Fast track law school options

[Anonymous]

In Virginia, you could theoretically get a three year law degree from an overseas university, come back and get an LLM from a law school, and "read for the law," which is still allowed in this state, and a few other states. You could also do that without a four year undergraduate degree, I suppose. I am not sure how you would find a mentor to help you read for the law, or if anyone would hire you afterwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know a girl who had a JD by age 22. She graduated high school at 16, finished her BA in 3 years from a state university, then did her 3 years of law school.

One of my smartest law school classmates was like this. Because most of us were even older since we weren't "straight-throughs," she was like a BABY to us! I remember the party we had when she turned 21 and could legally drink with all of us! Smart as a whip, obviously, and very mature for her age. Has a great practice now.

Ronan Farrow graduated from college at 15, worked for several years, and then graduated from Yale Law at 22.

This track is for people who are brilliant, not people who just "know what they want to do."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought law schools don’t require a college degree. Abe Lincoln didn’t have one, I believe. There’s what’s called bachelors of science in law (BSL). It appears to be some type of a certificate program designed for HS grads. Some law schools allow them to apply this cert program towards a JD degree. So the BSL doubles as a college “degree” and a JD degree. Not really certain of the exact mechanism or even if this is correct. There are some CA judges who went this rout - meaning we have HS grads working as judges.

There are exceptions to everything. No lawyer in this thread recommends this route.

You can usually tell when lawyers or judges list their undergrad and JD institutions as the same school, e.g., Western State College of Law. If the law school is not a traditional undergraduate institution, you can bet their JD degree is doubling as a college degree. These people are just HS graduates who went straight into the law school through some type of a vocational paralegal certificate program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know a girl who had a JD by age 22. She graduated high school at 16, finished her BA in 3 years from a state university, then did her 3 years of law school.

One of my smartest law school classmates was like this. Because most of us were even older since we weren't "straight-throughs," she was like a BABY to us! I remember the party we had when she turned 21 and could legally drink with all of us! Smart as a whip, obviously, and very mature for her age. Has a great practice now.

Ronan Farrow graduated from college at 15, worked for several years, and then graduated from Yale Law at 22.

This track is for people who are brilliant, not people who just "know what they want to do."

Yeah, it was brilliance that set Ronan Farrow on that path, right...

[Anonymous]

Law is a field that places absolute importance on the school's rankings. DO NOT go this route. If you were asking about healthcare fields or something like social work, then it is a no brainer to do the accelerated programs. But if you are interested in law, you have to do everything you can to set yourself up for success, and that is by going to a top school. Unless you have some sort of connection or family wealth that will help you get a job.. but if that's the case why do you care about finishing early. Anyone can get into at least 1 law school as long as you have a pulse and $$$$ to spend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Law is a field that places absolute importance on the school's rankings. DO NOT go this route. If you were asking about healthcare fields or something like social work, then it is a no brainer to do the accelerated programs. But if you are interested in law, you have to do everything you can to set yourself up for success, and that is by going to a top school. Unless you have some sort of connection or family wealth that will help you get a job.. but if that's the case why do you care about finishing early. Anyone can get into at least 1 law school as long as you have a pulse and $$$$ to spend.

To clarify this, prestige the law school matters, not prestige of undergrad.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks to everyone for clarifying how the US system works. I guess every country has a system that has evolved out of how its tertiary education sector works and is funded. In countries with publicly funded universities, there is an incentive to deliver the education efficiently and keep students no longer than necessary. Even so, increased participation rates means they have often introduced some tuition fees or use international students to prop up their budgets. Entrance into popular or prestigious courses can also be very tough as limited public funds means the number of spaces may be limited. In the US, I imagine it is in the best interests of universities to keep students studying and paying fees for as long as possible. The mind boggles at how much money goes into the college system for each extra year of study.

[Anonymous]

OP, your question is very reasonable.

I personally graduated high school at 17, double-majored at a state school in 3 years (had a full ride and was valedictorian) -- then went to Harvard Law. I had my law degree at 23. I went to biglaw and then went in-house, became GC of a respected company at 28.

I also worked during law school so I was able to graduate with only 70k in loans, which I paid off in 3 years.

I will say your kid needs to be very much on top of requirements, pre-reqs, etc. to make sure you can fulfill your undergrad degree requirements on a fast track. I basically memorized the Student Handbook plotting my strategy. I also began taking upper-level courses my freshman year, including 400-level ones I was eligible for. I lobbied professors to let me into courses I needed "earlier" than usual. And I never took fewer than 18 hours a semester, and often 21. You need to be a serious, driven student with a high degree of organization but it is very possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks to everyone for clarifying how the US system works. I guess every country has a system that has evolved out of how its tertiary education sector works and is funded. In countries with publicly funded universities, there is an incentive to deliver the education efficiently and keep students no longer than necessary. Even so, increased participation rates means they have often introduced some tuition fees or use international students to prop up their budgets. Entrance into popular or prestigious courses can also be very tough as limited public funds means the number of spaces may be limited. In the US, I imagine it is in the best interests of universities to keep students studying and paying fees for as long as possible. The mind boggles at how much money goes into the college system for each extra year of study.

