What kinds of schooling do you need to have to become a lawyer?
To become a lawyer, what kinds of schooling do you have to go through in college, and how many years does it usually take, and what’s the average price? And what courses do your recommend taking in high school, if you plan on going to college to be a lawyer?
Tags: Become, kinds, Lawyer, need, schooling
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you need a law degree. after you complete 4 years of college in whatever major you want, you then apply to law school and this is 3 more years of intense studying. after that you can attempt to pass the bar exam in whatever state you want to be a lawyer in and if you pass you are then legally licensed to practice law in that state. cost is really variable depending on where you go. i went to a state school for undergraduate on a scholarship so i only had about $10,000 in loans when i STARTED law school. right now i’m looking at about $120,000 in loans to complete my degree so about 130,000 total. this can be on the low end as i go to the state school and pay in-state tuition. for comparision i almost went to a school where i would pay out of state tuition and it would have been closer to $200,000.
long story short yo have a long time to think about it, but it is very expensive. what to do now is just get good grades from right now all the way through college
if you have any more questions the this website is helpful: lsac.org. it is run by the law school admissions council and has great information
good luck!
Your high school courses do not matter. All you need is to get into the best college possible.
You can major in anything you want in college, within reason. Tons of law students are political science majors, but you’ll be a lot more marketable with a hard science degree. Take a few economics courses (which will only help you in any career, not just law) and make sure you’ve got a really solid writing background. Being a poor writer will kill you in law school. Keep your GPA up as high as possible – schools look at your GPA and LSAT score primarily when determining admissions.
Law school is very expensive, although there are great scholarships available from the lower-ranked schools for higher-ranked students. The average law student graduates with $100,000 in debt and only earns about $65,000 a year upon graduation. Not many people make the crazy amounts of money people always talk about.
All in all, it’s not a decision that should be made lightly. Law school is expensive, difficult, and stressful. But worry about finishing high school and college first, and then you can deal with grad school.
In the USA, to become a Lawyer, IF you go to school full-time:
1) Bachelor’s degree – four years from a traditional college/university.
2) Study for LSAT. Take LSAT.
3) Law school – three MORE years.
4) Study for Bar Exam. Take Bar Exam in the state where you want to practice.
5) Pass the Character and Fitness Evaluation. Then you can practice Law.
BUT……..
6) You still have to take classes/seminars etc. to obtain CEUs to keep your license to practice Law. (You aren’t done with school!)
Choosing a career is one of life’s most important and difficult decisions.
We simply already have way too many Legal Professionals. AND the legal profession is dramatically changing; it is in absolute CRISIS!! Job searching in this vocational field has changed >>DRAMATICALLY< < in the last five years. And, every year, more and more people graduate from law school, but there are fewer and fewer jobs. Even the largest and most reputable law firms are experiencing unprecedented cutbacks. I don't expect the situation to improve in the coming years.....
Be aware of what you are proposing on getting yourself into. Please do more research first. Reminder: We are STILL in a World-wide Recession. Consider career paths that have available JOBS.<<< Even in a Recovery, there are some jobs that just won't return - the field of Law won't make a comeback. Too many things have changed.
Warning> Jobs in the field of Law are drying up fast!! This no longer is a good field to invest time and/or money into. This is a SHRINKING, crumbling, and dying vocational field. Many, many reasons. We now have computers. So, many people today (mistakenly) think they can do their own legal work, thanks to the Internet and legal books. Also, there are a lot of companies out there making very efficient legal software for the field of Law. Today’s graduating lawyers tend to be very computer savvy, so they just do the work themselves to save themselves the cost of overhead. Also, the “Public” buys this legal software and law books in order to get legal work done without the cost of an Attorney. Also, we simply already have way too many Legal Professionals – we just have an absolute glut!! (“Legal Professionals” includes, but is not limited to: Attorneys/Lawyers, Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc)
Sites like legalzoom.com have taken away work that many small-time attorneys/lawyers would do/used to do.
