will succeed

Pre-Law Advice at the College of Charleston

VI. Will You Succeed?

Suppose that you are accepted and finish law school. You will be interested in starting your legal career. Recruiters visit the law schools and begin their searches with the top ten percent of students during the third year of law school. Corporations and large law firms often start with the national schools. However, those who graduate at the top of their classes in any accredited law school will be considered for such jobs. If you have the proper balance of intelligence, patience, endurance, and stamina, the recruiters will find you.

Somewhat ironically, placement will come first, the bar exam second. But you must also pass the bar exam. There are some sad tales of students who were placed in good jobs only to fail the bar exam and find themselves unemployed. South Carolina's bar exam is administered twice a year, usually in July and February. It is a three day exam. The Multi-State Bar Exam (MBE), a standardized test taken by virtually every law school graduate in the nation, takes one day. The other two days cover state law. The current South Carolina bar pass rate is 74%; this means that of those taking the exam, 74% will pass on the first try and be licensed to practice in the state. If you plan on staying in South Carolina, you may be at a slight advantage if you attend USC, because attending USC will give you a slight advantage in passing the bar. But if you are above all interested in a special field of law, choose a school that features that field. [You may find, however, that "the best laid plans...go astray," and end up practicing in a completely different field.] Many schools offer advanced law degrees (LLM) in specialized areas.

Although starting salaries vary from region to region and year to year, you may be interested in knowing that the median starting salaries, full-time employees in Atlanta as of February, 2000 were as follows: private practice: $75,000; business and industry: $52,500; government: $40,714. Regardless of region, the median full-time salaries for law related jobs were as follows: academic: $40,000; business: $52,000; government: $38,000; private practice: $70,000; public interest: $32,000. Other employment data are available in the Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools, published annually and available for purchase when you apply to take the LSAT. See also http://www.lsac.org.

No school can assure success for its graduates. Suppose you still want to pursue a career in law but have been scared off or denied admission to law school? Other post-graduate law-related courses of study are available. Many schools, including some in the Southeast, offer advanced degrees (usually the M.A.) in Criminal Justice. Yet another possibility is para-legal training, in which students are trained intensively to become lawyers' assistants. The National Center for Para-Legal Training is located in Atlanta. Its admissions officer makes regular visits to the College of Charleston. Trident Tech also has a two-year para-legal program. Another option is a Judicial Administration program, which combines work in law with advanced degree in public administration. There are brochures in the usual locations which provide further information about such programs.

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