Steps to become a Lawyer or Attorney in Alabama

Follow the step by step process or choose what situation that best describes you:

Explore Alabama Undergraduate Pre-Law Education
Take the LSAT (Law School Admission Test)
Find an Alabama Law School
Take the Alabama State Bar Exam and become an Attorney
What’s Next After Passing the Bar in Alabama

Law Careers in Alabama

The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor quotes the average Alabama lawyer’s annual mean salary in May 2022 at $138,250. Lawyers working in certain areas of the state made more than average, including the Huntsville area, where lawyers averaged a mean yearly wage of $145,020; the Birmingham-Hoover area, where attorneys averaged $152,450 per year; and Dothan, where lawyers earned a mean annual wage of $178,740. Opportunities for lawyers in Alabama abound. If you would like to cash in on some of the many opportunities for attorneys in the state, read on.

Step 1

Get Your Alabama Undergraduate Pre-Law Major

The Board of Commissioners of the Alabama State Bar mandates that you complete your undergraduate education and receive a minimum of a bachelor’s degree prior to entering law school. If you attend a non-American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school, you must provide proof that your pre-legal education was earned from a college or university accredited by an agency recognized by the US Department of Education at the time you apply for bar admission.

Accreditation

Your undergraduate institution must be accredited by a national or regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. It is vital that your school holds this type of accreditation for validation of your undergraduate education when you apply to law school as well as when you later apply for admission to the Alabama State Bar.

Requirements and Standards

The Board does not set requirements for pre-legal education, but follows the ABA’s recommendations. Classes that you should take, regardless of the major you choose, should include the following topics:

History
English
Politics
Economics
Business
Sociology
World Cultures
Psychology
Philosophy
Mathematics

Degree Options

If you do not graduate from an ABA-approved law school, the Board requires that you present confirmation of receipt of a bachelor’s degree from an institution that was accredited by any standard national or regional accrediting agency at the time you received the degree. This degree must be received prior to your entry into law school. A major is not specified, but it can be extrapolated from the course requirements suggestions above that any of the topics listed there would be appropriate undergraduate majors for pre-law students.

Featured Programs:

Pre-Law Advisor

If your undergraduate college or university offers the services of a pre-law advisor, take advantage of them. A pre-law advisor can help you to make the best choices in courses, minors and majors to ensure your future success in law school.

Step 2

Alabama LSAT (Law School Admission Test)

If you wish to gain entrance into an ABA-approved law school (which is not required by the Board but is highly recommended), you must pass the LSAT, or Law School Admission Test. This test is offered four times annually around the world.

How to prepare

Use the free test prep services offered at the LSAT website to help get ready for the LSAT exam. Practice tests and sample questions and answers can assist you in preparing for the exam. If you would rather pay for LSAT preparation, the following courses are available in Alabama:

LSAT Exam Prep Courses in Alabama:

LSAT Test Prep Classes, Kaplan, Birmingham
LSAT Test Prep Course, Auburn University, Office of Professional & Continuing Education, 301 OD Smith Hall, Auburn, AL 36849
LSAT Test Prep, LawPreview.com
LSAT Test Prep, Get Prepped

Exam content

There are three sections to the LSAT:

Reading Comprehension – Tests your ability to read complex materials and answer multiple-choice questions based upon what you have read.
Analytical Reasoning – Also known as the games section, this section asks you to play reasoning games in which you must make an analysis to find the correct answer.
Logical Reasoning – Also known as the arguments section, this section asks you to evaluate arguments and find conclusions, identify incorrect assumptions, and discover faulty logic.

Application process

Applications to take the LSAT are taken online. It is offered on Saturdays and Mondays in July, September, November and January, but not at every test center on each Saturday and Monday of each month. Test centers in Alabama include:

Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849
Miles College, 5500 Myron Massey Boulevard, Fairfield, AL 35064
The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 2nd Ave S., Birmingham, AL 35294
Spring Hill College, 4000 Dauphin St., Mobile, AL 36608
University of South Alabama, 307 N University Blvd, Mobile, AL 36688
Auburn University at Montgomery, 7430 East Dr, Montgomery, AL 36117
Faulkner University, 5345 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery, AL 36109
Alabama A & M University, 4900 Meridian St. North, Huntsville, AL 35811
Troy University, 600 University Ave, Troy, AL 36082
University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487

Fees

You must pay a basic fee of $190 to take the LSAT (not including auxiliary fees which can be seen here). Fees may be paid through your online account with the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) by credit card or by check or money order payable to the LSAC.

