4 answers
Karen
Student
Anaheim, California
1
Question
Updated
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What are specific college classes like for someone pursuing law or wanting to become a lawyer?
I am currently in the Young Congressional Leaders Program where I am learning about government and some aspects of law. I also took Saturday classes at UCI specifically focusing on what lawyers do. Throughout these programs, I still haven't gotten a clear image or idea about what courses to take in college or what they might be about. #Fall24
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4 answers
Amber Lee
Tax Associate
40
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Amber’s Answer
Hi Karen,
I went through law school so I can probably shed some light on this. It's great that you're involved in the Young Congressional Leaders Program and taking classes at UCI to learn about the legal field. I'm not sure how familiar you are with the process of actually getting to law school, so I'm going to just give you a summary here.
In the U.S., you're generally required to get a Bachelor's degree prior to applying to law school. The reason why you might not have a clear image of what you should take in college is that there's no requirement to take any specific classes at all in order to go to law school. Put it another way, it does not matter what major you pick, though certain degrees might give you a slight advantage during your first year in law school. For example, PoliSci and History are both popular undergraduate degrees for law students. From my observation, these folks tend to have an easier time getting used to reading legal cases just because they've had a lot of practice reading dense texts during their undergraduate years. Some knowledge in U.S. history would also be very helpful since you'll be required to take Constitutional Law during your first year of law school.
But, as mentioned earlier, you are free to major in a subject you're interested in, and it may not even have anything to do with law. I've met people who majored in mathematics, music, and biology. If I recall correctly, these people went on to become a law clerk to a federal judge, a construction litigator, and a patent attorney. So don't worry about picking the right major while in undergrad, I would just encourage you to take classes with emphasis on critical reading, writing, and communication. It might also make sense to major in something practical that could serve as a backup plan in case you decide against going to law school.
Once you get to law school, you'll be required to take doctrinal classes during your first year (you don't get to pick the classes). Some examples include tort, criminal law, constitutional law, property, contracts, and civil procedure. Depending on the school, you'll probably be required to take legal writing and research classes during your first year as well. Again, you do not need to have prior knowledge in any of these to succeed in law school. I speak from experience as I went to law school with 0 legal background (I was in the arts and humanities and had no idea what a motion was when I first started).
I hope that was helpful! Best of luck.
I went through law school so I can probably shed some light on this. It's great that you're involved in the Young Congressional Leaders Program and taking classes at UCI to learn about the legal field. I'm not sure how familiar you are with the process of actually getting to law school, so I'm going to just give you a summary here.
In the U.S., you're generally required to get a Bachelor's degree prior to applying to law school. The reason why you might not have a clear image of what you should take in college is that there's no requirement to take any specific classes at all in order to go to law school. Put it another way, it does not matter what major you pick, though certain degrees might give you a slight advantage during your first year in law school. For example, PoliSci and History are both popular undergraduate degrees for law students. From my observation, these folks tend to have an easier time getting used to reading legal cases just because they've had a lot of practice reading dense texts during their undergraduate years. Some knowledge in U.S. history would also be very helpful since you'll be required to take Constitutional Law during your first year of law school.
But, as mentioned earlier, you are free to major in a subject you're interested in, and it may not even have anything to do with law. I've met people who majored in mathematics, music, and biology. If I recall correctly, these people went on to become a law clerk to a federal judge, a construction litigator, and a patent attorney. So don't worry about picking the right major while in undergrad, I would just encourage you to take classes with emphasis on critical reading, writing, and communication. It might also make sense to major in something practical that could serve as a backup plan in case you decide against going to law school.
Once you get to law school, you'll be required to take doctrinal classes during your first year (you don't get to pick the classes). Some examples include tort, criminal law, constitutional law, property, contracts, and civil procedure. Depending on the school, you'll probably be required to take legal writing and research classes during your first year as well. Again, you do not need to have prior knowledge in any of these to succeed in law school. I speak from experience as I went to law school with 0 legal background (I was in the arts and humanities and had no idea what a motion was when I first started).
I hope that was helpful! Best of luck.
Deeshani Batra
Software Engineer
69
Answers
Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Updated
Deeshani’s Answer
Hey, In college, if you're pursuing law, you'll start with foundational courses like Introduction to Law, Political Science, and Ethics, which teach you about the legal system and how laws are made. You’ll also take Legal Writing and Research courses to learn how to draft legal documents and research cases. As you progress, you’ll dive into more specific subjects like Criminal Law, Contracts, and Constitutional Law. Many law students also study History and Philosophy to understand the bigger picture behind laws. Depending on your interests, courses in Public Policy or Economics might be helpful too.
