As of 2011, California has 170,636 practicing lawyers, all of whom have graduated from law school and passed the California bar exam. There are many law schools in California, some that are accredited and some that aren't. In either case, they have many requirements for admission, coursework, attendance, and testing that are enforced by the schools, state law, and California Supreme Court.
Admissions
To be admitted into a California law school, prospective students must have a college degree or more than 60 college credits. They must also turn in a resume, personal statement and addenda. Some law schools, like the Hastings School of the Law in San Francisco, require the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) to be taken for admission, while others, like the California Southern Law School, do not. To be able to practice law in California, students must turn in a registration application with the Committee of Bar Examiners once they begin studying at a law school.
Courses
The required course load for California law schools is not all the same. At the University of California, Hastings School of the Law, the California law school with the most graduates admitted to the state bar, students must be enrolled on a full-time basis for six semesters and take no less than 86 credit-hours to get their law degree. At California Southern Law School, a much lower ranking school, students must take a minimum of 18 credit-hours a year, and to graduate, they must accrue at least 84 credit-hours. Law degrees at the California Southern Law School are expected to be obtained in a maximum of four years unless the dean makes an exception.
Attendance
Some college professors don't take attendance for their classes, but state law requires law school professors in California to record student attendance, which includes noting absences. The California Supreme Court regulates law student attendance through Rule 9.30, which states that law students must attend at least 80 percent of the class sessions in which they're enrolled. Students who miss more than 20 percent of their classes, can't receive credit for them.
Testing
The First-Year Law Students' Examination is required after students have completed their first two semesters of law school in California. This test can be taken an unlimited amount of times, but must be passed before the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State of California will acknowledge credit for any law school studies. California law schools aren't required to allow students to continue their law school education until they pass the test.
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