Require Constitutional law on the Bar Exam - and as part of annual CLE

[Coastie for Truth]

Right now to be a lawyer - a law student much take 2 hours (a 2hours/week, one semester course), and maybe, just maybe (subjects on the Bar Exam are randomized), a 45 minute essay question (out of 6 to 16 hours of essay questions). That's it. That's all that is required from the "Guardians" of our Constitution.

They have to take 3 hours of "Professional Ethics, Malpractice Avoidance, and Equal Opportunity" every year - but no annual requirement of Constitutional Law. That's for the "Guardians" of our Constitution.

Result - law that clearly violate our fundamental document - the Constitution -- even the Bill of Rights of the Constitution and the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution -- and such doctrines as the prohibition on establishments of religion, and the guarantees of free exercise of religion and free speech and equal protection of the law and due process of the law.

It is about time we require more "Constitutional" knowledge on the part of our body politic and our lawyers.

[ET Awful]

1. Those CE requirements vary from state to state. The State Bar Assoc.

sets the requirements as far as I know.

[Coastie for Truth]

3. And except for a few academics and a VERY few Con law specialists

most young lawyers forget everything they know about Con Law the morning after the Bar Exam -- and the young lawyers who get elected to legislatures and Congress know even less (as my late father used to say about most lawyers running for office "Fool's names and fool's faces are often seen in public places" --- and he was a union lawyer)

[Divernan]

2. CLE in Pennsylvania total joke. 12 hours/year - no testing

And only one credit of the 12 has to be ethics.Although there are some useful specialty courses offered, since there is never any testing, many lawyers just find the cheapest tuitions they can, bring lots of paper work with them and can bill their clients while collecting CLE credit. Cell phones were banned after so many attys. were making and taking calls throughout the courses. Then you can take up to 3 hours through your computer - so anyone can sit there and punch the buttons for you.

Different states do have different requirements.