Receiving Your Score

The LSAC will email your LSAT scores to you approximately three weeks post-exam. You can get a low score of 120 or a high score of 180. The University of Alabama School of Law typically accepts applicants with a median LSAT score of 163. Remember, however, that LSAT scores are just one factor that contributes to your acceptance at law school. LSAT scores are not perfect predictors of law school performance, per information gathered by the LSAC.

Limitations

You may only take the LSAT three times in two years (even if you cancel your score and it is not reported to the LSAC). If you wish to take it more times than that, appeal to the LSAC via email at [email protected] or fax it to 215-504-1420 with the date you wish to take the test again. The LSAC will email you to let you know if your request has been approved or denied.

Step 3

Go to Law School in Alabama

Featured Law School:

FIND SCHOOLS

Application process

Once you have passed the LSAT, you are ready to apply to law school. If you are applying to an ABA-approved law school, consult this list of admission services required by ABA-approved law schools in the United States.

Credential Assembly Service

All ABA-approved law schools (and some non-ABA approved law schools) require you to use the services of the LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service. This service helps you to organize transcripts, recommendation letters, and evaluations for your admission packages. You can submit requests for letters of recommendation and other documentation online when you create your LSAC.org account.

The LSAC charges $195 for the Credential Assembly Service, which covers transcript summaries, law school reports, and online electronic applications to the law schools of your choice.

Accreditation

The Board of Commissioners of the Alabama State Bar does not require that the law school from which you graduate is ABA accredited. However, most future employers look more favorably upon graduates of ABA-accredited law schools. For a complete list of ABA-accredited law schools across the country, consult this list.

ABA-Accredited Law Schools in Alabama

The following law schools in Alabama hold ABA accreditation as of May 2012:

University of Alabama School of Law, Box 870382, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
Faulkner University, Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, 5345 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery, AL 36109
Samford University, Cumberland School of Law, 800 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, AL 35229

The following law schools in Alabama hold ABA accreditation as of November 2018:

University of Alabama Culverhouse School of Law, Box 870382, 101 Paul W. Bryant Dr East, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
Faulkner University, Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, 5345 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery, AL 36109
Samford University, Cumberland School of Law, 800 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, AL 35229

Course requirements

The Board does not specify courses that should be included in ABA-approved law school curriculum. However, for graduates of law schools outside of the United States, its territories or jurisdictions, the Board does specify the following coursework is required (which means that it is assumed by the Board that this coursework has been taken by all applicants to the Alabama State Bar):

24 semester hours in legal studies covered on the Alabama bar examination, including (but not limited to):
- Alabama civil litigation including:
  - Appellate practice
  - Civil procedure
  - Arbitration
  - Remedies
- Business associations
- Real property
- Family law
- Torts
- Federal civil procedure
- Conflicts of law
- Constitutional law (Federal and Alabama)
- Criminal law and procedure
- Evidence
- Wills, trusts, and estates
- Uniform Commercial Code

The Board has mandated that you must attend law school for at least three academic years consisting of 30 weeks per year. An academic year must consist of at least 130 calendar days covering at least eight months. This should equal 56,000 minutes of instructional time, or 80 semester hours of credit.

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

All ABA-approved law schools, and most non-ABA approved law schools, will require that you participate in some sort of field placement or internship while in your final years of law school. You will be placed into a real-life legal setting and have your work evaluated by on-site supervisors as well as by faculty from your law school. This is a great time to network for future job prospects after your law school graduation.

Registration with the Bar

You must be registered with the State Bar as a law student prior to beginning your internship. The Bar requires that you register with the Board within 60 days of starting law school. If you register online within 60 days of starting law school, there is no fee. If you register between 60 and 180 days of starting law school, the fee is $50. If you register between 180 and 390 days after starting law school, the fee is $100. If you register with the Bar after 390 days, the fee is $250.

When you register with the Bar, you authorize the Committee on Character and Fitness to conduct a character and fitness investigation of you. In the course of their investigation, they may request that you submit a set of fingerprints. Registration does not mean you are applying to take the Bar examination.

Graduates of Non-ABA-approved In-State Law Schools

If you graduate from one of the following Alabama law schools that do not hold ABA-approval, and can show proof of pre-legal education from an accredited institution, you may seek admission to the Alabama State Bar through examination:

Birmingham School of Law – Birmingham, AL
Miles College of Law – Birmingham, AL

Graduates of Non- ABA-approved Out-of-State Law Schools

If you graduate from a non ABA-accredited law school, the Board requires that you have already been admitted to the state bar of the state in which that school is located and that you have practiced law for at least five years in that state as a member of the bar in good standing. If the law school you attended was outside of the United States, you must also have been admitted to practice law in that jurisdiction. Your curriculum must have included the coursework listed above.

