DL Law School & Working for the Federal Government

Since there are no law schools within 3 hours of my home I've been researching DL CA law schools with plans to enroll within the coming months.
I currently work for the federal government and noticed that many of their General Attorney positions do not require graduation from an ABA accredited law school - they only require bar membership in ONE state, with no restrictions on which state. My interest peaked, I met with a Hearing Office Director @ a regional office of Social Security Hearings & Appeals, who also happens to be a judge and the selecting official for new hires in her office. I was told the same thing...she only looks at Bar membership and GPA. Like a dog with a bone, I found two positives to reinforce my decision to attend a DL law school; however, I was still looking for the negative (why? i have no idea!). So, I went back to USAJobs and noted that many of the Justice Dept. positions require graduation from an ABA approved law school as one of their basic requirements - here's my negative. Then, to counter that negative I contacted SS's Dallas Office and VA's Regional Office, both rank and refer attorney applicants to offices within the region and was told that ABA approval is not important, passage of the BAR and BAR membership in any state is.

I thought this would be promising news to share with others interested in working for the Feds as an attorney.

Was wondering if anyone on the forum is a DL law school graduate working for the federal government? If so, please share!

Happy Holidays!

 

I'm not a DL law school graduate but I do work for the federal government and I work with many agencies and attorneys.

Go to www.opm.gov and review the position classification for attorney. As you have mentioned many do not require an ABA degree but all will require a degree from a school that holds recognized accreditation. You will be competing with folks from some very good law schools, so unless you plan to clerk and politic your way into a position be aware of the limitations. In my office the two general counsels (not counting all the others)hold law degrees from Harvard and the University of Colorado. I have never met an attorney in the federal government who did not graduate from an ABA school. I have met hundreds. Take a look at the bios of some of the folks holding the positions and you will get a feel for the credentials.

I would also point out that often folks don't know the qualifying process, so I would recommend that despite the Judge's ability to select that you find the person who is responsible for qualifying and passing on the selection list to the judge and ask that person on the process for the final list presented for selection. Normally this would be the Human Resources office.

In the federal qualifying process, which you may know, but for the benefit of other readers, historically only the top 3 candidates are forwarded for consideration. However, each agency may have other mechanisms (union agreements, etc...) allowing for a larger list. Regardless, it would seem from a pragmatic point that a DL law school degree, even if you pass the bar, would be a minimal standard and in direct competition with other graduates, practicing attorneys, military JAG Corps applicants, etc...for the position.

I think it would be doable with the right mentor but tough. Not knowing your motivations I will state there are better career fields for obtaining employment and growth with far less investment in time and risk of failure.

Good luck with your studies,

 

Since you are researching distance learning law schools, Liberty University. It now ranks No. 2 in the state of Virginia for passage rates on the Virginia Bar Exam. At 94.4 percent, Liberty is just behind the University of Virginia (96.8).

 

Thanks for sharing Kevin.

I agree that I would likely be competing with those with degrees from prestigious schools, but I don't believe securing a position as an attorney is impossible. When I first started applying for federal job years ago, I held no degree, but was competing with those who did - graduates of LSU and Tulane (the heavy hitters in my neck of the woods). I was eventually hired, so I'm optimistic.

You're right. I didn't stop with her. I also contacted the Dallas Regional Office, which is where the HR arm of my district's Social Security Hearings & Appeals is located. I spoke with one of the individuals who ranks and rates attorney applicants. She's the one that told me Bar membership was what was important, not ABA accreditation of the school attended. She also told me that graduates of ABA approved law schools did not receive "extra" points and graduates of non-ABA approved law schools weren't "docked" points. She was very patient with the dozen or so questions I asked and encouraged me to call her again should I have more questions. While I would absolutely love to attend an ABA approved law school, that route is just not open to me now.

For others who are interested I recommend...

1. Doing as Kevin suggested and contacting the HR Office for the agency, and speaking with the HR Specialist/equivalent who actually does the quals for the Attorney series (GS-905) - not an HR Assistant. This will give you a general idea of what is acceptable to their agency, what they "look for" and what they rank highest in the quals process.
2. Surf USAJOBS by series or agency. Basic qualifications will be listed on each vacancy. Keep in mind that there is no blanket OPM qualification standard for 'attorney' since OPM is prohibited by law from examining for attorney positions or establishing qualification requirements for them. These positions are generally in the excepted service, and agencies establish their own qualification requirements for them. Agencies may hire directly and do not have to go through OPM. See OPM's FAQ sheet.
3. If you're interested in SSA/Hearings & Appeals, visit SSA Legal Careers (ODAR & OGC) for specifics or SSA on USAJOBS for vacancies. Office of General Counsel accepts application continuously from attorneys in good standing with any bar. See their career info here.

That's about all I can think of right now. Any additions?

 

Kali,

Great! So can you sit for the bar with a DL degree in Texas?

 

If he's interested in using the degree for federal employment, he only needs to be admitted a a bar, not the bar of the state where the office is located. I presume he is interested in using a CA-approved DL degree to gain admission to the CA bar.

 

Randy,

the site provided by Kali shows the following as a requirement:

"Federal salaries are set by law. Membership in the Bar and one year of professional legal experience or outstanding academic achievement is required for entry at the GS-11 level. Additional professional legal experience or outstanding academic achievement may qualify you to enter the job at a higher GS level."

I'm not sure how an individual would acquire the requisite one year of professional legal experience. What qualifies as outstanding academic achievement?

However, some positions list a GS-9 level so it may be a path to enter training level positions. It would be a while before a return could be seen on the investment, if ever.

I'll stick with my earlier comments. There are much better careers for obtaining a position or advancement in the federal government than trying to earn a law degree via DL in the hopes of besting out ABA B&M graduates. But I would love to hear a story where this was done.

 

Outstanding Academic Achievement is 3.5+ or membership in honor society. OPM gives a list of acceptable honor societies.

 

I don't disagree with your assessment at all. I would go as far as to outright say this is a terrible idea for attempting to enter the legal profession with the federal government. I just wanted to point out that your insinuation that he would need to be admitted to the bar of TX was incorrect.

 

Wrong assumption on my part. I was trying to figure out where you could get the requisite one year experience. In this case I assumed that Kali would be trying to get the experience in Texas via reciprocity. (Pass the bar in California and then apply to practice in Texas.) Which would then meet minimum qualifications. Of course there is the possibility of internship, clerking, etc...

I should have been clearer,thank you for raising the point.