Consider first, why do you want to become a lawyer? Is it for prestige? Money? I recommend going to court and watch some lawyers in action. Remember that many lawyers don’t go to court at all so you’ll want to know how they spend their time. Typically, lawyers spend time reading, talking on the phone, writing and meeting with clients, other lawyers, paralegals and support personnel.
Visit a law school. Observe the law students. Notice the extremely large books they are reading. Do you like reading big books? If you don’t like to read, law school will be extremely difficult and unpleasant. According to a survey of 800 lawyers conducted by the American Bar Association in 2006, fully 80 percent surveyed said they were proud to be lawyers, and 81 percent said they find their practice intellectually stimulating.
There were times when I did not enjoy being a lawyer but today, after nearly 25 years as a practicing lawyer, I find my job fun, satisfying and materially rewarding. Once you are satisfied you will like your work and you still want to become a lawyer it is time to focus on the specifics of qualifying for the job.
To become a lawyer you need to pass the Bar Exam. Each state has its own. Passing the Bar exam is not difficult if you study and are well prepared for it. The trick is qualifying to take the exam. To be able to “sit for the bar exam” in most states you need to graduate from one of the approximately 192 law schools that are approved by the American Bar Association.
Getting into an approved law school can be the biggest challenge to becoming a lawyer. Acceptance is based on your grade point average (gpa) in college (most schools require you to have or be close to having a bachelor’s degree) and your score on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).
At Harvard recently the lowest gpa of admitted students was 3.75 and the lowest LSAT score was 170 (98.4 percentile). At the other end of the spectrum was Baton Rouge’s Southern University where the lowest gpa was 2.52 and the lowest LSAT 143 (20.4 percentile.)
If you are determined to become a lawyer your best strategy is to work your ass off in college and get the best possible grades because you don’t know yet what you will score on the LSAT.
Studying a subject you like will help you get better grades. Good grades in majors like engineering or computer science don’t automatically rank any higher than those in Spanish Civilization or Elementary Education.
(By the way, I studied both of these subjects on my way to a “University Studies” degree at Brigham Young University.)
There are special classes that promise to help you prepare for the LSAT. I did not take one but my son-in-law did and I believe he found it helpful.
How To Become A Lawyer Without Law School
In California you can become eligible to sit for the Bar Exam by studying law in the office of a lawyer or judge. You can find more information on this in the Rules of the State Bar of California under “Title 4 Admissions and Educational Standards”. You can find it at the California Bar website which is http://calbar.ca.gov.
Here’s an excerpt from that rule:
“Rule 4.29 Study in a law office or judge’s chambers
(A) A person who intends to comply with the legal education requirements of these rules by study in a law office or judge’s chambers must
“(1) submit the required form with the fee set forth in the Schedule of Charges and Deadlines within thirty days of beginning study; and
“(2) have studied law in a law office or judge’s chambers during regular business hours for at least eighteen hours each week for a minimum of forty-eight weeks to receive credit for one year of study or for at least eighteen hours a week for a minimum of twenty-four weeks to receive credit for one-half year of study.
“(B) The attorney or judge with whom the applicant is studying must
“(1) be admitted to the active practice of law in California and be in good standing for a minimum of five years;
“(2) provide the Committee within thirty days of the applicant’s beginning study an outline of a proposed course of instruction that he or she will personally supervise;
“(3) personally supervise the applicant at least five hours a week;
“(4) examine the applicant at least once a month on study completed the previous month;
“(5) report to the Committee every six months the number of hours the applicant studied each week during business hours in the law office or chambers; the number of hours devoted to supervision; and specific information on the books and other materials studied, such as chapter names, page numbers, and the like; and
“(6) not personally supervise more than two applicants simultaneously.
“Rule 4.29 adopted effective September 1, 2008.”
How To Become a Real Estate Lawyer
Some people wonder what it takes to become a real estate lawyer, or tax lawyer etc. Generally, there are no additional requirements to practice law in a specific subject area. Some states have opportunities for certification but this is not usually required to practice law in that subject area.
How To Become A Patent Lawyer
Patent law is the exception to the above rule. To become a patent lawyer recognized by the United States Patent and Trademark Office you need to first become a lawyer and then pass a special exam called the “Patent Bar.”
How To Be Able To Represent People Like A Lawyer Without Becoming One
You can represent people with tax problems by becoming an “Enrolled Agent”. There is an exam about tax law and procedure and once you pass it you can represent people on tax matters from the lowest IRS adminstrative level on up to the IRS Appeals Division.
Some other federal administrative agencies have similar rules that allow to function as an attorney without becoming one.