How To Become An Attorney?

A lawyer is someone who holds a permit to practice law.  They advocate on behalf of their clients, or they operate in a different capacity within the legal field.  Completing law school and passing exams to receive your license allows you to formally practice law.  The road to becoming a lawyer may be a challenging one, which is why planning your road to becoming a lawyer is important.  Below you will find the steps you need to take to become a lawyer.

What Do Lawyers Do?

Lawyers operate in the public and private sector.  They represent clients in legal issues and help them pursue legal action when required.  Their help might vary from providing their clients advice on how the law applies to  their situation.  Lawyers organize legal documents, litigate cases in court, interview witness and are involved in trials.  For lawyers, every day is slightly different.

Steps To Becoming A Lawyer

Becoming a lawyer requires a certain amount of schooling.  To become a lawyer you need to complete five steps.

Step 1 Undergraduate degree

Each law school requires an candidate to complete an undergraduate degree.  Most individuals pick an undergraduate degree that will help them keep their GPA over 3.0; however,  most law schools are not too critical over GPA’s because a challenging major can bring down a GPA.

An exception is for those who want to study corporate law (technology) or real estate law.  These individuals will have to get a degree in mathematics or in scientific field (i.e. electrical engineering, computer science, chemistry, or mathematics).  This is because they must sit for the patent bar in addition to the bar, which demands an understanding in mathematics or science.

Step 2 – LSAT
To be admitted into law school, you will have to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).  This exam is needed for almost all law school.  The exam is a standardized test that requires half a day to take. It includes reading skills and verbal reasoning skills.

Although this evaluation does not determine how an individual will perform in law school, many schools put a great deal of weigh on those scores.  For those who don’t have a high GPA scoring high on the LSAT can boost their odds of getting into law school.  Many schools also use the LSAT when determining financial help.

Every year, the LSAT is administered across the world.  Most schools will require that the LSAT be taken by December in order to be admitted into law school for the following fall semester.  It is suggested that the exam is taken by July in case you want to take it again.

Step 3 – Law School Applications

In order to apply to law school you have to complete a number of things.

1. Forward all your academic transcripts to LSAC.
2. Obtain letters of recommendation.
3. Submit your resume and personal statement.
4. Start filling out law school applications when they become available in the Fall.
5. Submit your application by the school deadlines (usually between November 1 – December 1).

Step 4 – Law School

Once you get into law school, you have to study hard.  Law school requires 3 years of rigorous classes.  You will be eating and sleeping your law class material.  Doing well in law school is important because your GPA will be important when applying for jobs.  Also, the material learned will help you when studying for the Bar exam.

Step 5 – Bar Exam 

The last step to becoming a lawyer is to take and pass the bar exam.  The bar exam is not simple.  In certain states, the pass rate is a mere 40%.  The bar exam usually includes essay questions and multiple choice questions, which assess your understanding of state law and also your capacity to use the law in certain situations.  Many people go into complete hibernation for months to study for the bar exam.

Once you have completed these five steps, you can officially call yourself a lawyer.  The journey to becoming a lawyer is long and hard, but definitely worth it in the end.