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I do not plan on practicing law in California—What opportunities are
available in my state? After you pass the California Bar there are several
opportunities for you. Some states, such as Wisconsin, will allow you to
sit for their bar if you have successfully passed the bar in another state,
even though you did not graduate from an ABA accredited school. To find
out specific bar admission rules for your state you may check the following
Web site:
http://www.ncbex.org/bar-admissions/offices/
There are however, some states which do not allow graduates from non-ABA
accredited schools to sit for the bar. For those in that position, there
are several options, depending on the area of law that God has called you
to.
LLM Degree from an ABA Accredited School
After graduating with a JD degree you may go on to further your education
with an LLM degree (Master of Laws) from an ABA accredited school. Some
of the states that do not allow you to sit for their bar with a non-ABA
accredited JD will allow you to take their bar exam upon completion of an
LLM degree from an ABA school, even though your JD degree is from a non-ABA
accredited school. At least one of our graduates has been accepted as an
attorney applicant into Regent University's LLM program. But, you should
check the specific requirements of your state bar.
Reciprocity
Reciprocity is not an immediate option for Oak Brook College graduates,
but it is something that can be a long-term consideration or goal. Although
the regulations vary from state-to-state, some states will allow you to
sit for their bar as a lawyer from a non-ABA accredited school once you
have practiced law in another state for a particular amount of time. The
time requirement ranges anywhere from 5-10 years depending on the state.
Government Policy/Politics
A large percentage of the students who are enrolled in Oak Brook College
have been called to this area, which of course does not require that you
graduate from an ABA accredited school nor does it even require a JD degree.
An education in law and government such as one would receive through the
Oak Brook College is a definite asset to anyone interested in being successful
and effective in this area.
Public Interest Organizations
Several of the Oak Brook College graduates and students are working for
public interest organizations. They are not technically “practicing
law” and thus, are not required to be licensed in the state where the
organization is located.
Federal Courts
After passing the California bar, one may be able to practice law at the
federal level in their home state. There is a different admission process
for the Federal court. Some states require that you be admitted in the state
in which the Federal district court is located, while others will allow
you to be admitted as long as you have admittance to the bar of another
state. For some practice areas, such as bankruptcy, this works very well
as bankruptcy is done in federal court.
Is pro hac vice an option? Pro hac vice is usually reserved
for attorneys who need to be admitted for one case, or a couple of cases.
If an attorney were to try to use it more often, it is very possible that
the application for admission pro hac vice would be denied. However,
it is possible to work for an attorney in a paralegal type position even
when you are not admitted to the state bar.
Are there any unspoken limitations to getting one's JD through a non-ABA school?
Definitely. For better or worse, most legal employers look at the law
school you went to as a primary factor in hiring. This problem diminishes
as you get away from the large firms in big cities. The problem is perception
as much as anything. It is important to remember that you cannot count on
your school to get you a job; rather, you must rely on your own diligence
and creativity.
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