While this is a completely legal way to become a lawyer in California, is it a fair way?
Kim Kardashian West recently revealed in a new Vogue article that she is studying to become a lawyer.
This news is not that much of a surprise to me because she did get two people out of prison. Her dad is the famous lawyer Robert Kardashian, who defended OJ Simpson.
I think it is amazing that she is acting in the fight towards prison reform in the United States. I think more celebrities should follow her footsteps and become the change they want to see in the world. I think the problem stems from how she is going about getting this degree.
She is taking the apprentice route, which is basically where she works closely with a working lawyer and takes a test every couple of weeks for four years. After four years she will eventually take a bar exam.
While this is a completely legal way to become a lawyer in California, is it a fair way? To many law students and students in general this does not seem like a fair way.
Lawyer apprenticeships are the original way people would become practicing lawyers. Times have changed, the way most people become lawyers is by going to undergrad for four years. This is the first step because you need to achieve relatively good grades and take the LSAT to get into law school.
I’ve never been to law school but it seems like a lot of work. This is not even considering the price tag of school. Higher education is expensive, I would know because I am currently in college. Most students must get some sort of financial aid with grants and loans. Some must work while going to school and they don’t have assistants or any help. Some people must go to school, work and are parents.
I am sure that Kim Kardashian West is an extremely hardworking and busy woman. I probably couldn’t even begin to keep up with her seemingly hectic schedule. At the end of the day she has a whole team of helpers who are there if she needs to study, for the average person it’s not comparable.
I think it is a little disconnected to become a lawyer for social justice and not acknowledge how her privilege is allowing her to do the apprenticeship and study whatever she wants.
The other thing is once you become a lawyer and after you graduate you have loans that need to be paid off. Most of the time you don’t get a job in the field of study you want.
I 100% commend her for going out there and learning to make a change. I just feel she should acknowledge how her route to enact change is not attainable for most people who want to become lawyers.
