Question: I am in high school and think I want to study to become a lawyer. I don't know too much about it besides some of the research I have done, but I am at the point where I need to start thinking and choosing a career path I want to follow in and being a lawyer is the current direction I am heading towards. Question is, what are some things I should know before I commit myself to this career? Any tips or facts you can share with me from experience?
Answer: The most important thing you should know is that a career in law is an ongoing learning experience. When I was a litigation attorney, I had to spend weeks, sometimes months, learning new things that were relevant to the particular case. On the other hand of course, fields such as immigration law follow more of a fixed path, but still the ability to learn and react to situations as they come is is very important. Really any four year degree can get you into a law school. What they are looking for in a candidate is that they have demonstrated the ability to focus on a subject, learned it very well, and are able to apply it (which is what being a lawyer is all about).
However depending on the type of law you intend to practice, certain four year
degrees are more useful than others. Social and political sciences are popular
choices, as well as the obvious pre-law. Don't worry about the particular school
either. For some reason a lot of people have it in their minds that to be a
successful lawyer you have to go to an Ivy League school.
This isn't true at
all. If anything, save money throughout college to pay for a better law school
if you want, thought I went to UMN and found that this made no difference
whatsoever in finding a job compared to my Ivy League-alumni friends. Finally,
law can be a very profitable profession, but it also involves a lot of hard
work. Expect to be working well out of office hours, on weekends, during holiday
breaks (though as you work at your discretion, you never do have to work on
actual holidays), etc. It's really the kind of career where you reap what you
sow, so be prepared to work really hard. Best of luck to you in what I think is
one of the most diverse and worthwhile careers out there!
Question: I am wondering how long it takes one to become a
lawyer, and a specifically a District Attorney. Any information would help.
Answer: A district attorney is an elected county official. The people you see in court are called assistant district attorneys. My county others vary: You do not say where you are starting from. You have to graduate from high school first. If you go to college for 4 years and law school for 3 years you then have to pass the state bar test.
Question: I am wondering how long it takes one to become a
lawyer, and a specifically a District Attorney. Any information would help. Answer: A district attorney is an elected county official. The people you see in court are called assistant district attorneys. My county others vary: You do not say where you are starting from. You have to graduate from high school first. If you go to college for 4 years and law school for 3 years you then have to pass the state bar test.
Many do not make it on the first
or even the second try. Once you have passed the bar you can become and
assistant district attorney if while you where in law school you also interned
with the office. You start out researching appeals normally. Then after a year
or so you work with a trial assistant (a ADA assigned as first chair (lead
attorney) to a judge/courtroom in reviewing police requests for felony charges
and approving them. Then after a couple of months doing that you may get
assigned to an outlying court under the supervision of another ADA. If your good
or can raise money for the re-eletion of the current DA you can get assigned to
a trail courtroom as a 3rd chair.
Question: I'm aware of the sad stories of lawyers, but I
must ask about those people who graduate from a top law school. Aren't these the
people who actually have a good (not okay) but good chance of becoming lawyers?
Answer: In most states (all but Wisconsin, I believe) you have to pass the bar in order to be a lawyer. The bar passage rate for "top schools" is not always higher than for other schools; most of it has to do with how the person approached law school and how well they prepared for the exam. "Passing the bar is a series of essays asking how a prospective atty would handle some cases."
Question: I'm aware of the sad stories of lawyers, but I
must ask about those people who graduate from a top law school. Aren't these the
people who actually have a good (not okay) but good chance of becoming lawyers? Answer: In most states (all but Wisconsin, I believe) you have to pass the bar in order to be a lawyer. The bar passage rate for "top schools" is not always higher than for other schools; most of it has to do with how the person approached law school and how well they prepared for the exam. "Passing the bar is a series of essays asking how a prospective atty would handle some cases."
This statement from above is not
necessarily accurate. In 48 states, one day consists of 300 multiple choice
questions, and one or more day consists of essays; the essays are not always
about how one would "handle some cases." Just to clarify what that person was
talking about when offering you a job:
When one goes to law school one earns a
JD (Juris Doctor.) That is when most people take the bar because those three
years are when people study the information that is tested on the bar. An LLD is
essentially a Master's in a particular field of law. That is very very often
done by people who have already passed the bar.
The longer you wait after
earning your JD the harder it will be to prepare for the bar. The "job offer"
above is by someone who is pretending to know what they are talking about, and
who generally lists himself as a real estate agent, not a business consultant.
Not that there's anything wrong with real estate, but that's likely why they are
misinformed about the process of becoming a
lawyer.
Question: I have a law degree from England, how can I
qualify as a lawyer in Texas, USA. What are the steps to take on to becoming
a lawyer, as already have a law degree?
Answer: You can either do three years at Law School in the US, get a JD and then take the Texas Bar exam or qualify as a solicitor in the UK and then take the Bar exam as a foreign lawyer. Take a look http://www.ble.state.tx.us/atty_fgn/main_attyfgn.htm Somewhat scary that you have a Law degree but cannot use Google.
Question: I want to become a lawyer. Is there a way the army will pay for this? I am fine with a contract after school.
Answer: to be a lawyer you have to be an officer in the army with a college degree.
Question: I know someone who has been convicted of domestic violence, while in law school. Will this affect their future of becoming a lawyer?
Answer: Yes, criminals of all types become lawyers. But it really depends on the state Bar rules in his state.
Question: I've heard some negative points such as the hours
are very difficult, the job is stressful, it is hard to make alot of money,
there aren't many job openings etc. So why do people want their children to
become lawyers? I thought it was a good job when I started aspiring into this
career, yet all I've heard so far are the negatives. Am I still heading towards
the right path? I would like to become a corporate lawyer some day.
Answer: It's really not. There's a huge glut and many can't get jobs. The debt load is huge - even for a Tier III and under school. If you don't get a "Big Law" job, how do you pay those loans? Sure, if you get into a Tier I, you'll get a job, but you'll work days, nights, weekends and holidays. And, unless you're a rain-maker, you won't make partner. Get a job in a law firm before you commit. See what's what from the inside.
Question: I have a law degree from England, how can I
qualify as a lawyer in Texas, USA. What are the steps to take on to becoming
a lawyer, as already have a law degree? Answer: You can either do three years at Law School in the US, get a JD and then take the Texas Bar exam or qualify as a solicitor in the UK and then take the Bar exam as a foreign lawyer. Take a look http://www.ble.state.tx.us/atty_fgn/main_attyfgn.htm Somewhat scary that you have a Law degree but cannot use Google.
Question: I want to become a lawyer. Is there a way the army will pay for this? I am fine with a contract after school.
Answer: to be a lawyer you have to be an officer in the army with a college degree.
Question: I know someone who has been convicted of domestic violence, while in law school. Will this affect their future of becoming a lawyer?
Answer: Yes, criminals of all types become lawyers. But it really depends on the state Bar rules in his state.
Question: I've heard some negative points such as the hours
are very difficult, the job is stressful, it is hard to make alot of money,
there aren't many job openings etc. So why do people want their children to
become lawyers? I thought it was a good job when I started aspiring into this
career, yet all I've heard so far are the negatives. Am I still heading towards
the right path? I would like to become a corporate lawyer some day. Answer: It's really not. There's a huge glut and many can't get jobs. The debt load is huge - even for a Tier III and under school. If you don't get a "Big Law" job, how do you pay those loans? Sure, if you get into a Tier I, you'll get a job, but you'll work days, nights, weekends and holidays. And, unless you're a rain-maker, you won't make partner. Get a job in a law firm before you commit. See what's what from the inside.
