Here are the major barriers:

Completion of Bachelor's Degree - Most traditional law schools require you to have a Bachelors Degree as a prerequisite to enrollment. Many alternative law schools will admit students with an associates degree or with little or no prior college at all.

High Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirements - Let's face it, once your GPA is established, you're pretty much stuck with it. Traditional law schools consider your GPA a major factor in determining eligibility for admission. Alternative law schools, on the other hand, are often much more flexible and will look beyond this and give you a chance to prove you can make it.

High Law School Admission Test (LSAT) Scores - This is another huge barrier for some. Strange as it may seem, some of the brightest people around just don't do well on standardized exams like the LSAT - but with traditional law schools, the LSAT is the cornerstone of the admissions process. Rarely, if ever, are students admitted with substandard LSAT scores. Alternative law schools almost never rely on the LSAT in determining your eligibility for enrollment.

Law School Admission Committees - Here again, traditional law schools sometimes require a face-to-face interview and/or admissions essays. You have one chance to present yourself in the best possible light; under such intense pressure some candidates just don't perform at their best - and never get a second chance. Alternative law schools rarely have face-to-face interviews or essay requirements for admissions. Even those alternative law schools that do have such requirements, place less emphasis on interview results than traditional law schools.

High Tuition - Many traditional law schools cost as much as $25,000.00 to $35,000.00 per year. Alternative law schools generally cost less than $5,000 per year and most offer financing-some are eligible for deferred federal student loans.

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An non-traditional or alternative law school is one that provides legal education by distance learning, Internet, correspondence or, may even include law schools that have a physical location and classroom attendance. However, these law schools generally have more relaxed rules of admission and typically will not require a standardized admissions examination such as the LSAT.

Absolutely, in fact, The Law School Bible author, Peter Loughlin, and many others have done just that. You can also attend classes if you prefer, the choice is yours.

Dream on. You have to know from the start that the study of law in any environment will be extremely difficult and requires hard work and persistence.

By and large, you will find most of the programs listed in The Law School Bible to be quite affordable when compared to the cost of traditional law programs.

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While each individual law school establishes its own particular admissions requirements, many alternative law schools will give you an opportunity to prove your ability, even if you don't have a bachelors-or even an associates degree. This gives you the break you need. Once you're enrolled, you'll have to work hard to prove you've got what it takes, but if you persevere the reward will be well worth the effort.

Yes, there are many possible alternatives. You can enroll in certain non-American Bar Association (ABA) approved law schools throughout the US, or you can even attend a foreign law school or study by correspondence or online courses for the Bar exam.

Yes, these same strategies can by applied by you too. Furthermore, you might actually be able to transfer some of the passing credits you earned before you were dismissed.

Yes, in fact, the author of The Law School Bible, Peter Loughlin, is living proof. Loughlin used nearly every strategy described in The Law School Bible to become a practicing attorney. Bear in mind that no matter where you get your legal education, you'll still need to pass the Bar examination to become a practicing attorney. You should be encouraged to know that recent statistics* show that some alternative law school graduates actually have a higher pass rate than graduates of some traditional law schools. And once you pass the bar exam you stand on equal ground with all other lawyers, regardless of the paths that brought you there.

* The Bar Examiner, May 2003, and the CA Bar Association website

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Yes, a full chapter of The Law School Bible gives you all the details you need to become a lawyer apprentice.

First things first, The Law School Bible only lists law schools whose graduates are permitted to take the Bar exam. It is true that ABA law schools are among the finest in the world, and any law school that has met the stringent standards of the ABA will provide you with an outstanding legal education. This does not mean, however, that you cannot obtain an equally superb education from other law schools and go on to take and pass the Bar exam.

Both choices offer opportunities for you to become a lawyer. The situation with foreign law schools works much like foreign medical schools; many US doctors have been trained abroad and return to the U.S. to take board and other exams. The Law School Bible gives you detailed information to help you make an intelligent choice.

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