Los Angeles–On Wednesday, public reality star, Kim Kardashian-West announced her intentions to sit for the California Bar Exam in 2022.
Beginning a four-year apprenticeship with a San Francisco law firm last summer, the Hollywood icon stated that she “had to think long and hard about this” [decision]. Her goal is to pass the bar exam without actually going to law school.
Unbeknownst to many, California is one of four states, alongside Vermont, Virginia, and Washington that doesn’t require a law degree to actually sit for the bar exam. Instead, it allows aspiring lawyers the opportunity to complete apprenticeships with practicing attorneys before taking the exam.
While this seemed to baffle everyone, is it really that much of a surprise, considering she is the daughter of accomplished attorney, Robert Kardashian, who famously defended O.J. Simpson? Perhaps, taking on the family business would be the best look for the reality star, rather than continuing to gain her traction off the ‘Kardashian dynasty’ (exotic pictures, baby drama, and reality shows).
So, why does the Keeping Up With the Kardashian’s star’s announcement actually make some semblance of sense?
#1—It Runs in the Family
First and foremost, she is the daughter of the late renown attorney, turned business man, Robert Kardashian, who gained recognition back in 1995 during the murder trial of his friend, OJ Simpson. Kardashian became a volunteer assistant on Simpson’s legal team, dubbed the “dream team,” alongside attorneys Robert Shapiro and Johnnie Cochran. Kardashian passed away in 2003 from a hard battle with cancer.
While leaving a great sum of money for his children, Kardashian-West didn’t leave it to chance, building her own career and reputation.
#2—Remember Alice Johnson?
Down to the core, lawyers are essentially “garbage collectors” of information for their clients. They sift through the voluminous amounts of information that the average person either doesn’t want to do or doesn’t understand how to do. The skill set required for this type of “collection,” however, differs based on the attorney’s ability to effectively and efficiently identify an issue(s), research that issue(s), and understand how it relate(s) to their case.
This past September, Kardashian-West played a key role in the release of Alice Johnson, 63, from prison. The Hollywood icon first reached out to Ivanka Trump, requesting she set up a meeting in her efforts to advocate for prison reform. Granting a meeting, President Trump invited her to the White House to sit in the Oval Office, and engaged in heavy discussion on whether to support the severity of prison and sentencing laws.
Lobbying for clemency with respect to Johnson’s life sentence for money laundering and a first time nonviolent drug offense, Kardashian-West fought for Johnson as a prime example of the unnecessary and extremely sever penalties our current prison and sentencing laws carry. Johnson had already served 21 years in prison. As a result, President Trump granted her clemency in June.
“I honestly saw that if I could use my platform just to do something for one person, that it opens the conversation for so much more and for other people to want to do the same thing,” Kardashian West told CNN’s Van Jones. “If more people would just put their personal feelings aside and talk about really important issues that have to be discussed, then so much more can get done.”
#3—History Shows
Over the years, we’ve begun to see public figures like Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and now President Trump rise up from the Hollywood and coporate world, to becoming heavily involved with the welfare of our country.
Over the years, we’ve seen Kardashian-West become more “politically-active.” Like President Trump, Kardashian also has a background as a reality-TV star, who decided to transition into a more professional, corporate world. Even if she was within the confines of her reality show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, her keen ability to sift through and obtain juicy information, is a skill set that lawyers embrace and capitalize off of…but within legal and ethical boundaries.
“I just felt like I wanted to be able to fight for people who have paid their dues to society. I just felt like the system could be so different, and I wanted to fight to fix it,” she told Vogue, “and if I knew more, I could do more.”
Even if it does take her “two seconds” to learn the law, you have to give her some credit.
