2 answers
Graciela
Student
Castroville, CA
16
Questions
Asked
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Prosecution Lawyer/Lawyers questions?
Prosecution lawyers/ lawyers I have a couple of questions for that career.
What skills prepared you for this job?
What were the steps that you took in order to get to that job?
What made you stand out above other applicants?
It would also be appreciated if you can leave your name, your job title, and what company you work for. Thank you.
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2 answers
Kim Igleheart
Career Counselor | Police Officer
1738
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Graciela,
Not every career takes a linear path from HS to college to law school to working as a lawyer.
I was not a lawyer, but, I ended up doing consulting on some pretty important Civil Rights cases, including custodial death cases.
My path was as follows:
1, BA, Sociology
2. law enforcement - 25 years
3. retired/filed lawsuit against police department for EEOC violations - 5 years (from start to finish!)
4. went to work freelance for my attorney (in Texas) - 5 years
5. joined a nat'l police group that works on civil rights cases
6. obtained consulting work with other attorneys - including one case in California, one in NY (great work from home job!)
There are many police officers who become lawyers. Many paralegals who become lawyers.
I am now totally retired, so, there's no job title. I used to call myself an Open Records Specialist, however, I did much more than just obtain records. I did document review (boring, but you can find some interesting stuff if you look hard enough), wrote deposition outlines, etc. Also watched hours and hours of dashcam videos of police use of force incidents. I enjoyed the work I was doing, and, honestly, it felt great to have the respect of a top-notch attorney!
Not every career takes a linear path from HS to college to law school to working as a lawyer.
I was not a lawyer, but, I ended up doing consulting on some pretty important Civil Rights cases, including custodial death cases.
My path was as follows:
1, BA, Sociology
2. law enforcement - 25 years
3. retired/filed lawsuit against police department for EEOC violations - 5 years (from start to finish!)
4. went to work freelance for my attorney (in Texas) - 5 years
5. joined a nat'l police group that works on civil rights cases
6. obtained consulting work with other attorneys - including one case in California, one in NY (great work from home job!)
There are many police officers who become lawyers. Many paralegals who become lawyers.
I am now totally retired, so, there's no job title. I used to call myself an Open Records Specialist, however, I did much more than just obtain records. I did document review (boring, but you can find some interesting stuff if you look hard enough), wrote deposition outlines, etc. Also watched hours and hours of dashcam videos of police use of force incidents. I enjoyed the work I was doing, and, honestly, it felt great to have the respect of a top-notch attorney!
This was super helpful, thank you!
Graciela
Hannah Boylen
Full-time Litigation Paralegal, Part-time law student
11
Answers
Akron, Ohio
Updated
Hannah’s Answer
I believe what made me stand out to law schools were my grades, extracurricular activities, and undergrad degree.
First, law school is hard work, so it is important you show law school admission teams that you were willing to put in the hard work before being accepted into a school. Exceptional grades and a high LSAT score alone will not get you into law school. Everyone around you will be just as smart, if not smarter, as you. Therefore, while these numbers are important for scholarships, you must find other ways of standing out.
Second, I played tennis and obtained leadership roles while pursing my undergrad degree. Law schools love seeing potential students be involved with their peers and organizations because as an attorney, you have the ability to enhance or your community through the work you will do.
Lastly, I pursued a degree in paralegal studies. I began school as a political science major, but I soon realized my employment options would be limited. Therefore, I changed to a degree that would provide more job security. I now work as a litigation paralegal in Beachwood, Ohio along with attending law school part-time. I had a bit of an edge over some students first starting because I had taken legal electives, I briefed cases, and I knew how to read court opinions.
I took a more traditional route entering law school. I attended undergrad, took the LSAT my junior year, and applied to three schools my last semester or school.
Finally, the top three skills I would recommend you work on are networking, writing, and researching. I would say these are the three skills that have helped me the most thus far.
First, law school is hard work, so it is important you show law school admission teams that you were willing to put in the hard work before being accepted into a school. Exceptional grades and a high LSAT score alone will not get you into law school. Everyone around you will be just as smart, if not smarter, as you. Therefore, while these numbers are important for scholarships, you must find other ways of standing out.
Second, I played tennis and obtained leadership roles while pursing my undergrad degree. Law schools love seeing potential students be involved with their peers and organizations because as an attorney, you have the ability to enhance or your community through the work you will do.
Lastly, I pursued a degree in paralegal studies. I began school as a political science major, but I soon realized my employment options would be limited. Therefore, I changed to a degree that would provide more job security. I now work as a litigation paralegal in Beachwood, Ohio along with attending law school part-time. I had a bit of an edge over some students first starting because I had taken legal electives, I briefed cases, and I knew how to read court opinions.
I took a more traditional route entering law school. I attended undergrad, took the LSAT my junior year, and applied to three schools my last semester or school.
Finally, the top three skills I would recommend you work on are networking, writing, and researching. I would say these are the three skills that have helped me the most thus far.