By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
Newly planned law schools are causing mixed reactions from college students and workers who want to be lawyers.
Since the bill on the creation of law schools was passed by the National Assembly on July 3, online cafes for those who are aiming to go to law schools have seen a surge in the number of new members. For example, ``Go Go Law School” in Daum, one of the biggest online portals, had over 500 new members in just two days.
Notably, it is another chance for those who have failed the national bar exam. ``I had prepared for eight years to be a lawyer and worked for commercial companies. Now I can challenge myself again and realize my dream of becoming a lawyer through law school,’’ 32-old- year Kim Min-seung said.
The opening of law schools also lightens the burden on students who want to be lawyers but have yet to start preparing for the bar exam. ``It is very risky to spend this stage of my life studying for the bar exam, considering that many young people repeatedly take the exam, ignoring the fact they stand little chance of passing, until it is too late to land another good job elsewhere,’’ 28-year-old college student Oh Jeong-ik said.
However, the new law schools are confusing to students who have spent several years preparing for the bar exam. Kim Chan-yi who has spent two years studying for the exam has to decide whether to continue preparing for the exam or to attend a law school.
``It is six years until the bar exam is abolished. I am not sure which will be the better way, for me to stop bar exam preparation or to make money until the law schools open in 2009,’’ he said.
According to the bill passed on Tuesday, law schools will require academic scores, a pass of the Legal Education Eligibility Test (LEET) and English language certification. English certification will replace TOEIC or TEPS tests and the school will not differentiate students by academic scores, therefore the LEET will be a critical criterion. Volunteer activities and careers will also be considered in the school admission.