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"What do I need, to become a Lawyer"?
#lawyer #criminal-justice
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Kim’s Answer
Julian,
The short answer is that you need to get a 4 yr. college degree, pass a difficult test to be accepted to a law school (LSAT), go to law school for 3 years, and pass a very difficult bar exam to get licensed by the state that you want to practice in.
Beyond that, it takes a strong degree of motivation, an inquisitive nature, a willingness to put in long hours, an ability to stay current in the use of technology, which is used quite a bit in the practice of law, and good people skills,
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Fiona’s Answer
Study hard and get good grades!
Do some volunteering work or extra curricular activities to make yourself stand out.
There are many many different areas of law and they are vastly different. When you begin your degree, try to seize every opportunity to try out different areas of law - for example, you can apply to different internships with law firms (international firms will normally specialise in corporate / finance matters, whilst smaller firms may specialise in commercial / family / property matters), try out mini-pupillages with barrister chambers (I am not sure if the system applies where you are, but common law system will distinguish between solicitors and barristers). I started off thinking I would be suited for litigious work, but after one summer at barrister chambers, I discovered it is definitely not something I am suited to. I then applied for international firms and discovered that Banking and Finance is my area. Transactional work is very different to litigious work generally.
Be prepared to work hard. For the first six years of my career I was hardly ever home before mid night. It is tough because the learning curve in many areas is often very steep. But it does get much better after that and it is simply a stage that most lawyers have to go through. As a banking and finance lawyer, the learning curve was extremely steep and for me, this was highly rewarding.
Do some volunteering work or extra curricular activities to make yourself stand out.
There are many many different areas of law and they are vastly different. When you begin your degree, try to seize every opportunity to try out different areas of law - for example, you can apply to different internships with law firms (international firms will normally specialise in corporate / finance matters, whilst smaller firms may specialise in commercial / family / property matters), try out mini-pupillages with barrister chambers (I am not sure if the system applies where you are, but common law system will distinguish between solicitors and barristers). I started off thinking I would be suited for litigious work, but after one summer at barrister chambers, I discovered it is definitely not something I am suited to. I then applied for international firms and discovered that Banking and Finance is my area. Transactional work is very different to litigious work generally.
Be prepared to work hard. For the first six years of my career I was hardly ever home before mid night. It is tough because the learning curve in many areas is often very steep. But it does get much better after that and it is simply a stage that most lawyers have to go through. As a banking and finance lawyer, the learning curve was extremely steep and for me, this was highly rewarding.