Prospective law students interested in attending Florida law schools can search statewide for Juris Doctor programs using the Law School Admission Council's website at lsac.org. Website users can click directly on Florida State on the LSAC "State Map" to find a list of Florida law schools. The LSAC website also allows applicants to use a "UGPA/LSAT Filter" where they can compare their grade point averages and Law School Admission Test scores to the student populations at various Florida law schools. The UGPA/LSAT filter often shows applicants where they stand compared with past applicants.
Many law schools operate in Florida, but not every law school has received accreditation from the American Bar Association (ABA). The ABA evaluates law schools against a national standard for legal education programs and only accredits schools meeting its criteria. LSAC lists Florida's 11 ABA-accredited law schools as: Ave Maria School of Law; Barry University, Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law; Florida A&M University College of Law; Florida Coastal School of Law; University of Florida, Fredric G. Levin College of Law; Florida International University College of Law; the Florida State University College of Law; University of Miami School of Law; Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center; St. Thomas University School of Law; and Stetson University College of Law. ABA-accreditation is significant because most state bar association or boards of bar examiners only allow graduates of ABA-approved schools to take their state bar exams.
To take the Florida Bar Examination, aspiring lawyers must have graduated from, or completed the requirements to graduate from, an ABA-accredited law school. The Florida Board of Bar Examiners does make an exception for a small number of graduates from non-ABA-accredited law schools who can meet additional criteria.
The Florida Board of Bar Examiners does allow experienced graduates of non-ABA-approved law schools to take the state bar exam. However, in order to take the exam, the individual must demonstrate at least 10 years of practice as a lawyer in another state, the District of Columbia or in a U.S. federal court jurisdiction and submit a portfolio of prior legal work. Newly graduated individuals do not qualify for this exception. As such, when individuals consider their law school options, they may benefit from choosing a Florida State law school with ABA-accreditation, rather than an unaccredited program, if they would like to immediately work in Florida after receiving their law licenses.