2 answers
Luke
Student
Wayne, New Jersey
1
Question
Updated
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"What" would you say is the hardest part of law school How was your experience up to know in your legal career, and why did you choose to enter the legal field. ?
Hi I am interested in entering the legal field and just wanted to ask a couple of questions above. I love reading, writing, and public speaking/ communication so the legal field really interests me. I hope you can give me some insight into more about what being a lawyer requires.
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2 answers
Joseph Maltby
Analysis and Management
23
Answers
Richmond, VA
Updated
Joseph’s Answer
As far as law school goes, a good piece of advice I got when I was in college was: "It's not that the work is too hard, it's that there's so much more of it." It takes a while to adjust to how law school asks you to think and how much material you need to review and then what you need to do changes as you move out of pure classwork and into various forms of practical education. A good set of study habits, a good study group, and good time management skills will all help you. Maybe the most important thing is to be aware and flexible, so you can see what's working and not working in different situations and adjust. You can't assume that what worked in college, or even what works in one class, will work elsewhere.
As far as a legal career goes, I would echo the advice that you should talk to some lawyers in different fields and learn how their day looks and what strengths they need in their work. Plus, everyone will have different pet peeves about their field. Despite what you see on TV, there are many kinds of people with many kinds of personalities doing many kinds of legal work. You could also try and volunteer in the field now to see what it looks like. Better to know before you invest in law school and any experience you get can guide you there. The reality is that for every exciting moment in law, or every person you help, you will be dealing with quite a bit of reading, writing, and paperwork.
My general advice for aspiring lawyers is to be sure you want to actually practice law of some sort, even if you're never in a court room. While some people, including myself, have a degree and don't practice, the days where a legal degree was a good all-purpose choice for a smart liberal arts major are over. You need to know the benefits for you are worth the costs. You could also consider becoming a paralegal first to explore the field and earn income with less up-front investment.
As far as a legal career goes, I would echo the advice that you should talk to some lawyers in different fields and learn how their day looks and what strengths they need in their work. Plus, everyone will have different pet peeves about their field. Despite what you see on TV, there are many kinds of people with many kinds of personalities doing many kinds of legal work. You could also try and volunteer in the field now to see what it looks like. Better to know before you invest in law school and any experience you get can guide you there. The reality is that for every exciting moment in law, or every person you help, you will be dealing with quite a bit of reading, writing, and paperwork.
My general advice for aspiring lawyers is to be sure you want to actually practice law of some sort, even if you're never in a court room. While some people, including myself, have a degree and don't practice, the days where a legal degree was a good all-purpose choice for a smart liberal arts major are over. You need to know the benefits for you are worth the costs. You could also consider becoming a paralegal first to explore the field and earn income with less up-front investment.
Jerry Tingstad
Professor/middle school teacher/48 years
118
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Jerry’s Answer
The hardest part of law school is the intensity, the amount of work, and learning a"new" language.
And since you love reading, writing and public speaking you could be a natural, provided again, you are not afraid of work.
Do you know any lawyers? You may be able to spend a few minutes with one or two or more and ask them about their law school experience, but be ready with pertinent questions.
"Is there a law school in your area? If so, visit it. Maybe sit in on some first year classes and talk to some of the students.
I think your best asset is you are most eager.
And since you love reading, writing and public speaking you could be a natural, provided again, you are not afraid of work.
Do you know any lawyers? You may be able to spend a few minutes with one or two or more and ask them about their law school experience, but be ready with pertinent questions.
"Is there a law school in your area? If so, visit it. Maybe sit in on some first year classes and talk to some of the students.
I think your best asset is you are most eager.