how many years in college to be a lawyer

Attorney / Lawyer Salary

The average pay for an Attorney / Lawyer is $77,252 per year. Experience has a moderate effect on salary for this job. People in this job generally don't have more than 20 years' experience. Skills that are associated with high pay for this job are Intellectual Property (IP), Regulatory Compliance, Complex Litigation Case Management, Leadership, and Contract Negotiation.

Here is a link to follow, and I hope that this helps: http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Attorney_%2f_Lawyer/Salary

Job Description for Attorney / Lawyer

Attorneys apply the law to specific situations and advise their clients on a course of action based on legal rights and responsibilities. Some attorneys work in the business world, providing counsel to corporate clients on business transactions. Other attorneys work with persons in the legal system, advocating on their behalf and representing them in court actions.

Attorneys specialize in an area of law, such as contracts, criminal cases, or patent litigation. Most lawyers work in private practice, either self-employed or with a group of attorneys hired by clients for specific matters. Some lawyers work as in-house counsel for a corporation or government entity.

Since much of the legal system is time-sensitive, most attorneys must work long hours. Most attorneys work in an office environment, law library, or a courtroom setting.

Attorneys must complete many years of education; after attaining an undergraduate degree, they must complete a program, typically three years long, at a law school to obtain the juris doctorate degree (J.D.). To practice as an attorney, one must pass a lengthy, difficult examination that varies state by state. Attorneys must have excellent analytic ability and be able to interpret laws and legal rulings. They must be skilled at gathering and applying information, as well as be very detail-oriented, able to retain large amounts of information, and accurate in execution of their duties. Attorneys must have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and be able to generate persuasive arguments. They also must excel at problem-solving tasks.

Law schools typically require a bachelors degree which usually takes 4 years. Law school itself is generally a 3-year program. Hope this helps!

Nelson and Julie are both correct. The typical amount of time takes 7 total years, 4 years at a college or university and 3 years of grad-school. It is not unheard of for someone to complete this in 6 years if you seriously dedicate your time to your education. Just be very careful not to burn yourself out. Too many classes and too many hours of studying and reading can take its tole.

The best place to start is to research what kind of lawyer you want to be and look into what kind of bachelors degrees lawyers in that area typically get. Then looking into which schools offer programs in that industry.