Kim Kardashain West drew attention for her prison reform advocacy, but now she’s reportedly taking her interest in the law a step further. According to a new article in Vogue, she is taking steps to become an attorney … without going to law school.
While a non-traditional approach, it’s not unheard of. California is one of several states that allow people to sit for the bar exam without first going to law school. Instead, one can work in a law office for a number of years.
Rule 4.26 of the California Bar’s Admissions and Educational Standards says that if a person does not graduate from an accredited law school, they can still take the California Bar Exam if they “studied law diligently and in good faith for at least four years in a law school registered with the Committee; in a law office; in a judge’s chambers; or by some combination of these methods[.]”
Rule 4.29 goes into how the law office option works. It says:
(A) A person who intends to comply with the legal education requirements of these rules by study in a law office or judge’s chambers must
(1) submit the required form with the fee set forth in the Schedule of Charges and Deadlines within thirty days of beginning study;
(2) have studied law in a law office or judge’s chambers during regular business hours for at least eighteen hours each week for a minimum of forty-eight weeks to receive credit for one year of study or for at least eighteen hours a week for a minimum of twenty-four weeks to receive credit for one-half year of study(B) The attorney or judge with whom the applicant is studying must
(1) be admitted to the active practice of law in California and be in good standing for a minimum of five years;
(2) provide the Committee within thirty days of the applicant’s beginning study an outline of a proposed course of instruction that he or she will personally supervise;
(3) personally supervise the applicant at least five hours a week;
(4) examine the applicant at least once a month on study completed the previous month;
(5) report to the Committee every six months the number of hours the applicant studied each week during business hours in the law office or chambers; the number of hours devoted to supervision; and specific information on the books and other materials studied, such as chapter names, page numbers, and the like; and
(6) not personally supervise more than two applicants simultaneously
To that end, Kardashian West is currently working as an apprentice at a San Francisco law firm, and plans to take the bar in 2022.
She commented on the various subjects she’s studying right now, which are typically covered by first year law school courses.
“To me, torts is the most confusing, contracts the most boring, and crim law I can do in my sleep,” she said. “Took my first test, I got a 100. Super easy for me. The reading is what really gets me. It’s so time-consuming. The concepts I grasp in two seconds.”
According to Vogue, Kardashian West will sit for what’s known as the “baby bar” this summer, after her first year of study. If she does well enough on that, she’ll be approved to continue for the next three years.
If she succeeds in this endeavor, she’d be following in the footsteps of her father, Robert Kardashian Sr., who was known for being part of O.J. Simpson‘s “dream team” of defense attorneys.
[Image via Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images]
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