Vermont is the only state in the country that doesn’t have an intermediate appellate court. Cases go direct from the lower courts to the state Supreme Court. The Canadian province of Quebec lies to the North of Vermont, and as a result, the state deals with considerable Canadian immigration. With a population of under 700, Vermont is the second least populated state in the country. Some of the largest skiing areas in the country are in Vermont though. Just read on if you’d like to become a lawyer in Vermont. A world if opportunity awaits you.
Get That Bachelor’s Degree First
The first step to becoming a lawyer in Vermont is to have a bachelor’s degree in hand before a law school can officially admit you. Your college or university must be on the list of officially accredited schools by the U.S. Department of Education. There are no requirements on the classes that you must take either, as there is no such thing as a pre-law degree. Coursework in literature, history, political science, sociology, business and communications are all choices. You can major in anything though from engineering physics to entrepreneurship and marketing will suffice. If you’re passionate about your major, that’s what law school admission committees want to see. That zeal for a major usually translates into a good grade point average. We all know what admission committees think of a high grade point average.
Taking the LSAT
The next step to becoming a lawyer in Vermont is to take the Law School Admission Test. It’s a half-day standardized test that’s given by the Law School Admission Council. Before you take the test though, you should take a prep class on how to take it. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before. A quality prep class can add ten points or more to your score and place you in the law school that you want. Here’s what’s on the exam:
- Analytical Reasoning: This deals with your abilities to read and comprehend complicated passages of information and discern the relationships between different passages.
- Logical Reasoning: You’re tested on your ability to disassemble an argument and determine what it assumes.
- Reading Comprehension: Reading and comprehending complicated passages of information and the relationship between them is tested.
- Experimental Section: This will involve one of the first three tasks, but you won’t be told what it is. You won’t be told whether or not it will be graded either.
- Writing Sample: You’ll be given a topic to write on. This isn’t graded, but it will go to every law school that you apply to.
Your LSAT Application and Scores
You’ll apply online with the Law School Admissions Council. The test is given in November, January, March, June and July. There are three test centers in Vermont. The test is given on Saturdays and Mondays. Scores on the test are from a low of 120 to a high of 180. You should get your results in about three weeks. The Vermont Law School is the only ABA accredited law school in the state. It’s median LSAT score in 2019 was 154.
Credential Assembly Service
Assuming that you’ve overcome the LSAT, your next step in becoming a Vermont lawyer is to get in contact with the Credential Assembly Service. Its mandatory that you do so. The service will gather your transcripts, letters of recommendation, evaluations, writing samples and LSAT scores and package them. Then at a fee of $215 plus $45 per law school, they’re sent electronically to every law school that you desire. The Credential Assembly Service provides a vital function in law school admission.
Law School Classes and Internships
Here are just some of the things that are tested on the Vermont bar exam: Business organizations, constitutional law, civil procedure, criminal law and procedure, evidence, property, trusts and estates and torts. You may be required to perform an internship too. You’ll be able to apply what you learned in law school in practical situations with real clients. Take these matters seriously. You’ll be graded on them.
The Vermont Bar Exam
Your next step in becoming a lawyer in Vermont is to take the Vermont Bar Exam. It’s a two-day exam. It consists of the following. On the first day, you’ll be confronted with 200 multiple choice questions, with 100 of them in the morning, and another 100 in the afternoon. On the second day, you’ll be given a lawyering skills test of two questions, each an hour and a half long. You’ll be asked to write a brief, memorandum of law or perform another task-based exam. The balance of the second day will be completed with six essay questions, each 30 minutes in length, based on subjects that you took in law school. Don’t forget about the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam that you must pass with a scaled score of 80 within seven yeas of graduating from law school.
Dates and Pass Rate
The Vermont bar exam is given on the final Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. Its location is at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier. The cost is $300 along with an additional $50 if you wish to use your own laptop for the exam. 60% of the first-time takers too the exam.
The final step in becoming a lawyer in Vermont is painless. Raise your right hand and take the oath of office as an attorney. Congratulations! You’re now licensed to practice in the courts of the State of Vermont.
