Feel free to call me crazy.

[gridlore]

I may have, at 43, finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up.

A lawyer.

No idea what kind of law I'd practice (or who would even hire a rookie shyster north of fifty) but I've been reading some materials related to Brown v. Board of Education and realize that I love the feel of the law. It's a lot like debate, creating a logical argument backed up by evidence, and setting it against your opponent's arguments and evidence. I like the weight of precedent, the authority of the Constitution, and the idea of the body of law changing and growing with society.

I will also freely admit that a career that doesn't involve 11 hour days spent in a truck is also appealing at this juncture in my life. And I've always wanted a snazzy briefcase.

No idea how to even start. I suppose digging out Kiri's ACT and SAT prep stuff to start getting ready to take those for the first time in my life would be a wise move.

This may just be my insomnia talking, but yeah. The subject has always fascinated me.

Comments

[drewkitty.livejournal.com]

As promised:

http://calbar.ca.gov/state/calbar/calbar_generic.jsp?cid=10581&id=24442

1) Complete two years of undergraduate college work or pass certain equivalency tests.

2) Graduate from a State Bar-accredited or American Bar Association-approved law school, complete four years of study at an unaccredited or correspondence law school, spend four years studying law in a law office/judge’s chambers program, or complete a study program that combines these various methods.

You may have to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) nearly a year before starting law school. For more information on taking the LSAT and applying to law schools, visit the LSAC Web site at www.lsac.org.

In California, unlike in many other states, you need not study law at an accredited law school in order to take the bar examination. If you decide to study law at an unaccredited or correspondence law school, however, you will have to take and pass the First-Year Law Students’ Examination.

You can meet California’s legal education requirements by spending at least four years studying law under the personal supervision of a California judge of record or a California attorney in his or her law office. (The attorney must be an active member of the State Bar of California who has been in practice for the last five years or longer.) For more detailed information, visit the State Bar’s Web site at www.calbar.ca.gov and click on Admissions.

3) Register with the State Bar within 90 days of beginning your law studies.

4) Pass the First-Year Law Students’ Examination. Law students who successfully complete their first year at certain law schools are generally exempt from this requirement.

5) Receive a positive “moral character” determination. It is a four-to-six-month inquiry into the would-be attorney’s background and moral character. To practice law in California, an applicant must receive a positive moral character determination.

6) Pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination.
It is a national ethics examination that takes place three times a year. Candidates seeking to practice law in California must pass it with a scaled score of at least 86 out of a possible 150.

7) Pass the California Bar Examination. The three-day test--administered twice a year--consists of six essay questions, two performance tests and the Multistate Bar Examination (a national 200-question, multiple-choice test on constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, evidence, real property and torts).

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

Very good information, thanks!