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Law school and bar exam in different states?

If I want to take the Bar exam in CA should I go to Law School in CA?

  • I'm still waiting to hear back from a few law schools so I may have an easy decision if I get into a top 20 school in CA. Here is the dilemma though: Of the schools I have gotten into my top two choices are either UC Hastings (#42 Law School) or the University of Minnesota (#20 Law School). It is really hard to turn down a top 20 school and I've heard some good things about Minneapolis. However i've been a California kid my entire life and don't know if i'll be able to handle the freezing Minnesota winters. Also, I am certain that I want to take the Bar and practice law in CA. Does anyone know how important it is to go to a law school in the state one wishes to practice in? Or has anyone been in a similar situation and has any advice? Anything is helpful. Thanks everyone!

  • Answer:

    Those aren't really schools with a national reputation, so if you're 100% sure you want to practice in California you're better off at a California school. It has nothing really to do with the bar exam (I expect schools on that level do not prepare you for one specific bar exam) but you'll need the school's reputation and contacts to get a job. California in particular is a very closed legal market. If you went to high school/college there employers will still take you seriously, but it would be better to also have a law degree from a California school. There is no practical difference between a school ranked #20 and a school ranked #42, although if you're lucky you may get some financial help from Hastings.

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For the most part, you don't study state law at your law school. If you do, it's really only because your professor will be using the local laws as an example. You'll also learn the laws of other states as they come up in certain legal issues. Another side benefit to attending a law school in the state where you intend to practice is legal clinics. In your clinic, you'll probably get exposure to that state's laws. Otherwise, no, there's no need to take the bar in the same state as your law school. Law school mostly teaches legal concepts that are applicable everywhere. You study for the bar exam separately outside law school. The real issue at stake is employment. Unless you can attend a law school with a national reach, like the top-14 schools, you'll have a very hard time ever getting back to California. As the other poster said, California is an insular market, mostly because the state has numerous law schools, many of which are excellent, and doesn't need to import graduates from outside. Although Minnesota is a top 20, that really doesn't mean anything except the personal prestige you feel breaking into a top-20 school. In terms of employment, Minnesota feeds the overwhelming majority of its own graduates to the Minnesota market and then to a lesser degree other parts of the Midwest, like Illinois. If the idea of working in the Midwest for a number of years bothers you, don't go to Minnesota. You'd be better off going to a California law school. While UC Hastings has some mediocre job prospects, at least Hastings sends its graduates very reliably into the California legal market.

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