Gashanti
Can you become a lawyer straight out of college ?
After finishing four years of college,three years of law school, and taking the LSAT can you become a lawyer straight out of college when you've graduated or do you have to wait a couple of years after college to pursue your career as a lawyer ?
3 answers
Phi Nguyen
Phi’s Answer
After college (4 years) and taking the LSAT you go to law school. You finish law school (3 years) and then take the bar exam. You wait about 4 months for the results and if you pass you are a lawyer/attorney. Then you can legally start practicing as a lawyer after you are sworn in (a ceremony that takes place shortly after you pass the bar and complete a background check). Some people work in law firms, some take government attorney jobs (city attorney, district attorney, public defender for example), some work as judicial clerks, and some start their own firms or practices. Hope this helps!
Hi Phi! Thank you so much for the amazing advice you provided to Gashanti above. I too am interested in pursuing a legal profession and had a few additional questions I wanted to ask:
1. As an attorney yourself, what did your career path look like? Anything you wish you would've done differently?
2. Of the potential roles you discussed, the clerkship stands out as an interesting possibility. I've clerked with a federal judge in the past but wanted to know what types of students usually take such a path out of law school?
Thank you so much in advance.
Cheers,
David
David Ohta
COACH
Amyn Thawer
Amyn’s Answer
As other posters have noted, you need to take the bar exam in the state that you wish to practice. Once you pass, you are a bona fide attorney. At this point, you can hang out your own shingle and practice or work at a firm, government agency, etc. as an associate learning the ropes from more senior attorneys. Either way, you're considered the real deal.
Conor Myhrvold
Conor’s Answer
You usually have to wait a couple of years to have complete autonomy over your workday, in other words, not being someone else's assistant. After law school you become an Associate or some other assistant and you work with more experienced lawyers to who will "show you the ropes" and how to go about doing a particular legal job, like being in a district attorney's office or corporate law firm, etc.