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.