Lawyers in Utah worked primarily for law firm with between two and 10 employees. Nearly 28% of them were from California. Believe it or not, Utah is the 4th fastest growing state in the country though. In Utah County, the second largest county in the state, there were more than 650,000 people. In Salt Lake County there are more than 1.1 million people. Opportunity abounds in Utah, and the state is expected to continue to grow. If you’d like to become a lawyer in Utah, keep reading.
Get Your Undergraduate Pre-Law Degree
The Utah State Bar Office of Bar Admissions states that if you’re going to hold the office of an attorney in the state, you must have graduated from an accredited college or university first. Any college or university will do, so long as its on the list maintained by the U.S. Department of Education. There are at least 1,000 of them in the country. There aren’t any terms or conditions either, so long as you graduate. Just have a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science Degree from an accredited school. Admission committees see a wide variety of undergraduate degrees. They want to see you challenged. If you’re challenged, there’s a good reason to believe that your grade point average will be higher. We all know what law schools think about grade point averages.
The LSAT
The next step in the process is to get satisfactory scores on the LSAT which stands for Law School Admission Test. It’s a standardized test that you must successfully conquer in order to get into law school. The actual test lasts one-half day. The test is administered November, January, March, June and July. It consists of five 34-minute sections of multiple-choice questions. Four of five of the sections count toward your score. The fifth section is an experimental section, but you won’t know whether it’s scored or not. That’s another reason why you must devote all three-and-a half hour to the test. For example, there might be one reading comprehension section, one in analytical reasoning and two in logical reasoning. You’re also required to give a writing sample on a certain topic. That reading sample won’t be scored, but it will go out to every law school that you apply to. Take a prep class for the LSAT. They’ll teach you how to take the test. Your scores could increase be 10 points or more, and get you into law school.
Applying to Take the Test
As stated earlier, the LSAT is given on November, January, March, June and July. It’s administered on Fridays and Mondays at five or six universities across Utah. Apply at the Law School Admission Council, at a cost of $215. There’s also a charge of $45 per school that you apply to. Expect to get your score in about three weeks. Scores range from a low of 120 to a high of 180. There are two accredited law schools in Utah. Their names and average scores follow:
- Brigham Young University 161
- University of Utah 163
Credential Assembly Service
The Credential Assembly Service (CAS) coordinates the law school application process by obtaining your transcripts, letters of recommendation, evaluations, writing sample and LSAT scores for all accredited law schools across the country. The cost is $215. When you apply to a law school, merely notify the CAS and send $45. CAS takes care of everything. The service is mandatory, but it operates as a blessing too. It’s all sent electronically.
Course Requirements
The State Office of Bar admissions requires completion of the following coursework. This list is not exclusive either. Contracts, torts, real property. evidence, civil and criminal procedure, and constitutional law. On top of those, they’re also requiring an internship to get some practical work experience. These classes will be graded, so do your best possible work.
Taking the Utah Bar Exam
The next step toward becoming a lawyer in Utah is taking thee Utah bar exam. We urge you to study this with the help of a prep class too. As your fellow students what class they’re taking, and take it. You’re cramming three years of law into six weeks. It seems impossible, but it isn’t if you take a quality class. That class can also raise your score dramatically, so take it, live it and breathe it. Utah administers the Uniform Bar Exam. This includes the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) and the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE). The MPT is six 30-minute essay questions. The MPT is three hours over two questions. You’ll be performing a lawyer’s tasks like writing a brief, problem solving, written communication or recognizing and resolving ethical issues. The third part of the test is the MBE which requires 200 multiple questions to be answered in a day. There will be 100 in the morning, and another 100 in the afternoon. Don’t forget about the Multistate Professional Liability Exam either. A scaled score of 86 or above is required within two years of being admitted.
Pass Rates
The last pass rate for the Utah bar exam was 84% with 89% taking the bar exam for the first time. If you’re taking the exam for the first time, the fee is $550. When you’ve passed the bar exam in Utah, you get to the final step. It’s raising your right hand and being sworn in. Congratulations! You’re an attorney now. You can practice law anywhere that you wish within the Utah. State courts.
