Michigan Law Careers

There are many reasons that you might want to become a lawyer in Michigan. Certainly, the annual mean salary of $110,010 (per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, circa May 2011) is appealing. However, many students wish to enter the legal profession to help others who may not be able to afford legal help. Recently, Legal Services of Northern Michigan noted that the need for pro bono legal services in Michigan is growing. Lawyers in pro bono cases often take on divorce issues, mediation, and other civil or criminal cases in which those in need cannot afford to pay legal fees. Organizations in Michigan offering pro bono legal services include Legal Services of Northern Michigan, the Pro Bono Initiative of the State Bar of Michigan, Counsel and Advocacy Law Line, Lakeshore Legal Aid, and the Center for Dispute Resolution. Whether you wish to eventually work for profit, for non-profit, or pro bono, the following steps will help you achieve your goal of becoming a Michigan lawyer.
 

The Michigan Board of Law Examiners requires that you complete a minimum of two years of undergraduate school (60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours) before you apply to law school. Most American Bar Association (ABA)-accredited law schools mandate that you have a bachelor’s degree before entering law school. Check with the law school in which you are interested in attending for more information.

School Accreditation

The Michigan Board of Law Examiners says that your undergraduate education must be completed at an accredited college or university. This means that the school must be accredited to grant degrees under the laws of its state. If your college or university is accredited by an agency listed with the U.S. Department of Education’s accreditation database, the Michigan Board of Law Examiners will recognize the validity of your undergraduate education.

Requirements and Standards

There is no pre-ordained pre-law educational program that you must take in order to be admitted to law school. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and the ABA have both recommended certain types of coursework that should be taken and skills that should be honed during your undergraduate pre-law education. Introductory law and criminal justice courses are helpful, as are courses in political science and government. Coursework in mathematics and economics are recommended. Other courses that many pre-law students take are concentrated in American and world history, urban development, international studies, sociology, and oral and written communications.

Degree Options

Law schools are not looking to see that you completed the requirements for a particular undergraduate major when you apply for admission. Some universities offer a “pre-law” major, while others have pre-law advisors who will help you to choose the best courses to help you gain entry into and succeed in law school. Undergraduate majors chosen from the above-mentioned curricula areas are often the most helpful to students, giving them a solid background as they enter law school.

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The next step along the pathway to becoming a lawyer in Michigan is to sit for the LSAT, or Law School Admission Test. This standardized admission test for law schools is offered four times per year worldwide.  

How to prepare

Some of the best study materials for the LSAT are provided free of charge at the LSAT website. These include sample questions and answers and practice tests. Other study resources in Michigan to help you prepare for the LSAT include:
LSAT Exam Prep Courses in Michigan:

• LSAT Familiarization Course, University of Michigan Career Center, Ann Arbor
• Weekend LSAT Course, PowerScore, Detroit and Ann Arbor
• LSAT Test Preparation Workshop, Schoolcraft College, Livonia
• LSAT Prep Course, ExamKrackers, online
• Full-Length LSAT Prep Course, TestMasters, Ann Arbor

Exam content

You will be given four hours to complete the LSAT. Sections on the LSAT focus on reading comprehension, analytical reasoning and logical reasoning. In addition, you will be asked for a writing sample, in the form of an essay. While this part of the LSAT is not graded as part of your overall LSAT score, it will be presented to the law schools to which you apply.

