So You Want to Be A Lawyer? – Here’s How

5351175006_a775e49293_nBecoming a lawyer will give you the opportunity to forge a successful career and have a positive impact on your local community. After all, it is important for people to have someone to fight for their legal rights, and you will have this opportunity if you choose the right specialty. Additionally, attorneys are there for people during their darkest moments, and you can play an integral role in helping your clients make wise decisions for their future. For example, divorce lawyers need to be sympathetic to their client’s situation while also minimizing their risk of agreeing to an unfair settlement.

How can I Become a Lawyer?

1. Get the Required Undergraduate Education – Before you can apply for law school, you will need to complete your undergraduate work. Law schools are very competitive, so it is essential to earn the highest GPA possible in order to improve your odds of getting into the school of your choice. It is also a good idea to consider mixing prelaw with other general topics into your course selections because having a well-rounded background can make you a more desirable candidate.

2. Take the LSAT – The Law School Admissions Test is a requirement for being admitted to any law school in the country. Your undergraduate GPA and LSAT score will be extremely important, so make sure that you study hard and place a major emphasis on preparing for the test.

3. Attend Law School – It typically takes students three years to graduate from law school, and the average student accrues $100,000 in debt during this process. However, the average salary for an attorney is almost $131,000, and even lower level lawyers will usually make more than $50,000. In other words, your hard work should enable you to pay off your debt relatively quickly.

4. Pass the Bar Exam – Each state has its own specific additional requirements, but every person who wants to become a lawyer is required to pass the bar exam. Approximately 23 percent of the people who take this exam will fail it the first time, so it is critical to pay close attention to each question in order to improve your odds of passing.
Do I Have What it Takes to be a Lawyer?

Even if you pass the bar exam with flying colors, you will still need to have the right personality to become successful as an attorney. Additionally, you need to carefully consider the many different law careers that are available so that you pick the one that makes the most sense for your lifestyle.

For example, if you are interested in being eco-friendly, you might want to consider finding work with an environmental law firm. On the other hand, if you want to bring criminals to justice, it is a good idea to seek work as a criminal prosecution lawyer. Either way, you need to be comfortable debating a wide variety of topics, and it is also imperative for you to be confident with your public speaking skills.

Attorneys are an important aspect of our criminal and civil legal system, and they serve a vital role in the lives of many people. Therefore, if you have an assertive personality and high grades at an undergraduate level, it definitely makes sense to consider applying for law school. After all, a legal career can be very lucrative, and you will also be able to feel good about making a positive difference in the world. Due to this, whether you decide to help people deal with divorces, family issues, medical malpractice or human rights, attending law school is likely to be a decision that you will never regret.

Freelance author Anthony Joseph shares this article to help inform others of what it may take to become a lawyer. During research for this post, he came across the website of a Las Vegas criminal lawyer  that also handles divorce, which helped with some facts for the article.

Do You Need a College Education to Own a Business?

Is it necessary to study? If you want to be well prepared for a lifetime, you need to study. Yet, this is not about simply attending school; you need to do your own effort. You must attend conferences, workshops, etc.

Many options are probably going around in your head. Should I study something that interests me or something that will give me money? Should I work or go for both? Is it possible to stretch my time? These are common questions that disturb many individuals. This leads to indecision, frustration, etc. Enough said, read on and make a wise choice.

college grads
Image by Will Folsom

Several factors and aspects

While there are many aspects to consider when trying understanding such conflicting situation and many other large and complex issues, you can start one step at a time. Some aspects need special focus; you may start treating some points that consciously or unconsciously weigh heavily in this sense of indecision and dissatisfaction about your future. It is not only about education, it is linked to many levels of youth.

On the one hand, in recent years, the primary and secondary education system may not be fulfilling the idea of its main function, which is to guide students to decide on their future. Teachers should take control and give the tools to undertake this process. Channeling student interests is a priority. Experts must help every individual decide how to proceed once it is time to enter the next level of education.

Structure and overall content

The structure and content of the learning activities should be determined to provide all children, youth and adults with the skill, knowledge and values they need to survive, to improve their quality of life and to participate fully and responsibly in the life of their communities and nations, to give impetus and properly adapt to all sorts of new and unexpected situations and continue to gain knowledge, according to their particular interests, tastes and needs. For the previously mentioned facts, many students do not know what to study or wish to start a business without studying. Not to mention, those students who do not know what they think about a career, how this will change them or if they should go from one career to another.

In turn, another crisis of education as an institution is its lack of credibility and quality. Note that studying still involves a lot of effort, determination, perseverance and honesty. Yet, this doesn’t mean you will get a job. Do you want to be someone in life or rather be the best entrepreneur? This is the same, you can do both. It also depends on your approach and on external factors; the economic sphere is intertwined with top knowledge.

In short, education is considered an economic hub and not really a vital need to develop a better society. This is a mistake. This is a key point. Dare to become a better person by being well educated. The rest will flow. Your business opportunity will take place.

Author Bio: If you are writing a persuasive essay, Ann P. from SolidEssay.com, a college essay writing service, will be able to instruct you on how to do it properly.

Interviewing 101: The Importance of Writing Thank You Notes

Chances are you were taught in college to send thank you notes after an interview. Many people brush off this tip, especially during their first jobs in fast food and other smaller jobs. However, thank you notes are not something to be taken lightly when it comes to landing a career. But, why? Why is a thank you note for an interview so important? Whether it’s to remind the company of your skills or to show professionalism, you need to remember this step. Let’s take a closer look at the importance of writing thank you notes.

