Credentialism

So how necessary is a law degree to practicing law? The lack of one does not seem to have prevented this woman from doing the job well.

A woman used forged documents to pose as an estate lawyer for a decade and made partner at her small firm before her fraud was discovered, according to charges announced yesterday. Kimberly Kitchen was charged Thursday with forgery, unauthorized practice of law, and felony records tampering. State prosecutors contend Kitchen fooled BMZ Law by forging a law license, bar exam results, an email showing she attended Duquesne University law school, and a check for a state attorney registration fee. The firm is based in Huntingdon, about 110 miles east of Pittsburgh. Kitchen, of nearby James Creek, handled estate planning for more than 30 clients "despite never having attended law school," the attorney general's office says. 

So, over a period of several years, she took care of dozens of clients sufficiently well that her firm made her a partner, and was also elected president of the county bar association – without a law degree.