Application process

You may apply online with the LSAC and pay the $160 examination fee when you are ready to sit for the LSAT.  It is offered twice a week four times per year, in February, June, October and December. Centers in Michigan administering the LSAT include:

• Albion College, 611 E Porter St, Albion, MI 49224
• Grand Valley State University, 1 Campus Dr, Allendale, MI 49401-9403
• University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, 503 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1340
• Washtenaw Community College, 4800 E Huron River Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1610
• University of Michigan-Dearborn, 4901 Evergreen Rd, Dearborn, MI 48128-1491
• University of Detroit Mercy Law School, 4001 W McNichols Rd, Detroit, MI 48221-3038
• Wayne State University, 656 West Kirby Street, Detroit, MI 48202
• Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Avenue, Lansing, MI 48933
• Michigan State University, 450 Administration Bldg., East Lansing, MI 48824-1046
• Calvin College, 3201 Burton SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
• Thomas M. Cooley Law School, 111 Commerce Avenue, SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
• Thomas M. Cooley Law School, 300 S. Capitol Ave.,  Lansing, MI 48933
• Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931-1295
• Western Michigan University, 1903 West Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5167
• Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle, Marquette, MI 49855
• Central Michigan University, 312U Warriner Hall, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
• Oakland University, Rochester Hills, MI 48309-4401
• Lake Superior State University, 650 W Easterday Ave, Sault Ste Marie, MI 49783
• Delta College, 1961 Delta Road, University Center, MI 48710
• Saginaw Valley State University, 7400 Bay Rd, University Center, MI 48710
• Macomb Community College, 14500 E Twelve Mile Rd, Warren, MI 48088-3896

Receiving Your Score

Your LSAT scores will be mailed to you about three weeks after you complete the exam. The lowest LSAT score possible is 120 and the highest, 180. Average LSAT scores accepted by Michigan law schools are:

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor:	167-170
Michigan State University:	152-160
Ave Maria School of Law:	146-153
Thomas M. Cooley Law School:	143-151
University of Detroit Mercy:	147-156
Wayne State University:	155-159

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Application process

You are now ready to apply to law school. While you need not apply to ABA-approved law schools, the school you choose must be “reputable and qualified” under Michigan rules. ABA-approved law schools automatically fit this rule. You may attend any of the 200 ABA-approved law schools across the United States. Check out this list of services each law school requires upon admission.

Credential Assembly Service

If you are applying to a law school accredited by the ABA, you must use the LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service. This service assists you in collecting your transcripts from all schools you have attended, letters of recommendation, and online evaluations. It even applies to the law schools you choose online. You must pay the LSAC a $155 fee to use this service.  

Accreditation

The Michigan Board of Law Examiners has ruled that all applicants to take the state’s bar exam must have a J.D. (Juris Doctor) degree from a “repu­table and qualified law school.” Law schools fully or provisionally approved by the ABA on the date that you receive your J.D. are considered by the Board to be reputable and qualified. The ABA-LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools lists all ABA-approved law schools across the nation.

ABA-Accredited Law Schools in Michigan

The following law schools in Michigan are accredited by the American Bar Association:

• University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, 651 East Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226
• University of Michigan Law School, 625 South State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1215
• Michigan State University College of Law, 300 Law College Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1300
• Thomas M. Cooley Law School, 300 S. Capitol Avenue, Lansing, MI 48901
• Wayne State University Law School, 471 West Palmer, Detroit, MI 48202

Course requirements

The following subjects are tested on the Michigan bar exam and will be included in the curriculum at any Michigan law school:

• Wills/trusts
• Real/personal property
• Constitutional law
• Contracts
• Criminal law and procedure
• Partnerships, corporations, agency
• Creditors’ rights
• Evidence
• Practice and procedure:
• Trial and appellate
• State and federal
• Equity
• Torts
• Uniform Commercial Code
• Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct
• Conflicts of laws
• Workers compensation
• Domestic relations

Online Law Degrees

• View Online and Campus Law and Legal Studies Programs
  • (For students who choose to focus on a subset of law other than an attorney.)

Internship

You will participate in an internship (paid or unpaid, depending upon your law school’s policies) during your tenure at law school. You will either work in an in-house legal clinic or be placed into a real-life lawyer’s work setting. Your performance will be based upon your knowledge and retention of the knowledge and skills you have learned in class. You will be graded by a supervisor and a faculty member who will assess your progress throughout the internship.

