Kim Kardashian Defends Her Decision To Pursue A Career In Law: ‘You Can Create Your Own Lane’

Kim Kardashian is making no apologies about her decision to pursue a drastic career change.

The reality TV star and KKW Beauty founder revealed in an interview with Vogue earlier this month that she’s been studying to become a lawyer for the past year and plans to take the bar exam in 2022, having quietly begun a four-year law apprenticeship last summer.

Her decision must have been met with some criticism online, because she took to Instagram on Monday to talk about her journey so far and to share a message for anyone who thinks she should “stay in [her] lane.”

“Last year I registered with the California State Bar to study law. For the next 4 years, a minimum of 18 hours a week is required, I will take written and multiple choice tests monthly,” she wrote. “As my first year is almost coming to an end I am preparing for the baby bar, a mini version of the bar, which is required when studying law this way.”

She went on to address her detractors, writing, “I’ve seen some comments from people who are saying it’s my privilege or my money that got me here, but that’s not the case. One person actually said I should ‘stay in my lane.’ I want people to understand that there is nothing that should limit your pursuit of your dreams, and the accomplishment of new goals. You can create your own lanes, just as I am.”

“The state bar doesn’t care who you are,” she continued. “This option is available to anyone who’s state allows it. It’s true I did not finish college. You need 60 college credits (I had 75) to take part in ‘reading the law,’ which is an in office law school being apprenticed by lawyers. For anyone assuming this is the easy way out, it’s not.”

A career in criminal justice isn’t too much of a departure for Kardashian, who’s made a name for herself as an activist in recent years, having successfully advocated for the release of Alice Johnson, a grandmother who was serving a life sentence for a first time drug-related offense. She’s gone on to use her platform to bring attention to other similar cases, and has attended White House meetings on the subject of prison reform with increasing frequency.

In her Instagram post, the mother of three explained the sacrifices that she’s made to pursue her dream.

“My weekends are spent away from my kids while I read and study. I work all day, put my kids to bed and spend my nights studying,” she said. “There are times I feel overwhelmed and when I feel like I can’t do it but I get the pep talks I need from the people around me supporting me. I changed my number last year and disconnected from everyone because I have made this strict commitment to follow a dream of mine - It’s never too late to follow your dreams.”

The photo accompanying Kardashian’s post shows her studying with attorneys Jessica Jackson and Erin Haney, Page Six reports.

Kim Kardashian won’t be the first in her family to pursue a career in law. Her late father, Robert Kardashian, was famously a member of the legal team that defended O.J. Simpson when he stood trial for murder in 1994. She said that it was partly the experience of watching her father work that birthed in her an interest in criminal justice.

“On the weekends they used our home as an office, with Johnnie Cochran and Bob Shapiro,” she told Vogue. “My dad had a library, and when you pushed on this wall there was this whole hidden closet room, with all of his O.J. evidence books. On weekends I would always snoop and look through. I was really nosy about the forensics.”