If you are interested in entering the Law Office Study Program, there are many factors to consider. If you think that you are ready for a rigorous course of work and to eventually take the bar exam, you need to make sure that you have the right support system behind you. This early stage of planning can make or break your chance to become a practicing attorney.
Since you will not be attending law school, you will be following from the example. Much of your knowledge will come directly from the law and case study text, but much of the remainder will be studying under and with someone actually doing the job. In the state of California, you have the option of studying under an attorney or a judge. An attorney needs to have been practicing for five years to be eligible to become a sponsor.
You’re no longer just studying theory, and hypothetical situations like you would be doing in law school. Here you can see much of what happens every day in a law office or in a courtroom itself. You can see how the law is actually practiced and challenged right before your eyes.
When you are looking for someone to sponsor you, you must prove yourself a worthwhile applicant. This person will be issuing a report to the state bar several times a year checking on your progress and is linking their good name with yours. You need to prove that you are a good candidate that will be worth four years of understudy and that you will be a competent and moral attorney once the process is over.
If you have proven yourself to a judge or currently practicing attorney, you will be able to determine if they are a good fit for you. You will be studying in their chambers or office for years. Make sure that their field of law is one that you will be practicing and worth the effort. Make sure that there are no personality clashes or moral lapses.
Such a person could be your partner one day. Or you could be arguing a case in front of them. Cultivate a relationship that will make you both better professionals when the program is done.