Degree Programs

You must have a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in order to sit for the Alabama bar exam. Other degrees are offered by ABA-approved law schools in Alabama and include:

JD/MBA – combination of Juris Doctor and Masters in Business Administration
JD/MCE- combination of Juris Doctor and Masters in Civil Engineering
JD/MA- combination of Juris Doctor and Masters of Arts in Political Science
JD/PhD – combination of Juris Doctor and Doctorate in Economics
JD/MA – combination of Juris Doctor and Master of Accountancy
JD/MPA – combination of Juris Doctor and Master of Public Administration

Step 4

Take the Alabama State Bar Exam

If you are at least 19 years of age, have registered as a law student with the Alabama State Bar, have cleared the character and fitness investigation, and have earned your J.D. degree, you may apply to take the Alabama State Bar Exam. It is usually offered in Birmingham in February and July.

Preparation

Preparing for the Alabama State Bar Exam can help you succeed in passing it on the first try. There are many courses offered over the internet such as one provided by AmeriBar. There are also bar exam preparation books such as this one that can be purchased.

Exam content

The Alabama Bar Exam consists of the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), which includes:

six-hours of the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
six 30-minute Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) questions
two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test (MPT) problems

You must also pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) with a score of 75 within 12 months before or 20 months after taking the Alabama bar exam.

You must also pass an online course in Alabama law within 7-10 days of taking the Alabama Bar Exam.

Subjects on which you will be tested on the Alabama state bar exam include:

Civil procedure
Business associations
Corporations and Limited Liability Companies
Federal civil procedure
Conflict of laws
Constitutional law
Contracts
Criminal law and procedure
Evidence
Family law
Real property
Secured transactions
Torts
Trusts and estates
Problem-solving
Legal analysis and reasoning
Factual analysis
Communication
Organization and management of a legal task
Recognizing/resolving ethical dilemmas

Application Process

You must complete the application to take the Alabama state bar examination electronically. Make sure to include the proper fees (listed on the first page of the application). Complete the application in its entirety, furnishing the proper institutions, references, and employers that the Bar will contact on your behalf. Print and sign all four Authorization and Release forms as instructed. Fill out the special Forms (in the application Appendix) as necessary to answer questions on the application form.

Pass Rates

According to information published on the Alabama State Bar website, in the July 2018 administration of the bar exam, 74.6 percent of first-time test takers passed.

Reciprocity

If you meet all of the requirements below, you may be admitted to the Alabama State Bar without taking the bar examination (i.e., by reciprocity):

You were already admitted to practice law in another state, territory or in the District of Columbia
You hold a J.D. or L.LB. degree from a school approved by the ABA at the time the degree was awarded
You have actively practiced law for five of the past six years
The state, district or territory in which you are licensed to practice law allows attorneys from Alabama similar reciprocity
You are a member in good standing of all jurisdictions in which you are licensed to practice law
You are not subject to any disciplinary action in any other jurisdiction
You possess good moral character and fitness
You have not taken and failed the Alabama bar examination in the past ten years
You are currently a permanent resident of the state of Alabama or intend to conduct the primary practice of law in Alabama for more than 75 percent of your time
You passed the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) with a score of 75 or better
You have paid the appropriate application fees to the Alabama State Bar

Additionally, if you have been a full-time teacher in an Alabama ABA or American Association of Law Schools accredited law school for the past three years, you may be granted reciprocity.

Licensing and Admission to the Bar

You will receive your bar examination results by mail approximately eight to nine weeks after taking the exam. The Alabama Supreme Court will also receive a list of those who successfully passed the exam. The results of this Bar Examination will be mailed to all examinees and a list of the successful examinees will be certified to the Supreme Court on the same day. When you receive your results, you will be notified of the formal Admissions Ceremony that you must attend to execute your written and oral Oath as an attorney.

FIND SCHOOLS

You’ve Been Admitted to the Bar in Alabama

Congratulations on being a newly licensed member of the Alabama State Bar! You now must decide how to begin your law practice. Should you go solo? Join a smaller or larger firm? Work for a nonprofit or for-profit corporation? The Young Lawyers Section of the Alabama State Bar Association can help you make these momentous decisions.

