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New York Lawyers Formal educational requirements for lawyers include a 4

What Qualifications Do Lawyer Need?

To qualify for the bar examination in most States, an applicant usually
must earn a college degree and graduate from a law school accredited
by the American Bar Association (ABA) or the proper State
authorities. ABA accreditation signifies that the law
school—particularly its library and faculty—meets certain standards
developed to promote quality legal education.

ABA currently accredits 188 law schools; others are approved by
State authorities only. With certain exceptions, graduates of schools
not approved by the ABA are restricted to taking the bar examination
and practicing in the State or other jurisdiction in which the school is
located; most of these schools are in California. In 2002, eight States
accepted the study of law in a law office as qualification for taking the
bar examination; three jurisdictions—California, the District of
Columbia, and New Mexico—now accept the study of law by
correspondence. Several States require registration and approval of
students by the State Board of Law Examiners, either before the
students enter law school or during their early years of legal study.

Although there is no nationwide bar examination, 48 States, the
District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto
Rico, and the Virgin Islands require the 6-hour Multistate Bar
Examination (MBE) as part of the overall bar examination; the MBE
is not required in Louisiana and Washington. The MBE covers issues
of broad interest, and sometimes a locally prepared State bar
examination is given in addition to the MBE. The 3-hour Multistate
Essay Examination (MEE) is used as part of the bar examination in
several States. States vary in their use of MBE and MEE scores.

Many States have begun to require Multistate Performance Testing
(MPT) to test the practical skills of beginning lawyers. This program
has been well received, and many more States are expected to
require performance testing in the future. Requirements vary by State,
although the test usually is taken at the same time as the bar exam and
is a one-time requirement.

The required college and law school education usually takes 7 years
of full-time study after high school—4 years of undergraduate study,
followed by 3 years of law school. Law school applicants must have a
bachelor’s degree to qualify for admission. To meet the needs of
students who can attend only part time, a number of law schools have
night or part-time divisions, which usually require 4 years of study;
about 1 in 10 graduates from ABA-approved schools attended part
time.

Although there is no recommended “prelaw” major, prospective
lawyers should develop proficiency in writing and speaking, reading,
researching, analyzing, and thinking logically—skills needed to
succeed both in law school and in the profession. Regardless of
major, a multidisciplinary background is recommended.

Courses in English, foreign languages, public speaking, government,
philosophy, history, economics, mathematics, and computer science,
among others, are useful. Students interested in a particular aspect of
law may find related courses helpful. For example, prospective patent
lawyers need a strong background in engineering or science, and
future tax lawyers must have extensive knowledge of accounting.

Acceptance by most law schools depends on the applicant’s ability to
demonstrate an aptitude for the study of law, usually through good
undergraduate grades, the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), the
quality of the applicant’s undergraduate school, any prior work
experience, and, sometimes, a personal interview. However, law
schools vary in the weight they place on each of these and other
factors.

All law schools approved by the ABA, except those in Puerto Rico,
require applicants to take the LSAT. Nearly all law schools require
applicants to have certified transcripts sent to the Law School Data
Assembly Service, which then submits applicants’ LSAT scores and
their standardized records of college grades to the law schools of their
choice. Both this service and the LSAT are administered by the Law
School Admission Council. Competition for admission to many law
schools—especially the most prestigious ones—generally is intense,
with the number of applicants to most law schools greatly exceeding
the number that can be admitted.

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