Law graduates who wish to take the bar examination in Michigan and apply for Michigan law licenses must meet eligibility requirements set forth in the "Rules for the Board of Bar Examiners." The rules require a Juris Doctor degree from a "reputable and qualified law school." While the Michigan Board of Bar Examiners automatically accepts law degrees from ABA-accredited law schools, other Michigan law schools can also ask the board to approve them as "reputable and qualified." Prospective lawyers must have law degrees from schools meeting the board's standards; they do not, however, necessarily need to earn their degrees from Michigan schools in order to qualify for membership in the State Bar of Michigan.
Prospective attorneys who wish to practice law in Michigan must hold law degrees from law schools recognized by the Michigan Board of Bar Examiners. As ABA-accredited law schools automatically meet the board's standards, aspiring lawyers may wish to search first for accredited programs in Michigan. The Law School Admission Council provides a search tool on lsac.org that allows users to search for accredited programs by state. When a user of the state map tool clicks on Michigan, the search results list the University of Detroit Mercy College of Law, the University of Michigan Law School, Michigan State University College of Law, the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law and Wayne State University Law School.
As long as the law license applicant holds a degree from a qualifying law school, such as an ABA-accredited program, the individual can have earned the law degree from an institution outside of Michigan. An individual who has already obtained a law license from another U.S. state may even be able to apply for admission to the State Bar of Michigan without taking the bar exam if she meets certain requirements set by state law.
Law degree holders who successfully meet the State Bar of Michigan's requirements to practice law in the state may enjoy the financial rewards of a professional career. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which compiles occupation and wage information, released statistics for Michigan salaries in May 2009, including information regarding law degree salaries. In its May 2009 report, the Bureau of labor Statistics calculated the mean annual salary for all Michigan lawyers as $113,930. Judges and magistrates, who must also possess law degrees and legal experience, had a mean annual salary of over $90,000.