No LSAT

[dirtyleft]

New guys posting here.  I want to ask a few questions.  First, is there a list of law schools that do not require the LSAT? Next, what about the online schools like Taft and Concord.  They are not ABA but they do the DETC.  Is that worth anything?  IS Cali the only state you could sit for the bar in?  I live in Tennessee could you sit for the bar in Tennessee or any of the surrounding states? Thanks for any info you can provide.

 

[MikePing]

If I remember correctly, LSAT is required by all ABA law schools.  If you graduate from a non-ABA school, you are limited to CA.  After practicing as a lawyer in CA for 5-7 years you can be admitted in some states.  I'm not sure if TN is one of them, you would have to do some research.

[calgal27]

There is a law school in Massachussetts that does not require LSAT.  I believe it is the Massachussetts School of Law.  There is Birmingham School of Law in Alabama.  I believe Nashville School of Law in Tennessee does not require one either.

I did poorly on LSAT but my undergraduate GPA is 3.7 and I even have a Master's Degree in Law & Public Policy.   I applied at Birmingham School of Law since geographically, I can attend there since I live in Georgia.  They even have a weekend only program which is quite beneficial.  However, it is a non-ABA approved school so I will only be able to sit for the bar in Alabama.  However, Georgia has a waiver for people who went to non-aba approved schools but want to sit for bar.  You have to follow the instructions to a tee, but at least they give you the opportunity.

I went to Taft.  The only benefit to Taft is you can actually get federal student loans.  That is the big plus since most online law schools and even the non-ABA approved schools do not offer it. 

Taft was not a good experience.  Their teaching is lackluster and all the responses from the professors sounded canned.  I mean, if I got a 3/4 on a brief, I would not get an explanation as to where I went wrong.  3/4 is only 75%.  I lasted 6 weeks.

If you really want to go to law school online, try California School of Law.  You have to actually attend class twice a week online. 

[BikePilot]

I think one or two schools might allow you to apply to their law schools without the lsat if you graduate from their UG with a gpa > x.  I want to say that Michigan might be one of these but don't remember for sure.