Thank You Notes Serve as a Gentle Reminder

In this day and time, companies see hundreds of applicants for one job. Due to the poor economy, there is much more competition than there once was. One way you can stand out is by writing thank you notes. The note should thank the interviewer for his time and and briefly mention why you’re the best option for the job, without being too obvious. For example, you might say, “Thank you for taking the time to interview me last Thursday. I look forward to hearing from you and more thoroughly discussing the career. As a freelance writer with over six years of experience, I’m deeply intrigued by your company and the experiences the career has to offer.”

thank you notes
Business interview tips: Write a thank you note!

Thank You Notes Show Professionalism

Companies want employees who are professional in everything they do. Writing thank you notes shows interviewers that you are truly interested in the job and professional. It also gives you a chance to prove your communication skills, which are essential to most companies. It also allows you to stand out from your peers. Many people feel that this practice is outdated, but they’re wrong. Sending thank you notes to interviewers is one of the best things you can do after an interview to help improve your chances of getting hired.

Jobs, especially careers, aren’t as plentiful as they were 10 years ago or even 5 years ago. As someone looking for a career, you need to do what it takes to make yourself stand out from the crowd and get your name in front of the interviewer. One of the easiest ways you can do that is to send thank you notes. Whether you send an actual letter or email will depend on the type of company you’re interviewing for and how quickly the job will be filled. Regardless, this is something you need to do. It is even recommended that those offered the job before having a chance to send a thank you note, still send one that thanks the company for their time and offer.

About the Author: Armand Quintyne is a career counselor who makes sure all of his students know how to write resumes and thank you notes. He loves helping people find the resources to get a better education and often recommends sites like grantsforsinglemother.com and others to those looking to get ahead.

Image: betsyweber / Flickr

Top Tips to Ensure You Never Miss another Deadline at Work

Whether you run an online or an offline business there are certain targets that you need to meet. If you want people to buy your products then you need to ensure that they get their orders delivered on time and in good condition. If you have a boss that you have to keep happy then you need up to date reports on sales figures and future forecasts.

Those busy people who recognise that they cannot keep track of everything by themselves have now cottoned onto the fact that if you let an efulfilment (also known as web fulfilment) company take on some of your tasks; you won’t upset your boss with a missed deadline.

Tip 1: Getting Stock Delivered

You can spend a lot of time chasing up various members of staff to ensure that a customer’s order is actually booked and is due to be delivered on a certain day. One way to avoid all the hassle of chasing other people when it comes to response and delivery is to engage the services of an efulfilment company. A reputable and experienced company will be able to receive your goods and have orders packed and mailed out to customers within a given time frame. When you use the right service, you won’t have to worry about packing and delivery again, you can rest assured that customers will receive their orders in good time. Whether you need simple mailing of goods or a full picking, packing and delivery service the right company will make all the difference to your customers and thereby to your business.

Tip 2: Keeping Track of the Data

If you are not detail minded then accounts and sales reports may go untended, making it difficult when the boss calls a meeting to ask about the current state of the business.

When you engage the services of an efulfilment company they will run an audit trail on both the accounts and the sales figures, allowing you to have the details at your fingertips when you need them. A good company will do their best to identify and prevent potential delays and hold ups in securing an exact picture of the data. If you have a company website it’s a good idea to get some professional advice on the best way to handle it. A good professional outfit can manage many of the day to day tasks, such as processing payments for you, leaving you free to get on with the rest of your job.

Tip 3: Taking Care of the Little Things

One of the problems for those whose job it is to manage a successful business is that there is not always time to take care of all the little things that please customers and make your company unique. It’s all too easy not to check on how customers’ goods are packed and to miss the fact that you should be using bespoke packaging. A good company can handle all the little details that bog you down, including sending out goods in bespoke packaging.

This post was written by James Harper on behalf of Hallmark Consumer Services.

How to Earn Appreciation in the Workplace

One of the main complaints from employees is that they don’t feel appreciated by their boss or team members. After all, you may work overtime to meet crazy deadlines, work weekends to complete new projects ahead of schedule or even run errands for your boss that aren’t part of your job description. Don’t you deserve a little appreciation? Here are a few tips on how to earn appreciation in the workplace.

Treat Others the Way You Want to Be Treated

Before you start expecting people to appreciate your hard work, maybe you should consider how appreciative you are of your coworkers. Do you thank them for the hard work they did to help you meet a deadline? Do you take their work on a project for granted? If so, why would they be appreciative of your work? Remember the golden rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Notice How Other Employees Are Treated

Are you the only one who feels unappreciated? There’s a good chance that your employer may not show appreciation to any of the employees. Before you start complaining, think about whether or not Jim was congratulated and thanked for his involvement in last month’s record breaking sales or if Jill got recognition for earning 100 new clients. It may not just be you.

Ask for Feedback

Sometimes employers need a bit of prodding to remember that they need to provide feedback to their employees. You could meet with your employer to talk about your recent success and ask for feedback. If he compliments you on a job well done that’s great. If he simply talks about the success and forgets you were part of it, you may need to work harder to get noticed or give him a little help spotting your successes.

Help Others Take Notice

A subtle remark about a recent success may also be enough to get the appreciation you deserve. You could say something like, “Wow, I’m a bit worn out from last month’s project, but it was well worth it.” Chances are you’ll get the compliments and appreciation you’re looking for.

Be Thankful of Compliments

Stop blowing off compliments. When you act ungrateful for people’s appreciation, why would they continue to show it? When someone tells you, you did a great job, say, “Thank you so much for noticing. It feels great to know my job makes a difference.”

In today’s overcrowded offices and businesses, it’s hard to employers to give employees the appreciation they deserve. However, that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve it or that your employer doesn’t appreciate you.

About the Author: Coleman Tappeiner is a human resource consultant who enjoys working with employees to have the best workplace experience possible. When he’s not working he can often be found sipping the oolong tea blends he finds at www.goldenmoontea.com and surfing his favorite food and cooking websites.