The field of Law has a mystique that actually exceeds reality. The field of Law is an overrated career – mostly by television.< < There are many myths regarding the field of Law: *myth: working as a Lawyer is mentally challenging (Actually, most work as an attorney involves mountains of routine paperwork: research, cite checking, drafting documents, and document review. Attorneys need to write down and track EVERY activity they do, all day long [in 6 to 15 minutes increments, depending on the billing system] - a painstaking but necessary task), *myth: being an attorney is thrilling, high-powered, and glamorous (remember: television is FICTION - the fictional lawyers on TV are ACTORS - the majority of work that an attorney does, does not happen in a courtroom), *myth: law students think that because they are good at arguing they will become great attorneys (actually being a great attorney is more in one's ability to mediate between differing sides and bringing them to agreement/compromise), *myth: as a lawyer I can correct injustices (actually legal decisions are more about reaching compromises than about right vs. wrong), *myth: guaranteed financial success (actually when salaries are compared, you also need to account for cost-of living expenses [most large law firms are in large cities - the bigger the city, the more cost-of-living expenses will be], payment of debts accrued while attending law school, and time needed to build a client base. Many large law firms require lawyers to work 60-80 hours per week.).
Cost of law school to be lawyer, approx $150,000+. Be prepared to take on a LOT of debt, if becoming an attorney is your "true", ultimate goal!!<<<<<<<<<
There are no jobs in this vocational field. My family, coworkers, friends, acqaintances, etc. have been laid off left and right in this vocational field.
Employers (usually law firms) in the field of Law today want employees with degrees from traditional colleges/universities. Those "certificates" you see advertised aren't worth the paper they are printed on - they are generally scams. (>>I found this out the hard way.) Also, the law school’s program needs to be accredited by the American Bar Association – if it isn’t, you are just wasting your time/money.
Even if you finish law school, you won’t be able to find a job when you are done. Since this vocational field is shrinking (at an alarming rate), many new attorneys/lawyers are, themselves, having to work “down” as Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc, to simply try to keep some of their bills paid <
Now... the law schools know this, but they won't tell you the truth >that the job market/economy is just SATURATED with way too many Legal Professionals. Instead the schools will feed you a fairytale and will LIE to you. The root of the problem is we already have too many law schools. We are STILL in a Recession, and the schools are fighting for their own survival – they will tell students anything to get to the students’ money. (Which is why they won’t tell you the truth about the job market for the field of Law.) And these schools continue to recruit and churn out even more graduates………….Remember>>> law schools are BUSINESSES – their TOP concern is making money for themselves.
>>>>>THE MOST IMPORTANT THING (and I can’t stress this enough>>>): You ESPECIALLY have to beware of the bogus, inflated law school salary/job stats given out by law schools AND by the U.S. Bureau of Labor!!!****< <<<<
If you don't believe me, then just do a SEARCH here on Yahoo Answers to see what other posters are saying about the current status of the field of Law. Call some local law firms - ask to speak to the Manager of Human Resources - ask them if they are hiring; ask them what they think about future job availability in the field of Law..................
In the book "So You Want to be a Lawyer?" by Marianne Calabrese and Susanne Calabrese (ISBN 0-88391-136-1): "The United States has more lawyers than any other country in the world. About 38,000 students graduate >each year< from the 200+ law schools in the United States. The competition is very keen for jobs and clients." - Even Associate Justice Antonin Scalia (who served on the U.S. Supreme Court for more than 20 years) says there are too many lawyers. (9/14/2008)
Check out these websites: http://informeddecisionmaking.blogspot.com
http://calicocat.com/2004/08/law-school-big-lie.html
http://abajournal.com/news/triplt_bad_news_for_law_students_three_firms_aX_summer_associate_programs/
http://abajournal.com/news/as_rio_tinto_saves_millions_other_corps_will_outsource_too_counsel_says/
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/02/03/dont-try-to-dodge-the-recession-with-grad-school/
http://lawschoolscam.blogspot.com
http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/02/another-view-lock-the-law-school-doors/?ref=business
http://media.www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2009/09/15/News/Law-Students.Face.Tough.Job.Market-3771810.shtml
http://thirdtierreality.blogspot.com/
http://beingaparalegalsucks.blogspot.com/
(A link to a website does not constitute endorsement.)
If you want a job when you are done with your studies, consider and look into the fields of: >>>Healthcare, Information Technology, Law ENFORCEMENT, environmentalism, emergency planning, accounting, education, entertainment, utilities, home-car-commercial-industrial repairs, vice industries, clergy, and/or debt collection. I spoke to a career counselor from Jobs and Family Services, and HE told me that these areas are where the jobs are, and future job opportunities/availability….and scholarships.
Good luck.
(This is based on my current knowledge, information, belief, and life experiences. This was intended as personal opinion, and not intended to be used as legal advice. Please be careful and do your research.<<< You DID ask the question here on Y/A. I am just trying to help you.)