“Kim Kardashian Defends Her Choice To Study Law” is one of the most ridiculous and unexpected headlines of 2019. Of all the things I’d expect people to criticize Kim Kardashian over, educating herself is not one of them. But here we are, in these strange times where everything is potentially offensive and requires defending.
Last week, the reality television star announced that she has been studying law as an apprentice for approximately a year, and plans to sit for the California State Bar Exam in 2022. There was an immediate, overwhelmingly negative response to the news, with people suggesting that sex tapes, nude selfies, and beauty products are Kardashian’s forte, not the rigorous demands of practicing law.
Others assumed that the celebrity’s wealth and fame opened up a path for her to study and potentially practice law without going to law school, or even completing college. But, those assumptions are not accurate. Four states – California, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington – allow one to take the bar after apprenticing for a judge or lawyer for several years, instead of graduating from law school.
As part of her program, Kardashian will have to work a minimum of 18 hours per week for four years, take monthly exams, and additionally take “baby bar” exams, just to be eligible to take the California bar. This does not sound easier than the traditional route. It does, however, sound a lot cheaper and far more practical.
I went to a very expensive, top tier law school and have been an attorney for nearly 16 years. Believe me when I say: law school is a scam and congrats to Kim Kardashian for not falling for it!
In three years of study, there is exactly one class – a clinic I took during my final year – that has had any practical application to the work I do today. In addition, there was absolutely nothing about law school that prepared me for the bar exam. To pass that, I (like most law school graduates) had to purchase additional materials and/or take an intense prep course after graduating.
Also, like most law school graduates, I spent years paying of my student debt.
Why is a professional degree, with very little practical skill building as part of the education, so expensive? Why aren’t there widely available options to practice law that don’t require law school?
There definitely should be. Apprenticeships have a number of advantages over traditional law school. For example:
- There is no LSAT or law school application process, which can be costly,
time consuming , and many argue, biased along lines of race and class.
- An apprentice gains years of legal practice experience and skills prior to becoming an attorney, and, therefore, has less to learn on the job.
- Most enter the practice of law having accumulated a crushing amount of debt in student loans. There is no debt for apprentices.
- An apprenticeship allows one to study law in the same jurisdiction in which one plans to practice. Many law students attend school in a different community than where they plan to practice and have to take the bar.
- Apprenticeships give a clearer understanding of what it means/takes to be a lawyer and
stronger idea of what type of law one wishes to pursue than the traditional law school experience.
Far from offensive, Kim Kardashian’s choice to educate herself in a practical, direct way, that doesn’t feed into student loan industry that higher education has become, should be applauded.
This could be a trend worth setting.
