When you decide that you want to be a lawyer, you’ll need to decide what kind of lawyer you want to be. You can go through law school without knowing this initially but towards the end as you’re nearing your graduation you will need to start specializing in your chosen field. You will be able to take classes that are more specific to the type of lawyer you want to be. This will also determine what kind of law firm you choose to apply at for your internship. For example, if you want to be a defense lawyer you will need to apply at a criminal defense law firm. However even if you know that you want to work at a criminal defense law firm as a criminal defense attorney, there are still certain steps that you need to make in order to get there. Becoming a lawyer can be broken down like this:
Get your bachelors
You can get a bachelors and pretty much anything and it will be accepted by a law school. At the moment there’s no specification. Of course it will help you to understand the field better if you have a bachelors in something pertaining to the law but it is not a requirement. If you don’t have a bachelors you won’t be able to get any further to becoming a lawyer. However, you could become a paralegal just to be able to get your foot in the door of the criminal defense law firm without having a bachelors. You can either do it as an associates or its own certification. Keep in mind that being a lawyer is not a promotion so you can’t just become a lawyer because you’ve been a paralegal for a while but it will give you a good reputation at the firm and good experience for when you do become a lawyer and need to start an internship.
Pass the LSAT
Before even applying to law schools you will have to pass the law school admission test. This test consists of five sections of multiple choice questions as well as a writing sample. These questions will assess The quality and knowledge of each potential student. The reason that this test is so important is because admission officers use the test to find out how applicants think in areas that will affect their legal work later on. Things like critical thinking, reading comprehension, political science, English, economics, business and other areas are all scrutinized through the law school admission test. It is just as important as law school itself because without it you won’t even be attending law school
Go to law school
Once you get your bachelors pass the LSAT, you can start applying to law schools. You should only consider schools that are accredited by the American Bar Association. Once you have completed the requirements of law school then you will have to pass the bar exam. Remember, all of the steps are just important as each other and the bar is no exception. This exam is what will officially make you a lawyer although you will need to work a little harder to become an experienced criminal defense attorney.
Work with seasoned lawyers
This could be in various capacities. You could either do an internship at a criminal defense law firm or whatever type of firm you decide to work at. You could try to get hired as a new lawyer but working closely with experienced criminal defense lawyers in order to understand the business better and hone your craft. However you decide to do it, the goal here is to advance your career at all costs.
The field of law is a very competitive and high stress type of career and it takes a go-getter to become successful. You can’t sit back and expect to win cases and gain clients. This is why some lawyers are looked at as harsh and soul less but you can’t let that stop you if you want to be a successful lawyer. Do what needs to get done and you will be able to climb the ladder, if not quickly at least steadily
