a decent salary after you pass the bar? No guarantees there. You can ALWAYS get something. If you can shine your shoes, you can get a commission as a O-3 (captain in Army, Air Force, or USMC or lieutenant in the Navy.) If you can't get a job being a prosecutor in traffic court you might have to rent space and go out on your own or become the very junior partner of an established lawyer who is very lazy. The best and brightest, of course, get to be associates at a large firm and work 80 hour weeks. The "barely passed the bar on the third try" guys might end up calling on businesses looking for collections to handle. One reason that small town lawyers are usually "nice" people is that their bread and butter is routine stuff that is tossed their way by friendly judges, prosecutors, other lawyers and real estate agents. You rock the boat and you have lost a good portion of your income. 3. The CA Bar has approved law schools, accredited law schools, and unaccredited schools. What is the difference? Why would anyone go to an unaccredited one? To get a license to practice law in most states you have to graduate from a proper law school and then pass the bar. New or controversial law schools and very bad law schools might leave you in the condition where most states will not let you sit for the bar exam. The easy way to find out whether a particular school is approved for your state is to contact the state bar. IF they let you take the exam and if you pass you get a license then that's all the "accredation" you need. If the school can't qualify you to take the exam then it's no good. 4. ARe there any correspondance type schools and are they worth it? I don't think there is a correspondance law school that will qualify you to take a bar exam. NEVER take the word of the school. ASK the folks who issue the licenses. BTW: Virginia still permits