The Whitehouse

Pre-Law

Studying and Practicing Law

 

How Is Legal Education Structured?
Legal education consists of a three year course of full-time study. Although the approach to the study of law varies somewhat from school to school, the Socratic method of instruction has been widely adopted in law schools.

This method, used extensively in first year courses, involves the presentation of course material through a series of appellate decisions presented in casebooks. Students are assigned to read these cases and are called upon in class to summarize an assigned case. The instructor will ask the student questions about the case or about a hypothetical set of facts similar to but not identical to those of the case.

By bringing out the arguments for or against particular legal rules, students develop the ability to think for themselves. By doing so, each student learns to focus upon the acts of the dispute and the principle of law involved in the case.

The method of instruction in second-year and third-year courses is now diverse. Both the Socratic method and the lecture method may be employed. Also, many law schools now have clinical programs which offer students direct experience in actual legal practice.

Legal education also entails certain curriculum requirements. The curriculum in the first year of law school is usually demanding and mandatory. Required first-year subjects often are contracts, torts, property, civil procedure, constitutional law, criminal law, and legal research and writing. Second- and third-year students are able to choose from a much broader range of courses, many of them elective.

What Are The Requirements To Practice Law?
After graduating from law school, an individual must gain admission to the bar of the state in which she or he intends to practice. The usual requirements for admission are possession of good moral character, possession of a law degree from an American Bar Association-approved law school, and successful completion of a written examination given by the state's Board of Law Examiners. Applicants intending to practice in Indiana should be aware that the Indiana Supreme Court has imposed certain course requirements that must be met before a law school graduate will be permitted to sit for the Indiana Bar Examination.

The bar examination in most states consists of several parts. One part is the Multistate Bar Examination, a multiple choice, day-long test that covers subjects applicable in all states. A second part is a day-long essay examination requiring application of legal principles to a series of hypothetical situations. Some states have added a third part to the examination which deals with professional responsibility (legal ethics) issues. Applicants intending to practice in Indiana should be aware The Indiana Bar Examination consists of an all-essay format. Bar examinations are usually given twice per year to prospective applicants. Also remember that admission to practice law in one state does not automatically entitle a lawyer to practice in another state.

Additional information about state bar exams can be obtained from the Board of Law Examiners located in each state's capital city.