Degree Programs

The Michigan Board of Law Examiners requires that you obtain a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree prior to sitting for the state’s bar exam.

Foreign Law Schools

Graduates of foreign law schools are not eligible for admission to the Michigan bar.

Non-ABA-accredited Law Schools

If you attended a non-ABA-accredited law school, consult the Board to make sure that it considers your school to be “reputable and qualified.”

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Once you have earned your J.D. degree, you are ready to apply to sit for the Michigan bar exam.

Preparation

You may purchase copies of questions and answers from past bar exams from the Michigan Board of Law Examiners. The request to do so must be made in writing and accompanied by a $10 check made payable to the State of Michigan. Send your request and fee to the Board of Law Examiners at P.O. Box 30052, Lansing, MI 48909. Other options for bar exam preparation in Michigan are:   

• Essay Master Course, AmeriBar, online
• Bar Prep Workshops, Michigan State University College of Law, East Lansing
• National Conference of Bar Examiners website, Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) review (free)

Exam content

You will take the Michigan bar exam over a two-day period. The first day is devoted to fifteen state law essay questions, covering any of the following topics:

• Wills/trusts
• Real/personal property
• Constitutional law
• Contracts
• Criminal law and procedure
• Partnerships, corporations, agency
• Creditors’ rights
• Evidence
• Practice and procedure:
• Trial and appellate
• State and federal
• Equity
• Torts
• Uniform Commercial Code
• Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct
• Conflicts of laws
• Workers compensation
• Domestic relations

Day Two of the exam is devoted to the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), 200 multiple-choice questions on the following topics:

• Constitutional Law
• Contracts
• Criminal Law and Procedure
• Evidence
• Real Property
• Torts

Application Process

The steps in applying to take the Michigan bar exam are as follows:

• Complete the application at the National Conference of Bar Examiners website. Pay the $21 application fee online
• Print your finalized application when completed , creating the following forms:
• Application to Sit (F-1)
• Affidavit of Personal History (F-3)
• Residence History (F-4)
• Employment History (F-5)
• Request for Law School Certifications (F-11)
• Bar Applicant Reference (F-12)
• Submission Check List (F-13)
• LiveScan Fingerprint Request (F-14)
• Include the examination fee of $340 payable to State of Michigan, $225 fee for character investigation payable to State Bar of Michigan,  and fingerprint processing fee of $49.25 (if necessary –see application for details)
• Submit the above information to the State Bar of Michigan, Attention: Character & Fitness, Michael Franck Building, 306 Townsend Street, Lansing, MI 48933-2083. If you are planning to take the February bar exam, submit it by November 1. If you are planning to take the July exam, submit it by March 1.
• Begin your required third-party record requests. This involves obtaining criminal history reports, driving records, and reference letters. This information need not be submitted by the above deadlines, but must be forwarded as promptly as possible to the above address.

Pass Rates

TheBarExam.com gathered the following pass rates for the Michigan bar exam from prior years:

July 2010:	80 percent passed the exam
February 2010:	78%
July 2009:	85%
February 2009:	74%
July 2008:	74%
February 2008:	67%
July 2007:	80%
February 2007:	69%

Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE)

You must pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) before sitting for the bar exam, with a score of 85 or more. It is offered in March, August and November at these Michigan testing sites. Apply online at the above link:

• Concordia University, Ann Arbor
• Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor
• University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit
• Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Lansing Center, Lansing
• Oakland University, Rochester
• Rochester College, Rochester

Admission Without Exam

If you meet all of the following qualifications, you may be eligible for admission to Michigan’s bar without taking the bar examination:

• You are licensed to practice law in another state, territory or D.C.
• You have active practiced law in the jurisdiction in which you are licensed for three of the past five years
• You intend to maintain an office in Michigan where you will practice law
• You graduated from a reputable and qualified law school with a J.D.
• You meet all other requirements including MPRE score and good moral character and fitness

If you are licensed elsewhere as a lawyer and which to practice law in an institutional setting or teach in a law school, you may be eligible for a special certificate. This will limit your practice in Michigan to solely representing the institution by which you are employed.