Honestly, it's in the best interests of the students. The majority of 21 year olds are not ready to practice law. But nice try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, your question is very reasonable.

I personally graduated high school at 17, double-majored at a state school in 3 years (had a full ride and was valedictorian) -- then went to Harvard Law. I had my law degree at 23. I went to biglaw and then went in-house, became GC of a respected company at 28.

I also worked during law school so I was able to graduate with only 70k in loans, which I paid off in 3 years.

I will say your kid needs to be very much on top of requirements, pre-reqs, etc. to make sure you can fulfill your undergrad degree requirements on a fast track. I basically memorized the Student Handbook plotting my strategy. I also began taking upper-level courses my freshman year, including 400-level ones I was eligible for. I lobbied professors to let me into courses I needed "earlier" than usual. And I never took fewer than 18 hours a semester, and often 21. You need to be a serious, driven student with a high degree of organization but it is very possible.

You are an outlier. An amazing one, but this isn't usual by any means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, your question is very reasonable.

I personally graduated high school at 17, double-majored at a state school in 3 years (had a full ride and was valedictorian) -- then went to Harvard Law. I had my law degree at 23. I went to biglaw and then went in-house, became GC of a respected company at 28.

I also worked during law school so I was able to graduate with only 70k in loans, which I paid off in 3 years.

I will say your kid needs to be very much on top of requirements, pre-reqs, etc. to make sure you can fulfill your undergrad degree requirements on a fast track. I basically memorized the Student Handbook plotting my strategy. I also began taking upper-level courses my freshman year, including 400-level ones I was eligible for. I lobbied professors to let me into courses I needed "earlier" than usual. And I never took fewer than 18 hours a semester, and often 21. You need to be a serious, driven student with a high degree of organization but it is very possible.

I graduated college under similar circumstances. One major, 5 semesters. There’s a lot of hacks for a motivated student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your question is very reasonable.

I personally graduated high school at 17, double-majored at a state school in 3 years (had a full ride and was valedictorian) -- then went to Harvard Law. I had my law degree at 23. I went to biglaw and then went in-house, became GC of a respected company at 28.

I also worked during law school so I was able to graduate with only 70k in loans, which I paid off in 3 years.

I will say your kid needs to be very much on top of requirements, pre-reqs, etc. to make sure you can fulfill your undergrad degree requirements on a fast track. I basically memorized the Student Handbook plotting my strategy. I also began taking upper-level courses my freshman year, including 400-level ones I was eligible for. I lobbied professors to let me into courses I needed "earlier" than usual. And I never took fewer than 18 hours a semester, and often 21. You need to be a serious, driven student with a high degree of organization but it is very possible.

You are an outlier. An amazing one, but this isn't usual by any means.

Thanks, you are absolutely correct it isn't common. There were maybe 2 other kids out of 500 at HLS my age or younger. One for sure who was very young (19ish). But it CAN happen. I don't think I am at all smarter than the average HLS student, though -- just more driven. I come from a disadvantaged background so I had strong financial motivation. Most people at elite law schools are wealthy and there is no need to worry about how many years it took to get there, honestly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your question is very reasonable.

I personally graduated high school at 17, double-majored at a state school in 3 years (had a full ride and was valedictorian) -- then went to Harvard Law. I had my law degree at 23. I went to biglaw and then went in-house, became GC of a respected company at 28.

I also worked during law school so I was able to graduate with only 70k in loans, which I paid off in 3 years.

I will say your kid needs to be very much on top of requirements, pre-reqs, etc. to make sure you can fulfill your undergrad degree requirements on a fast track. I basically memorized the Student Handbook plotting my strategy. I also began taking upper-level courses my freshman year, including 400-level ones I was eligible for. I lobbied professors to let me into courses I needed "earlier" than usual. And I never took fewer than 18 hours a semester, and often 21. You need to be a serious, driven student with a high degree of organization but it is very possible.

I graduated college under similar circumstances. One major, 5 semesters. There’s a lot of hacks for a motivated student.

Nice! There absolutely are "hacks." you need to read the fine print and be creative. All things that help you succeed as a lawyer, to be honest!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know a girl who had a JD by age 22. She graduated high school at 16, finished her BA in 3 years from a state university, then did her 3 years of law school.

One of my smartest law school classmates was like this. Because most of us were even older since we weren't "straight-throughs," she was like a BABY to us! I remember the party we had when she turned 21 and could legally drink with all of us! Smart as a whip, obviously, and very mature for her age. Has a great practice now.

Ronan Farrow graduated from college at 15, worked for several years, and then graduated from Yale Law at 22.

This track is for people who are brilliant, not people who just "know what they want to do."

Ronan Farrow doesn't practice law. But if your goal is to become a journalist who crusades against privileged predators and a legal education is merely one tool in your quest to do that, it doesn't matter at what age you graduate.

[Anonymous]

I have no idea what I would allow someone to take 21 credit hours a semester but hey, that’s great.

I just want my kid to take 15!