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In California, one does not need to go to law school in order to take the California bar. In theory, you can practice law in California if you passed the bar without going to law school but what client would really hire you knowing you didn't go to law school. Unless you went to a top 100 undergrad school. But I highly doubt Anita Cannibal went to a top 100 undergrad program.




Very few clients are concerned with what law school, let alone what undergrad college their attorney attended. They are focused on what you can do for them and how much it costs. Also, since the actual practice of law is so different than the law school experience, I'm not sure it matters much anyway. Law school is highly theoretical and has often has little practical value insofar as representing clients in the real world. This problem is compounded by adherence to an awkward, inefficient and unfamiliar style of learning by asking roundabout questions (Socratic method). Ironically, I imagine the more highly ranked one's law school is, the more this is true. Law schools of course justify this by saying they are teaching you to "think like a lawyer" not "be a lawyer" whatever that means. Some professors also pride themselves on focusing on arcane, minute legal points rather than the "black letter law" that might be helpful in taking the bar exam. These lofty professors justify that by saying they are "not a bar review course."

That said, it would be better for Anita to attend a ABA Law School if she can get admitted to one. I suspect that even the school ranked at the bottom of the rankings chart would be just fine. I say this only because she would then be able to practice in other states and the quality of her education would be higher (even if it is unpractical). If she cannot get into an ABA school, I think a California certified school is fine *if* she has a strong interest in law and willing to work hard. If she can graduate and pass the bar, it's up to her how far she goes with it. Even if she has to practice in California, the state is so big and diverse, it's not the end of the world.
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