Yes, I did go to law school. There was a time, before law schools existed, when a person would learn law by clerking as an apprentice in a lawyer’s office. I’m not that old. But, I have to admit the rules of admission to law schools were a lot different when I started.
Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT), what’s that? There was no LSAT when I went to the University of Missouri. All a student had to have to enter law school was 90 hours and 90 Honor Points (one hour of “C” gave you one Honor Point). Easy to get in, hard to graduate. Since practically anyone could get in, the school flunked out about a third the first year.
I remember a third-year law student talking to our class the first day. He said, “Look at the student to your left and now, look at the student to your right. One of the three of you will not be back next year. That was scary, particularly since the people on my left and right looked pretty smart.
While most of my classmates already had a degree, I was one of those eager beavers who had entered law school at the end of my third year with 90 plus hours. I had gotten all my required courses out of the way during my first three years. But, I needed to pass my first year of law school to receive my undergraduate degree.
I had just gotten married, which was a good thing. While it piled on more pressure, it certainly kept me focused. I was still completing my fourth year of ROTC, and if I flunked out of law school, I suspect I would have been drafted and had no degree. Maybe I could learn to be a pastry chef at Fort Lee’s Culinary Art Institute. On top of all that, I had quit the football team to go to law school and the team ended up going to the Orange Bowl!
About half way through my first semester, we were instructed to report to a classroom to take an aptitude test. We were advised that the test would have no affect on us as law students. They just wanted us as a “base group.” Looking back, I suspect it was some form of an early LSAT test.
There were 60 multiple choice questions and the test was to last one hour. Being a math wizard, I figured out I had one minute per question. The monitor explained it was not a good idea to guess, because a wrong answer hurt more than leaving the question blank. I was amazed at how little I knew. With about five minutes left, I had answered about 25 questions. So much for time management. I walked out of the classroom despondent. If this test indicated aptitude to be a lawyer, I needn’t look to my left or right.
One of my classmates had his undergraduate degree in Agriculture. That seemed strange to me. While I had no degree, I had hopes that at the end of the year I would have a degree in Political Science. But Agriculture? Finally, I had to ask. He looked at me disgustingly and said, “I’m going to law school because I couldn’t make the cut to get into veterinary school!”
The first semester wouldn’t tell me much. Two of my courses (Contracts and Torts) were year long courses and I wouldn’t get a grade until June. Because of ROTC, I was only taking 12 law school hours. At the end of the semester, I would only have grades in Civil Procedure and Legal Professions (an ethics course). Neither would tell me much about aptitude to be a lawyer.
While studying in the law library, a bunch of my football buddies came by to tell me to study hard while they were in Miami. While they were jerking me around, it still felt good to see them. If things didn’t work out, maybe I could be a public relations guy for an athletic program.
At the end of a stress filled year of doubt, the grades trickled in and I had passed everything. I graduated from undergraduate school and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery. Also, I was deferred from active duty for two years to finish law school. No more thoughts about going to Fort Lee to become a pastry chef. But the emptiness of the Orange Bowl will always be there.
I have found an invaluable resource in this blog
I want to tell my relatives how great this blog is