Michael Torio
Consultant - Data Reporting & Analysis (HQ Finance)
361
Answers
Alpharetta, Georgia
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Hi Karen:
While in high school, one will need to focus on science and math classes to prepare for a career in law. Chemistry and biology will be the core science courses. For math, algebra, calculus and statistics will be needed. Other classes to take will be English, social studies, and American history and government. The combination of these concentrations will enable you to focus and refine your analytical skills for research; complex problem solving; investigative and innovative critical thinking; attention to detail; etc.
Other skills that will need to be built upon center around team building, team work and communication. In any work culture, collaboration among team members, staff and partner departments occur on a daily basis. As a Lawyer, communication is essential and critical when dealing with clients, legal staff, law enforcement, etc. A college course in public speaking, communications and English will help with one's communication and writing skills. While in high school, the debate team will provide the opportunity to sharpen communication skills which are backed with research and factual data and information.
The educational pathway to become a lawyer will be between 7-8 years. 4 Years will be to earn a Bachelor Degree. LSAT entrance exam will need to be taken. Law school will be 2-3 years to earn a Juris Doctor Degree. Then, there is the bar exam to take, to pass and to be earned in the state where you plan to practice law.
According to U.S. News & World Report, here is a link to the Best Colleges and Universities for Law school:
- Stanford University
- Yale University
- University of Chicago
- University of Pennsylvania (Carey)
- Duke University
- Harvard University
- New York University
- Columbia University
- University of Virginia
- Northwestern University (Pritzker)
- University of California (Berkeley)
- University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
- Cornell University
https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/law-rankings
When reviewing colleges and universities, it is best to check the following:
- In-State vs Out of State Tuition
- Internships
- Scholarships
- Career Placement upon graduation
- Course work and offered classes
- Post-Graduate Degrees - Master and Doctoral
There will be a application fee to pay for when submitting college applications. The amount of application fee will depend on the college that you are applying to. If there are questions about the college application process, please reach out to the college's Registrar Office.
College and scholarship applications can start to be submitted during your Junior year and will continue throughout your Senior year in high school. It is best to ask your Academic Advisor/School Counselor on the timeline process as well. College and scholarship applications will have specific deadlines and requirements to meet in order to be submitted for review and consideration.
You may want to start to compile your resume/portfolio since a majority of college and scholarship applications will require academic grade point average (GPA), academic accomplishments, school activities (clubs, sports, etc.), community involvement (volunteer, church, etc.), academic and personal recommendations, etc. There may be essay requirements on why you are a qualified candidate to receive the scholarship and to gain entry to the college of your choice, what your future goals are academically and professionally and other questions centering around who you are, your beliefs, etc.
Here are a couple of links for College Scholarships:
https://www.mometrix.com/blog/scholarships-for-college/
https://www.nchchonors.org/students/awards-scholarships/national-scholarships
Also, it will be best to check with the colleges and universities that you will be applying to. You can check with the School/Department of your desired major, the Campus Career Center and the Register's Office for additional information for college scholarships and grants and specific requirements for qualifications.
There should be no limit on the amount of scholarships that one can apply to. It will take time to fill out the scholarship applications and provide all of the necessary required information. Also, there should no fee and no cost to fill out and submit scholarship applications. If there is a fee or cost that is associated with a scholarship application, then please do not send this particular scholarship application in. It will be a scam and money will be lost.
Best wishes for your education and career path as a Lawyer!
While in high school, one will need to focus on science and math classes to prepare for a career in law. Chemistry and biology will be the core science courses. For math, algebra, calculus and statistics will be needed. Other classes to take will be English, social studies, and American history and government. The combination of these concentrations will enable you to focus and refine your analytical skills for research; complex problem solving; investigative and innovative critical thinking; attention to detail; etc.
Other skills that will need to be built upon center around team building, team work and communication. In any work culture, collaboration among team members, staff and partner departments occur on a daily basis. As a Lawyer, communication is essential and critical when dealing with clients, legal staff, law enforcement, etc. A college course in public speaking, communications and English will help with one's communication and writing skills. While in high school, the debate team will provide the opportunity to sharpen communication skills which are backed with research and factual data and information.
The educational pathway to become a lawyer will be between 7-8 years. 4 Years will be to earn a Bachelor Degree. LSAT entrance exam will need to be taken. Law school will be 2-3 years to earn a Juris Doctor Degree. Then, there is the bar exam to take, to pass and to be earned in the state where you plan to practice law.
