Kim Kardashian is pursuing an alternative path to becoming a lawyer in California through the Law Office Study program, bypassing traditional law school. In California, aspiring lawyers can complete a four-year legal apprenticeship under a practicing attorney or judge in preparation to sit for the bar.

Kim’s late father, Robert Kardashian, is famous for his involvement in the O.J. Simpson trial. Kim is famous as a reality TV star and SKIMS founder. Now, she is looking to follow in her father’s footsteps but is charting her own path to becoming a member of the California Bar.

Kim recently posted an Instagram story about her “law school” graduation ceremony. She completed an unconventional law program and is one step closer to becoming a licensed attorney in the state of California.

How Do You Become a Lawyer in California?

The California Business and Professions Code governs California Bar admission requirements. To become a lawyer in California, you must register as an applicant, meet the legal education requirements, and pass both the state bar exam and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE).

Complete an Application

You must first register as a law student or attorney applicant on the California Bar applicant portal and provide a Social Security Number. If you do not have a Social Security Number, you can request a waiver.

Applicants must also demonstrate good moral character. Past criminal activity is not necessarily prohibitive if you can prove rehabilitation. Additionally, moral character speaks to honesty. So, for example, having a leaked sex tape may not adversely impact an application, but fraudulent activity might. 

Applicants also undergo a background check. If applicable, they must show compliance with any court order for family or child support.

Law Office Study Program Available in California

In most states, you have to graduate from a law school to apply to take the bar exam. However, California offers three different pathways to meet the legal education requirement:

1. Graduate from a law school accredited by the California State Bar Association or the American Bar Association (ABA).
2. Graduate from an unaccredited law school that is registered with the California State Bar Association.
3. Complete a four-year legal apprenticeship program called the “Law Office Study program.”

The Law Office Study program allows students to study under the supervision of a practicing judge or attorney. The supervising attorney must be a member of good standing with the California Bar and have at least five years of legal experience in California. 

The supervising attorney designs a curriculum that requires the student to read and study case law, statutes, and legal textbooks. The students must also complete written assignments, undergo evaluations, and submit progress reports to the State Bar.

After the first year of study in this program, students must pass the First-Year Law Students’ Examination, known as the “Baby Bar.” If they pass, they can continue the apprenticeship program. 

Due to her schedule, COVID, and being a mom of four, Kim studied under the Law Office Study program for six years. Her mentor was attorney Jessica Jackson. She took the Baby Bar exam four times, finally passing it in 2021.

The California Bar Exam 

California’s bar exam recently changed. Most law school graduates take the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), with five essay questions on state law and a performance test. It is typically administered in February and July.

The MBE is an examination of 200 multiple-choice questions and covers subjects such as:

• Constitutional Law
• Contracts
• Civil Procedure
• Criminal Law
• Real Property
• Torts

The essay portion involves longer written answers on similar topics to those covered in the multiple-choice portion. The performance part of the bar exam involves an assessment of practical skills such as legal analysis and writing. For example, a student may receive client notes, case law, and statutes to review. They may be asked to write a brief, letter, or memorandum.

Starting with the February 2025 exam, California began using its own multiple-choice questions developed by Kaplan Testing Services. California now has its own multiple-choice questions, essay questions, and performance tests, but it is designed to measure the same sort of legal skills and knowledge as the MBE.

By California's own admission, the February 2025 rollout did not go well. While California's bar exam has always been notoriously difficult, hopefully the issues that troubled the initial rollout will be resolved by the time Kardashian takes the exam.

The Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE)

California still requires aspiring lawyers to take the MPRE. The MPRE is a two-hour examination of 60 multiple-choice questions. It encompasses the rules of professional responsibility and ethics and covers topics such as client confidentiality, conflicts of interest, professional conduct, and ethical responsibilities. 

One Final Hurdle

During her journey, Kim also gained practical legal experience advocating for criminal justice reform. She met with President Donald Trump at the White House in 2018. Her mission was to reduce Alice Marie Johnson’s life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense. Trump granted Johnson clemency and, in 2025, appointed Johnson as a “Pardon Czar.”

Now that Kim has completed her Law Office Study program and taken the MPRE in March this year, she can opt to take the California bar exam in July or next February.

Related Resources

• California State Bar Will Wait To See Test Results Before Approving Mentoring Proposal (FindLaw's Practice of Law)
• What is the ‘Baby Bar’? (FindLaw's Learn About the Law)
• Kardashian v. Kardashian: Did Kim Copy Kourtney's Look for a Dolce & Gabbana Collaboration? (FindLaw's Legally Weird)