Over the decades, Hanyang University (HYU) has seen many of its graduates flourish in the legal world as prestigious judges such as Boyoung Park, a Supreme Court justice, as well as lawyers and prosecutors defending justice in the national courts of Korea. HYU has a long history of producing such eminent figures by supporting its students with various preparation courses, study groups, welfare, and generous scholarships.

National Bar Exam

In order to become a legal professional in Korea, applicants should take the National Bar Exam which has been held annually since the 1940s. The Bar Exam Preparation Class (BEPC) was created in 1971 as a means of helping students successfully pass the three-part exam.

The BEPC offers students a rigorous curriculum composed of preparation courses, mock exams, and special lectures, customized for each part of the test. In addition to the academic programs, there are numerous other benefits offered by the school such as book subsidies, access to study rooms, and comfortable living arrangements. Dormitory rooms are free of charge for BEPC students, with open access to lecture rooms, the computer lab, the multimedia lab, the fitness center, and the lounge. Also, there are many scholarships available from various institutions as well as HYU. Students can receive financial aid for university tuition as well as on other living costs such as dining fees.

With abundant support in both academics and welfare, HYU had reaped more than 1,000 legal practitioners by 2008 and, the university has stood at fourth place among the list of universities with the highest rate of passing scores since 2003. In the 54th exam initiated last year, it was reported that 41 out of 504 students who passed the Bar Exam were from HYU.

Despite its accreditation of success, BEPC will be accepting its last members in the upcoming years as the Bar Exam system is due to expire in 2017. In 2008, the legal qualification procedure saw major reform with the Legal Education Eligibility Test (LEET) and law school system set to replace the original Bar Exam. LEET scores are required in order to apply for higher studies in one of the newly established law schools where students learn and develop practical skills through various case studies and debates. Upon graduation, they are certified as a lawyer and then are able to be further trained as a judge or a prosecutor.

Law School Preparation Class (LSPC)

In April this year, the Law School Preparation Class (LSPC) was launched in HYU with the aim of supporting students who are preparing for the upcoming LEET in August, as well as the admission procedures for law schools in Korea. "It's great taking part in the LSPC. Before, I felt really nervous about preparing for the exam but now I feel more secure knowing I don't have to go through it alone," said Yongho Choi (Chemical Engineering, 4th yr).

From April to June, students took basic courses in reading comprehension, logical reasoning, and writing composition for the LEET. Intensive sessions, which started from June, are currently in progress throughout the summer. "While most other universities have on-screen lectures for their prep classes, HYU hires prestigious lecturers or individuals who are distinguished in the field of Law," said Hoyoung Lee (Professor, College of Policy Science), the professor in charge of the LSPC.

After students take the LEET exam in August, mock interviews and resume composition sessions will begin in September. Later this year, foundational courses will cover materials that are usually studied in the first year of law school in order to create a rudimentary base of knowledge within students. "Many law school students say that they would have been better prepared for their studies had they been more familiar with elementary concepts beforehand," said Lee. "Also, most of our students are intelligent enough to successfully enroll in a law school which is why admission is not our ultimate goal. Our goal is to prepare our students to excel in their studies once they are enrolled."

In addition to academic preparation, an individualized mentoring program will provide more personal support with each student being paired with a mentor who is either a graduate enrolled in the Law school of his/her choice or an alumni who is experienced in the legal field.

As the Law School system is to become the sole procedure of acquiring a legal qualification, the LSPC is expected to expand in terms of capacity as well as quality in the coming years. 84 students are already taking part in the prep class, taking advantage of the program at only a fraction of the actual cost. "Regular academies usually charge around KRW one million for each course but we only pay KRW one hundred thousand for the entire LSPC program and even get half of our money back if our attendance rate is high," commented Yoona Kim (Policy Science, 4th yr).

The benefits of LSPC are not limited to students majoring in Law or Policy Science- it is open to any HYU students on campus. Professor Lee said, "LSPC is a study group of HYU for the whole- it isn't exclusive to the College of Policy Science. In order to help those pursuing a future in law, we are trying to accept as many students as possible regardless of their major."

Sooyoung Oh jsyo@hanyang.ac.kr
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Photo by Sungil Jung