Lincoln Lawyer
There are lawyers who may not get the respect they deserve, who have taken advantage of the law-office study program to become a legal professional, even though this is how lawyers were trained. This is not only a study program; the national trends raise the bar and particularly for reading the law there is specific expectations that must be adhered. In almost every state the lawyers are regulated by the Supreme Court, rather than an executive branch of the state government like other professions. This places the state’s attorneys in a precarious position.
States like California and Vermont have the self-made attorney benefits of the law-office study program, but it is believed by state regulators that this is not a benefit that is likely to be taken advantage of in all states or catch on, even by those looking for a second career. Other states tend to believe that standardized training is the better choice for the legal professional.
In states that permit the individual to train in the law study programs do not seem to have any downturn in this type of program where it is not taken advantage of by people who want to train as an attorney. One of the reasons that this type of program training still exists, according to some Board of Bar Examiners is simply a matter of economic diversity, even though they feel that requiring law school training could be a appealing thought.
They realize in the end that for some individuals who want to practice law, it would not be possible financially for them to attend law school and that they work hard to accomplish their goal. This means for now and the near future law office training will remain a constant in the states that permit it. Without the alternative training for lawyers, many people who make exceptional attorneys would never be able to practice law without having this kind of advantage for training.
This is not something that is taken lightly or that every person who attempts to become an attorney without attending a formal law school will manage, but for those who do they will be joining the ranks of some very distinguished American attorneys, including:
- Governor of Virginia, Patrick Henry (1736-1799)
- First chief justice of the Supreme Court, John Jay (1745-1829)
- Chief justice of the Supreme Court, John Marshall (1755-1835)
- Secretary of State, Daniel Webster (1782-1852)
- President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
- Illinois representative and senator Stephen A. Douglas (1813-1861)
- Famous defense attorney Clarence Darrow (1857-1938)
- Justice of the Supreme Court Benjamin N. Cardozo (1870-1938)
- Governor and U.S. senator of South Carolina, Strom Thurmond (1902-2003)
- California Personal Injury Attorney, Michael Ehline (1969-Current)
Anyone who is working their way through this type of program to train as a lawyer when accomplishing their goal will stand in a class of men who helped shape America and the legal system.