Hayley
How many years does it take to obtain a Law degree?
I am interested in Law as a career but I know it will probably take about 4 years to get my bachelor's degree and then I'm estimated it will take about 2 more years to get my degree in law and pass the bar exam. I've been told that if I go this route, I'll be spending a lot of time my first few years doing research in law books instead of actually using my skills as an attorney. Is this what usually happens when someone first gets into the field of law?
#law
3 answers
Audrey Smith
Audrey’s Answer
Hi Hayley!
Great question! So there's a few things that I want to mention.
First, law school traditionally takes 3 years to complete. You can get it done in 2 and a half years, but I would not recommend trying to do it any faster than that, because law school is challenging and likely much more mentally and emotionally exhausting than undergrad for anyone, even those who excelled in undergrad.
Second, it is very true that law school is almost nothing like the actual practice of law. However, what law school does do, is it trains your mind to "think like a lawyer." I am a litigation attorney, which means all I do every day is work on active lawsuits. Even still, I spend a large percentage of my time researching specific questions of law. Further, about 90% of my time is spent reading or writing in some way, shape, or form.
Third, as to whether or not you will get to go to court, depositions, etc. a lot when you begin your legal career.... the answer is, that depends. If you begin your career as a prosecutor or public defender, for example, you will spend a lot of time in court early on. However, if you end up working in the "private sector," and by that I mean, not working for a governmental agency, you will likely not get to go to court for quite a while, because (and understandably) most private clients paying hundreds of dollars an hour for legal representation will want a more experienced lawyer to argue their cases in front of a judge.
As Kim rightly said earlier, very few cases actually go all the way to trial; however there are many opportunities to get out in public and advocate for your client before trial. This includes evidentiary hearings, depositions, mediations, case management hearings, etc. But again, normally most private clients will want a more experienced attorney representing them "out in public."
It is very important for all attorneys to "do their time" as a young attorney, or as I call myself, a lowly associate. You can learn an incredible amount from studying case law. And if you are the young associate that consistently brings your supervising partner the right case law to support their argument, you will likely see yourself being given more difficult tasks that will allow you to "flex" your legal muscles more quickly.
I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck in your future career, whatever it happens to be :)
-Audrey
Kim Igleheart
Kim’s Answer
Law School is normally three years.
What you will be doing upon graduation sort of depends on how large the firm is, and what kind of law they practice. A friend of mine is an attorney, and he has a solo practice, but brings new graduates in to help them get started. He has them doing everything.
I'm a bit confused when you talk about researching as if that somehow is not lawyer work. Many lawyers spend a lot of time in the books. Words have meanings, and, nothing is ever as clear as it would seem. For example: If the law says, "A person commits an offense if he gives a false name to a peace officer who has arrested him," what about when the arrested person gives a false name to the arresting officer's partner? The partner is not the one who made the arrest. ??? You can't simply argue based on what you think the law means. That will hurt your client, and you will face possible malpractice charges. So, you see if you can find a previous case where that issue was decided. Or, a similar case. You will need to know what search terms to use. That is the benefit of your education. A non-lawyer would not know there are possibly other interpretations of that simple sentence.
Or, perhaps you need to find a way to keep damaging evidence from being admitted at trial? Again, that takes research. You will also be doing a lot of writing. Very few cases go to trial. More and more are settling out of court, or in mediation.
It feels really good when you find the case law you need to support your position, and even better when it achieves the desired outcome!
I am not a lawyer, and don't know if there are certain lawyer jobs that are light on research. Hopefully an attorney will weigh-in and address that point.
I wish you the best!
Kim
Paul Goetzinger MPA
Paul’s Answer
*Four to five years for the bachelors.
*Three years for the Juris Doctorate degree.