Becoming a lawyer can be prohibitively expensive, with elite schools charging more than $150,000 for a three-year law degree. But there's a much cheaper and quicker way to start working as an attorney: forge documents and pose as one.

The downside is that it's a crime and you're liable to get caught.

Such was the outcome for Kimberly Kitchen, a 46-year-old of James Creek, Pa., who was convicted Thursday on charges of forgery, unauthorized practice of law and felony records tampering.

Ms. Kitchen, according to the Associated Press, had just made partner at a Huntingdon County-based law firm and had spent a decade working as a lawyer by the time the state attorney general's office brought charges against her a year ago.

Reports AP: