Business Law 101 / MAKING OF A LAWYER

By Albert L Kelley Esq.

Throughout this column we discussed numerous laws and legal principles. But now I want to talk about the lawyers themselves.

Every lawyer has their own reason for going to law school. For some it’s to carry on a family tradition; for some it’s the fight for justice; for some it’s to help others; for some it is to make money. Many of those who go to law school have no intention of actually practicing law. In my law school class, one student planned on entering the hospitality business and felt a law school education could benefit her in that field. Another classmate attended just for the intellectual stimulation, and after graduation opened a magic shop. A law degree can provide a foundation for many other careers.

No matter their motivation, all Florida lawyers must attend an accredited law school (only five states allow lawyers to take the bar exam without attending law school). The only exception to this is for lawyers who have practiced in another state for at least 10 years and wish to relocate to Florida. In order to get to law school, the prospective student must have at least a bachelor degree from an accredited university. While some schools offer a prelaw program, there is no requirement that the bachelor degree be in any specific field. The prospective student also must take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). This is a half day long test that evaluates logical reasoning, reading comprehension, and analytical reasoning. The test also contains two ungraded sections: an experimental section where they developed new test questions and a writing sample that, while ungraded, is sent to every law school the student applies to. The prospective student then must apply to one of the over 200 accredited law schools in the United States, 12 of which are located in Florida. Acceptance to these law schools is very selective. The median Grade Point Average (GPA) of a student accepted to a Florida law school is 3.2 out of 4.0 (3.44 for the top three law schools-University of Florida, Florida State University, University of Miami), and the average LSAT score is 151 out of 180 (157 for the top three schools). Only 54% of applicants to a Florida law school will be accepted (53% for the top three schools).

Students entering law school are termed “1L” (subsequent years are 2L and 3L respectively). The curriculum for the students is fairly rigid in the first year. All 1L students are generally required to study torts, criminal law and procedure, civil procedure, constitutional law, real property, and legal research and writing. The second and third years of law school are generally elective classes however, most students will at some point study family law, taxes, business and evidence. Unlike most high school and college programs where numerous tests are given, most law school classes are graded on a single test. These final exams can last anywhere from 1 to 4 hours (one professor in my college give a six hour exam). Your grade on this final exam will be your grade for the course. Competition in the schools is very high as the most lucrative jobs are generally offered to the top 10 to 20%.

After successfully graduating from three years of law school, the student receives a juris doctorate degree but they still cannot practice law in Florida. To do that, they must pass the Florida Bar Exam. We will discuss that process next week.

Al Kelley is a Florida business law attorney located in Key West and previously taught business law, personnel law and labor law at St. Leo University. He is also the author of “Basics of Business Law” “Basics of Florida’s Small Claims Court” and “Basics of Florida’s Landlord-Tenant Law” (Absolutely Amazing e-Books). This article is being offered as a public service and is not intended to provide specific legal advice. If you have any questions about legal issues, you should confer with a licensed Florida attorney.

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