Apparently Woodrow Wilson passed the bar and went on to practice law entirely through self study. How did he do this, what did he study to prepare, and could one still do this today?

by portabledavers
CatnipFarmer

To answer the second part of your question, yes you can still do this today in four US states (California, Virginia, Vermont and Washington).

The practice is called "reading law," and it means you study the law while working under a license attorney or judge and then take the bar exam. In 2013 60 people in the US took the bar exam in this manner.