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Getting Into Law School - North America
 
© Copyright 2000, John Richardson, B.A., LL.B., J.D. All Rights Reserved.
Thanks for the opportunity to contribute to a web site dedicated to helping people access lawschool opportunities in North America. As a person who has both American and Canadian lawdegrees and is a member of the bars in the U.S. (Massachusetts and New York) and Canada(Ontario) I am uniquely qualified to write about both countries. Additional information may befound on my two websites:
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www.prep.com
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lawschoolbound.comand in my monthly "Law School Bound" email newsletter. Feel free to subscribe (it is free) byemailing me at: learn@prep.com  I am also the author of the following three books designed to assist law school applicants:
Mastering The LSAT - How To Prepare Effectively And Successfully
 ISBN: 0-9696290-3-6 - John Richardson, B.A., LL.B., J.D.;
Mastering The Personal Statement - The Complete Marketing Manual For Law-MBA-Med &GRAD Schools
ISBN: 0-9696290-4-4 - John Richardson, B.A., LL.B., J.D.;
Law School Bound - How To Get Into Law School And Become A Lawyer In Canada AndThe U.S.
John Richardson, B.A., LL.B., J.D.(Information about these books may be found at:www.prep.com/bokstore.html)In order to assist you, I will divide this article into the following 5 parts.
Part 1
- North America - A Common Law Tradition (Mostly)
Part 2
- Law School In Canada
Part 3
- Law School In the U.S.
Part 4
- Applying To Law School In Canada And The U.S.
Part 5
- Bar Admission In Canada
Part 6
- Bar Admission In The U.S.Those who just want tosee a chart showing how to become a lawyer  should just clickhere.
Part 1
- North America - A Common Law TraditionAs you are probably aware the United States is composed of fifty states. Canada is composed of ten provinces and three territories. With the exception of the province of Quebec in Canada andthe state of Louisiana in the U.S., the North American legal system is historically based on the
 
system of common law that originated in England. This means that in many respects, law schoolcurriculum in Canada and the U.S. is similar to law school curriculum in the U.K., Australia andNew Zealand. In Canada and the U.S. students normally enter law school after earning abachelors degree. This is not so in the U.K.
Part 2
- Law School In Canada - The Common Law ProvincesLinks to all of Canada's law schools may be found at mylawschoolbound.com site or the Law Services site at www.lsac.org.  Law school in Canada normally takes three years of full-time study. I say normally, because, it ispossible to attend law school on a part-time basis. Part-time students would earn their law degreein five to six years.During the first year of law school students take a prescribed set of courses. There are slightvariations among the individual law schools, but in most cases the courses include most of thefollowing: contracts, property, torts, criminal, public/administrative/constitutional law and civilprocedure. In second and third year students have tremendous flexibility in choosing courses.Virtually all schools have a requirement of a "moot court" and a "research paper."Upon completion of the three year law school program (at the common law schools), students areawarded the degree of LL.B. (Bachelor Of Laws)(The University of Toronto has recently begun to offer its graduating students the option of receiving a J.D. (Juris Doctor) degree instead of the traditional LL.B. degree.
Part 3
- Law School In The U.S.Links to all U.S. ABA (American Bar Association) approved law schools may be found on mylawschoolbound.com site or the Law Services site at www.lsac.org.  Pay Close Attention!! It is important that you graduate from an "ABA approved" school. Onlygraduates of ABA approved law schools have the right to sit the bar exam in ANY U.S. state!As is the case in Canada, law school in the U.S. is a three year academic program which isundertaken after the completion of a bachelors degree. There are many law schools in the U.S.and it is possible to attend law school part-time and in the evenings.As is the case in Canada some courses are required and some are optional. The curriculum infirst year law school is almost identical to the first year curriculum in Canadian law schools.The law degree you will earn from a U.S. law school is called a J.D. degree (which stands for Juris Doctor).
Part 4
- Applying To Law School In The U.S. And CanadaIn general you must apply individually to North American law schools. The exception is theCanadian province of Ontario which uses a common application form for all six of its schools.Sources of information about law schools -lawschoolbound.com 
Some Frequently Asked Questions:
 
 
Q.
What law schools exist in North America?
A.
All law schools have web sites. A great collection of links to all the North American law schoolsmay be found at the Law Services site atwww.LSAC.org(or of courselawschoolbound.com).
Q.
How much does law school cost?
A.
It varies tremendously. Furthermore, some schools have different tuition fees for out of state/province students.
Q.
What are the deadlines for applying?
A.
Different schools have different deadlines. But, I advise you to try to have your "application file"complete no later than the November 1 prior to the September you wish to begin law school.
Q.
You mention an "application file." What is it and what does it consist of?
A.
The application file consists of the:- application form- transcript of grades- LSAT score- LSAT writing sample- Letters of reference- Personal Statement
Q.
That sounds like a lot of information. How much work is required to complete the file?
A.
Lots of work. I recommend that you start as early as possible. You will want to constructdifferent personal statements for different schools in order to tailor your application to therequirements of different schools.
Q.
What is this "LSAT" thing?
A.
"LSAT" stands for Law School Admission Test. It is required by almost all North American lawschools. It is a standardized test - meaning that all applicants answer the same questions. Thereis no passing or failing score. Each school is free to decide what score will satisfy its admissionrequirements.
Q.
How can I sign up for the LSAT?
A.
The easiest way is to visit the Law Services site atwww.LSAC.org.The site also provides lots of good information and has a free sample lsat for you to download. I suggest you visit it.
Q.
When should I take the LSAT?
A.
My recommendation is that you take the LSAT the first June that you are free. In any case, youshould take the LSAT no later than the June prior to your application deadline. Taking the LSAT inJune will ensure that you:- take the LSAT at a time that you are free from other academic commitments; and- have the opportunity to retake the LSAT (should that be necessary).FYI: Many law schools will average multiple test scores.
Q.
How should I prepare?
A.
That is one of the things that we do. For information about our books and courses, visitwww.prep.com 
Q.
I can't take a course. What books should I use?
A.
In addition to our "Mastering The LSAT" book, it is essential that you have access to as manyactual LSAT exams as possible. Actual LSAT exams may be ordered from the Law Services siteat:www.LSAC.org 
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reply01 / 07 / 2010
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