If you have been admitted to practice law in a foreign country, have actively practiced law there for three of the past five years, live in the U.S. and plan to maintain a law practice in Michigan, you may be eligible to practice as a special legal consultant in Michigan.

Contact the Board for more information on Admission Without Examination.

Licensing and Admission to the Bar

You will receive your bar exam scores by mail about eight weeks post-exam. If you pass, you will be notified of the time and place where you will make your oath to the court and enter into the Michigan bar. Once you are admitted to the bar by the court, you must then complete an application for membership in the State Bar of Michigan and pay dues of $315 per year.

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You have made it! You are now a licensed lawyer in the state of Michigan! You must now decide whether to start your own legal practice or join an existing one. Perhaps you would rather work as legal counsel for a for-profit or non-profit company in Michigan. All of these avenues are open to you as a Michigan bar member.

The Michigan State Bar’s 2010 Economics of Law Practice Survey found that 68.1 percent of all lawyers in the state worked as private practitioners, while 31.9 percent were not in private practice. Of those not working in a private law firm, employers included in-house counsel, legal service agencies, local and state government, judges, other judicial settings, federal government, academia, and other legal work.

Existing law firms in Michigan include comprehensive services practice Foster Swift in Lansing, Farmington Hills, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Marquette, and Holland; Schwartz Law Firm in Farmington Hills, specializing in family law, employment law and criminal law; estate planners the O’Bryan Law Firm in Davison; and bankruptcy and family lawyers the Haskell Law Firm in Taylor.

Private law practitioners in Michigan reported performing 1373 hours of pro bono legal work in 2010. Non-private practitioners reported 248 hours. Areas of Michigan where the most pro bono legal work was performed include downtown Detroit, Oakland County, the Grand Rapids area, and the Lansing area.

Legal specialty certification

If you wish to specialize in an area of law practice, the following agencies provide certification services for Michigan lawyers:

• National Board of Legal Specialty Certification:
• Family law
• Civil law
• Criminal law
• Social security disability advocacy
• Civil trial law advocacy
• National Association of Counsel for Children/Michigan Law School:
• Child welfare law
• American Board of Certification:
• Business bankruptcy law
• Consumer bankruptcy law
• Creditors’ rights law

Requirements for maintaining license

No continuing legal education (CLE) is required to maintain your law license and bar admission status in Michigan.

Court Systems in Michigan

Michigan’s One Court of Justice, otherwise known as its court system, consists of:

• Trial Courts: Four types of trial courts are found in the four regions in Michigan:
• Circuit Court- Trial court with the broadest jurisdiction in Michigan, includes civil cases over $25,000, felony criminal cases, family cases including divorce, paternity, adoptions, minor emancipation, child neglect/abuse, juvenile offenses; also hears appeals from administrative agencies and other trial courts
• Probate Court- jurisdiction over cases involving trusts, estates, guardians, protective orders and conservatorships
• District Court- Jurisdiction over traffic violations, civil cases up to $25,000, landlord/tenant disputes, misdemeanors
• Municipal Court- in lieu of a district court in municipalities including Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park, and Grosse Point Shores/Grosse Pointe Woods
• Court of Appeals:  an intermediate appellate court between the Supreme Court and the Michigan trial courts; any final decisions from a circuit or probate court hearing may be appealed to the Court of Appeals. Court of Appeals hearings are held in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing and Marquette.
• Supreme Court: The highest court in Michigan, the Supreme Court hears appeals from decisions of the Court of Appeals, and also supervises all courts in the state. It is located in Lansing.

Elective membership organizations

Think about joining one of the following elective membership organizations for attorneys in Michigan:

• Women Lawyers Association of Michigan
• Michigan Association for Justice
• Michigan Employment Lawyers Association
• Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys

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