How to Learn Bankruptcy Laws

Learning bankruptcy law can take about four years.

To learn bankruptcy law, a person needs to first learn more common forms of law. To learn these laws a person needs to attend the law school or his choice. By attending law school, the student will learn the law and the skills needed to practice law.

Instructions

1. Earn a bachelor's degree. A person needs to earn a four-year degree from an accredited college or university to apply to law school.

2. Take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). A person must take the LSAT and make an acceptable score to be considered as a student at any law school.

3. Fill out an application. The law school application process is a long and sometimes daunting one. Application materials may include the application itself, college transcripts, personal statement, letters of recommendation from professors and LSAT scores.

4. Become a first-year law student (1L). A person must get through the first year of law school before taking any elective courses. The 1L year is the hardest for the law student. The student will learn how to think and study in ways they never have before. They will learn how to read and brief cases and write legal briefs and memorandums. The first-year curriculum consists of classes in property, legal research and writing, civil procedure, contracts, criminal law, torts and constitutional law. There is only one examination given per class that tests the student's knowledge of the entire semester's lessons. It is important that a student prepare throughout the semester, so that when the grades come out weeks or maybe a month later, he does not find himself dismissed.

5. Become a second-year law student (2L). A 2L may select his own classes, and during the 2L year, the student should get other required classes out of the way. These classes may be evidence, criminal procedure, a legal skills course, and legal research and writing III.

6. Select electives. Once the above classes have been covered, the student can select the elective bankruptcy law. In this class, the student will study the federal bankruptcy code and study bankruptcy case law.

7. Be an intern or extern. If there are any internships or externships through the student's school with the federal bankruptcy court, the student should apply for these positions. The student will gain class credit and be able to apply legal principles learned in bankruptcy class to his position as an intern or extern. He will likely work under the guidance of a judicial law clerk or judicial staff attorney. These people take direct orders from the judge, so in essence, the student would be helping the judge out in the judge's chambers.

8. Sign up for a clinic. Some schools offer clinical classes in bankruptcy. In these classes, the students represent debtors who fall below the poverty line. The student acts as the debtor's bankruptcy attorney under the supervision of his professor, who would be a licensed attorney. This is an effective way to gain practical experience with bankruptcy laws.

Tips & Warnings

• If your law school does not offer internships or externships with bankruptcy judges or a clinical course in bankruptcy, you should be able to gain some experience by working for a bankruptcy attorney.

• Bankruptcy is a difficult course, and this could be reflected in your grade.

References

• Princeton Review: Law School Application Overview
• University of Arkansas School of Law: J.D. Courses