According to U.S. News & World Report, here is a link to the Best Colleges and Universities for Law school:
- Stanford University
- Yale University
- University of Chicago
- University of Pennsylvania (Carey)
- Duke University
- Harvard University
- New York University
- Columbia University
- University of Virginia
- Northwestern University (Pritzker)
- University of California (Berkeley)
- University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
- Cornell University
https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/law-rankings
When reviewing colleges and universities, it is best to check the following:
- In-State vs Out of State Tuition
- Internships
- Scholarships
- Career Placement upon graduation
- Course work and offered classes
- Post-Graduate Degrees - Master and Doctoral
There will be a application fee to pay for when submitting college applications. The amount of application fee will depend on the college that you are applying to. If there are questions about the college application process, please reach out to the college's Registrar Office.
College and scholarship applications can start to be submitted during your Junior year and will continue throughout your Senior year in high school. It is best to ask your Academic Advisor/School Counselor on the timeline process as well. College and scholarship applications will have specific deadlines and requirements to meet in order to be submitted for review and consideration.
You may want to start to compile your resume/portfolio since a majority of college and scholarship applications will require academic grade point average (GPA), academic accomplishments, school activities (clubs, sports, etc.), community involvement (volunteer, church, etc.), academic and personal recommendations, etc. There may be essay requirements on why you are a qualified candidate to receive the scholarship and to gain entry to the college of your choice, what your future goals are academically and professionally and other questions centering around who you are, your beliefs, etc.
Here are a couple of links for College Scholarships:
https://www.mometrix.com/blog/scholarships-for-college/
https://www.nchchonors.org/students/awards-scholarships/national-scholarships
Also, it will be best to check with the colleges and universities that you will be applying to. You can check with the School/Department of your desired major, the Campus Career Center and the Register's Office for additional information for college scholarships and grants and specific requirements for qualifications.
There should be no limit on the amount of scholarships that one can apply to. It will take time to fill out the scholarship applications and provide all of the necessary required information. Also, there should no fee and no cost to fill out and submit scholarship applications. If there is a fee or cost that is associated with a scholarship application, then please do not send this particular scholarship application in. It will be a scam and money will be lost.
Best wishes for your education and career path as a Lawyer!
Michelle M.
Entertainment Industry
1902
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Karen !
You have taken a most beneficial appropriate program at the University of California, Irvine which was packed with great information about Law and Government and the Lawyers role. In high school, you are currently involved with the exciting and information packed Young Congressional Leaders Program which provides vital and active experience. I commend you for finding these opportunities which should be experienced to the fullest.
Thinking about the specific and structure of college courses right now may be easy to figure out based on your experience with your current involvement. It may be too soon to jump to the technicalities of college courses right now but better to focus on gaining the knowledge that will help you feel intuitive about what college can offer. There are definitely things that you can do about learning the information about what courses to take and what they're about if you haven't come to the realization as yet.
It's actually very simple. Choose a few colleges and go to their websites. There you will find Major Programs that detail what courses a student must take for those majors. It's just a matter of reading college catalogues and seeing what is offered through the colleges' Law or Political Science Departments. This can all be done online at first and then you can consider registering for an orientation at which all your questions would be answered. Each college offers different courses, different major titles, different general ed requirements, so researching in this manner will clarify everything for you.
My advice is to make a stronger connection to the activity of being in the Young Congressional Leaders Program. This experience should provide insight and information to you about the sub-topics and niches of law and government. Focus on High School right now and try to take as many History and Public Speaking classes that your high school offers. Your learning process is important and you seem to be on the right track with being involved with activities connected to your career goal.
Best wishes to you in all you do !
You have taken a most beneficial appropriate program at the University of California, Irvine which was packed with great information about Law and Government and the Lawyers role. In high school, you are currently involved with the exciting and information packed Young Congressional Leaders Program which provides vital and active experience. I commend you for finding these opportunities which should be experienced to the fullest.
Thinking about the specific and structure of college courses right now may be easy to figure out based on your experience with your current involvement. It may be too soon to jump to the technicalities of college courses right now but better to focus on gaining the knowledge that will help you feel intuitive about what college can offer. There are definitely things that you can do about learning the information about what courses to take and what they're about if you haven't come to the realization as yet.
It's actually very simple. Choose a few colleges and go to their websites. There you will find Major Programs that detail what courses a student must take for those majors. It's just a matter of reading college catalogues and seeing what is offered through the colleges' Law or Political Science Departments. This can all be done online at first and then you can consider registering for an orientation at which all your questions would be answered. Each college offers different courses, different major titles, different general ed requirements, so researching in this manner will clarify everything for you.
My advice is to make a stronger connection to the activity of being in the Young Congressional Leaders Program. This experience should provide insight and information to you about the sub-topics and niches of law and government. Focus on High School right now and try to take as many History and Public Speaking classes that your high school offers. Your learning process is important and you seem to be on the right track with being involved with activities connected to your career goal.
Best wishes to you in all you do !