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What classes should i be looking at to become a Lawyer or Homicide detective

Hello, my name is Cassie I'm in grade 9 I want to be a criminal lawyer or homicide detective, but I'm not sure what classes i should be taking.

law lawyer criminal-justice detective criminal-law homicide-detective
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Thomas’s Answer

Answer: The classes you should be looking at to become a homicide detective would include criminology, criminal justice, psychology, and sociology. To become a lawyer, you would need to complete an undergraduate degree in any discipline and then attend law school.
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Benjamin’s Answer

Please also wait for more help.(from another advisor, I am more Marketing/Finance centric) But for high school just take any electives that have to do Law. At my old school it was You and the Law. Intro to Business law. And other criminal justice classes. Ask your guidance counsellor to direct you to these classes. They should have a list of all the classes listed. Then you want to volunteer and get good grades. Maybe find a small intership/externship with a local small law office. Volunteer at places like that help also. You get to learn a bit and can put it on your resume later. Network and find people that can help. Family members, teachers. They can help connect you with potential businesses to intern or volunteer at. Make sure you are doing extra curricular activities. Sports, clubs(you can find some law-based clubs at your school). You want to make sure you are active and doing what you can to get to a good law college. For detective find interships with local police, maybe

Benjamin recommends the following next steps:

Here is a task. Search up on good "best colleges for law". Niche, US News, Forbes are all good websites to choose. Look for a school you potentially want to go to. Look at how it ranks and how it fits to your liking . DO you want to be in a city or closed off campus? Do you care if the food is good or not?(I cared... alot) ... Do not pick a school based on the fact that it is popular. Pick it based on the perfect fit, PERFECT PRICE POINT (remember you still Have to pay for law school, unless you are rich do not build up debt) Niche is a great website to show you ratings and reviews and how much it would be after aid
Start studying for that SAT. It is never to early to start studying. The better the score the better chances of getting into a school you want.
Pick a job, stick to it, and try to get promoted if possible. Do not keep job hopping. Save up money to pay for college
Make sure you are doing extra curricular activities
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Fred’s Answer

I'm not sure of the requirements in Australia, but in the US, to become a lawyer, you need to
a) get a bachelor's degree from an accredited university (generally 4 years)
b) go to law school and graduate (generally 3 years)
c) pass the bar exam - usually several months of studying
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Kim’s Answer

I have seen several cases that revolved around grammatical interpretation of statutes, and I was totally lost. Learn grammar! I also recommend Logic, and anything that forces you to do analytical thinking - higher math, for example. You'll get plenty of "law" classes later on - get a solid foundation while in HS. Also, writing classes. Legal writing is totally different, and you will learn it later. But develop strong skills at saying things clearly and concisely - important to both law and law enforcement. Don't skip over sciences and tech classes. Many cases involve those two areas. A good background in "everything" helps you to be able to learn later on whatever specialty info is needed for cases you are working on. Oh, and Latin vocabulary would help as well.

Law enforcement involves an understanding of culture. From the littlest of things . . . what happens when a couple goes out to eat and the waitress is more attentive to the man than the woman? The woman decides the tip. . . When a detective goes to a house and wants to talk to the mom, it might work better to ask the grandfather (who is also living there) if it would be okay, rather than just insisting on doing it. . . The more you understand these subtle cultural ways, the easier your job will be. Take a sociology class!

Homicide detectives start out as police officers. (at least in the US). Look at what is required on their website. Physical fitness standards usually involve strength, endurance, and flexibility. Develop all 3. Police academies are not easy. Perhaps get into sports. There are also things that can keep you out - like, getting in trouble. Have good relationships with everyone, including EX boyfriends. Safely guard your image on social media.

I know that's a lot. Basically, you really don't want to specialize in HS. Just get your feet wet. Also, look into getting into a Police Explorer program or Citizens Police Academy.

good luck!
Kim
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