Thanks to the powerful influence of television and film, most of have considered becoming a lawyer at one point or another. Who wouldn’t want to be able to take heroic stands against the forces of evil in a courtroom? Of course, we all know that lawyers tend to be perceived a little differently in the real world, as evidenced by the abundance of of unflattering lawyer jokes.
We know, of course, that the truth is in between these two extremes. As with any profession, there are good and bad eggs, but the majority of lawyers are honest, hardworking professional who offer an essential service. Those who have good logic and verbal skills might find that becoming a lawyer is a great career choice for them.
Is Law For You?
So, is going into law the right choice for you? This depends greatly on your interests and skills, and is complicated by the fact that lawyers carry out a wide variety of work. The day to day life of a patent lawyer is completely different than that of a prosecutor. In general, though, if you have a very logical mind, and a knack for analyzing complex situations in different ways, you may be well suited for law.
Lawyer’s also need to be motivated by love for law and order. If you’re going into it just for the money, you’ll find the work can be a quite soul sucking if you don’t have a higher motivation.
Why It Rocks
Lawyers get a challenging job, high status, and a very decent wage most of the time. You are the grease that keeps the legal machine rolling along (and occasional the sticky stuff that gums up the clockwork, haha. Sorry, couldn’t help myself.). You will perform a variety of tasks, depending on your position. You might get to prosecute evil doers in a courtroom, analyze technical schematics, or prepare paperwork for giant business mergers. Your options are broad, and limited only by your own abilities.
Why It Sucks
Being a lawyer can really suck at times. If you’ve always dreamed of becoming a big shot trial lawyer, but find yourself stuck at a desk processing horrendous amounts of paperwork “paying your dues,” its easy to become disgruntled. No matter what you do, though, you will be working long, hard hours, and must me mentally ready for this. This is only made worse by people who go into law solely for the money, who will have trouble finding motivation to make it through those long slogs. Additionally, lawyers often come out of school heavily in debt. Though lawyers have the reputation of being highly paid, this pay doesn’t always kick in until later. Additionally, some areas of law, such as non-profit work, never pay much anyways, making the debt crippling. Many people overcome these obstacles to have successful careers in law, but you need to be keeping all this in mind.
How to Become a Lawyer
Becoming a lawyer requires first getting a basic four year college degree. Typically, any subject will work, though specific areas such as pre-law and engineering (shows good thinking skills) can sometimes have a higher acceptance rate. There have been lawyers that have studied philosophy beforehand, so just find something you can enjoy and excel at, since GPA tends to be very important for law schools.
Near the end of your bachelor’s degree, you’ll need to take the LSAT, the standardized test for law school hopefuls. Prepping for this test can be a good idea, since its fairly different from anything you’ve probably taken before. You’ll also want to start sending in your law school applications around this time.
Apply to several schools, making sure you get into at least one. Once at law school, you will complete a three year course of study, giving you your law degree. During this time, it is helpful to be building up your contacts and getting internships to aid you in your future career.
Once you have your degree, you’ll need to take the bar exam to be licensed to practice law in your state. Study hard for this test, as you’ll need to pass in order to work. Not to worry, though, if you’ve been paying attention through law school, and attended a few review courses, you should be just fine. Now, find a job, and you’re officially a lawyer!
Conclusions
As you can see, becoming a lawyer is not an easy path, nor is it for the unmotivated. You have to have a deep drive to make it all the way, but for many, the rewards are worth it. If going into law is what you really want, go ahead and go for it as hard as possible.
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