How to Become a Lawyer Without Attending High School

The scales of justice represent the legal profession.

It takes a great deal of education to become a lawyer. There is no requirement, however, for a person to have attended high school before practicing law. In every jurisdiction you must have graduated from a law school in order to become a lawyer. In order to get into law school, you must have received a Bachelor's degree. You do not have to attend high school in order to get into college. However, you must obtain a GED.

Instructions

1. Take and pass the GED test. The General Educational Development, or GED, test is a high school equivalency exam administered by each state. You can only take the GED at an authorized testing site, so contact your local GED testing site to schedule an examination.

2. Obtain a bachelor's degree. After you have received your GED, take the necessary steps to enroll in a four-year bachelor's degree program, such as taking college entrance exams, without attending high school. There is no required educational discipline required to get in to law school, but you must have a bachelor's degree.

3. Graduate from law school. Most jurisdictions require you to attend an American Bar Association accredited law school. Law school will take you three to four years depending on whether you are enrolled in a full-time or part-time program.

4. Take the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam, or MPRE. This is a national exam that tests law students' knowledge of the American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Each jurisdiction has its own passing standards.

5. Pass your jurisdiction's bar exam. The bar exam is traditionally a two- to three-day exam. One day of the exam is devoted to the Multistate Bar Exam, a 200-question multiple choice test on common law. The other day, or days, consist of essay exams testing principles of law specific to the jurisdiction in which you take the exam, generally accepted legal principles, and your ability to draft a legal document.

References

• American Council on Education
• Law School Admission Council

Resources

• American Council on Education: Locate a GED Testing Center
• National Conference of Bar Examiners: MPRE
• National Conference of Bar Examiners: MBE
• American Bar Association: ABA Approved Law Schools