Established law firms in Alabama which you might consider joining include Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP in Birmingham, Montgomery, and Huntsville; Hand Ardenall LLC in Mobile, Birmingham, Jackson, Athens and Fairhope; and Lanier Ford Law Firm in Huntsville.

Major corporations headquartered in Alabama that may employ lawyers include CTG Power Systems International in Auburn and EBSCO Industries in Birmingham.

Legal specialty certification

Legal specialty certification can increase your career opportunities as an attorney practicing in Alabama. The Alabama State Bar has approved certain certification organizations to certify attorneys to practice within specialties. The following certification agencies and specialties are approved in Alabama:

American Board of Certification, 101 Second Street, SE, Suite 904, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401. (319) 365-2222 or e-mail: [email protected]
- Certifications approved:
  - Business bankruptcy
  - Consumer bankruptcy
  - Creditors’ rights

National Association of Estate Planners and Councils, 1120 Chester Avenue, Suite 470, Cleveland, OH 44114. (866) 226-2224 or email: [email protected]
- Certifications approved:
  - Estate planning law
National Board of Trial Advocacy and National Board of Civil Pretrial Practice (divisions of the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification), 200 Stonewall Blvd, Suite 1, Wrentham, MA 02093. (508) 384-6565.
- Certifications approved:
  - Civil trial advocacy
  - Criminal trial advocacy
  - Family law trial advocacy
National Association of Counsel for Children, 13123 East 16th Ave, B390, Aurora, CO 80045. (888) 828-6222.
- Certifications approved:
  - Family law
  - Child welfare
National Board of Social Security Disability Advocacy (a division of the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification), 200 Stonewall Blvd, Suite 1, Wrentham, MA 02093. (508) 384-6565.
- Certifications approved:
  - Social Security disability advocacy

National Elder Law Foundation, Inc, 6336 North Oracle Road, Suite 326, Box 136, Tucson, AZ 85704. (520) 881-1076
- Certifications approved:
  - Elder law
National College for DUI Defense, Inc. 445 South Decatur Street, Montgomery, AL 36104. (334) 264-1950 or [email protected].
- Certifications approved:
  - DUI defense (Criminal law)

Requirements for maintaining license

The Alabama State Bar requires all of its attorneys to fulfill Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) requirements yearly to maintain licensure. You must complete 12 credit hours each year, with one credit hour of ethics required each year. In addition, new bar members must complete a mandatory six-hour course in professionalism during their first year. Participation is only counted if you attend live in –person events and meetings, webinars, and teleconferences. Self-study courses should be avoided, and online courses should be limited. You may search pre-approved courses here. All MCLE hours must be reported by attorneys online via your CLE Transcript as you complete your requirements.

Court Systems in Alabama

The Alabama Unified Judicial System consists of five levels:

District Court – with 67 districts and 103 judges across Alabama, District Courts have limited jurisdiction over misdemeanors and small claims. It has concurrent jurisdiction with Circuit Court in juvenile and civil matters between $3000 and $10,000, and exclusive jurisdiction in civil matters under $3000.
Probate Court and Municipal Court:
- Probate Court – has 68 courts and 68 judges across the state. Limited jurisdiction over the administration of estates, wills, guardianships, the partition of lands, name changes.
- Municipal Court – 273 courts and 279 judges across the state. Has limited jurisdiction over municipal ordinance violations.
Circuit Courts – 41 circuits and 143 judges across the state. These are the trial courts with general jurisdiction over all felonies, civil actions over $10,000, domestic relations cases. Concurrent jurisdiction with District Court in juvenile and civil matters between $3000 and $10,000.
Court of Civil Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals:
- Court of Civil Appeals, 300 Dexter Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104

(334)229-0733. Five judges sit on panels. Handles civil appeals up to $50,000, domestic relations, worker’s compensation, appeals from administrative agencies, and civil appeals deflected from the Supreme Court.

Court of Criminal Appeals, 300 Dexter Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104.

(334)229-0751. Five judges sit on panels. Handle all criminal appeals, post conviction writs, and remedial writs for Criminal Trial Courts.

Supreme Court of Alabama, 300 Dexter Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104. (334) 229-0700. Nine 9 justices sit in panels of five on the highest state court with appellate jurisdiction over all civil appeals over $50,000, appeals from the Alabama Public Service Commission, and petitions for certiorari from the Courts of Civil and Criminal Appeals.

Elective membership organizations

Now that you are a practicing member of the Alabama State Bar, think about joining one of these elective professional membership organizations for attorneys across the state:

2022 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures for Lawyers reflect national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed April 2023.