What Do I Have to Do to Be a Lawyer?

Nevertheless, the question, and answers, come up often enough to bring tens of thousands of new lawyers into the profession every year- increasing the number of lawyers by 50% since this author entered the field sixteen years ago. At the same time, the practice of law is going through significant change. Some of the trends at work include training programs for beginning attorneys; mandatory continuing education requirements; the increase of paralegals and legal technicians; the impact of technology on the legal workplace; the growing use of alternatives to courtroom trials; and increasing competition in the legal marketplace.

In spite of these changes, the number of lawyers, and law students, continues to grow. It's not that surprising, really- the study and practice of law has many diverse attractions. It provides rigorous intellectual training, the challenge and drama of the courtroom, and the expertise and knowledge necessary to understand and use the laws and regulations of a complex society. And these skills don't obligate one to practice law; they are equally effective in the hands of corporate CEOs and elected legislators, two fields where lawyers are well-represented.

The law is also a helping profession. A lawyer can assist a family in the adoption of a child, the purchase or sale of a home or business, the preparation of an estate plan to care for young children or distribute property to one's loved ones, or the startup or operation of a charitable organization. Lawyers can also help with the more negative realities of life, including prosecuting or defending a divorce action, a lawsuit seeking damages, or defending a criminal charge.

The practice of law is also not a good way to get rich (try computer science or med school). Despite the annual reports of the starting salaries paid by the top New York law firms to new associates (about $85,000/year to work in an intellectual sweatshop), most new lawyers opened their own office in 1996, taking their chances on self-employment, with varying results. The median income of all Michigan lawyers is reported to be approximately $70,000 a year.

For those still interested, you can obtain a license to practice law in Michigan if you are a resident of the United States and can prove to the satisfaction of the board of law examiners that you have good moral character and are 18 years of age or older. You must also have the required general education, learning in the law, and fitness and ability to enable you to practice law in the courts of record of this state, and must intend to practice or teach law in this state.

The "general education requirement" is two years of college (60 semester hours), although it's difficult to be accepted into law school with less than a four-year degree. The required legal education can be shown by graduation from an accredited law school in the United States.

Finally, every lawyer-wannabe must pass the final hurdle: the Bar exam. Given over two days twice a year (it's offered in Lansing once each February and July), it consists of two parts- multiple choice, and essays. The first day is spent with the 200 multiple choice questions of the Multi-State exam, which test one's basic legal knowledge: property law, Constitutional law, the law of contracts, criminal law, civil procedure, and torts. Scoring a high enough grade on the Multi-State can mean passing the bar, regardless of your performance on the essay exam.

The Multi-State exam, as its name implies, can also be used to obtain a license to practice law in other states. Michigan will recognize a Multi-State test score from another state, if that other state practices reciprocity and recognizes the same score from a Michigan exam.

The essay portion of the Bar exam, on day two, consists of 7 story problems, to which essay answers are required. The exam tests the student's ability to recognize the legal issues, recite the applicable law, and apply it to the facts, as well as answer the questions clearly and concisely. Contrary to popular belief, Latin and legalese do not provide extra credit.

Most of those who attempt the Bar Exam pass on the first try. Law schools in the State of Michigan keep track of the percentage of their graduates who pass on the first attempt (for bragging rights, of course), and the percentages of successful test-takers generally range from 60% to 90%. While this may seem to be a pretty high failure rate, those who miss the passing mark may try again.

For a comparison, look to Japan. To become an attorney there, students must first pass one of the toughest college entrance examinations in the country. They then take four years of college before taking the Japanese Bar Exam. In 1993 just 712 of 20,848 applicants, or 3.42 percent, passed the exam. Those who pass must then complete two years of practical training at the Legal Research and Training Institute before joining the Japan Federation of Bar Associations.

(c) 1997 by Jon A. Van Allsburg, an attorney with the Holland, Michigan law firm of Coupe & Van Allsburg, P.C.

Past articles: