When it comes to highly respected professions, lawyers are usually at the top of the list. You probably are familiar with the glowing depictions that lawyers receive in common forms of media, often being portrayed as people arguing for justice and helping the downtrodden. It’s also no secret that lawyers make some pretty good money and are relatively well off when it comes to finances.
Due to this, many people may have aspirations to one day become a lawyer. Be warned, however, that the process is long and grueling. Regardless of whether you want to be a medical malpractice lawyer or a criminal justice lawyer, it could take over a decade before you really start seeing the fruits of your labor. That being said, if you stick with it and become successful, then being a lawyer can be a profession that provides you with lots of money and satisfying work. So how exactly can you become a lawyer? Let’s take a look.
Get An Undergraduate Degree
The first thing that you need to do to become a lawyer is to obtain an undergraduate degree from a university or college. Every law school requires you to have some form of degree in order to be admitted, so this is a step that you can’t skip. The field that you choose to get your degree in doesn’t really matter for admission, but there are some things that might affect what you choose to major in. First, you may want to study something that is related to the type of law that you want to study.
For example, if you want to be a corporate lawyer then you may want to study business, and if you want to be a criminal justice lawyer then you may want to study criminology. In addition, your GPA will play a major role in getting into law school, so you may want to shy away from choosing a major that is overly difficult and will tank your GPA.
Take the LSAT
The next thing that you need to do in your quest to become a lawyer is to take the law school admissions test, otherwise known as the LSAT. No matter what law school you want to attend, you’ll need to have an LSAT score, so this isn’t a step that you can skip. The LSAT is a standardized test designed to check your logic, reading, and reasoning skills.
The test is absolutely critical to getting into law school, and many schools place a large value on your LSAT score. If you’re planning to attend one of the best law schools in the country or get a good scholarship, then you best study hard and score well on the LSAT by getting an LSAT tutor. If you plan on going to law school and becoming a lawyer, then the LSAT is going to become a major part of that process.
Go Through Law School
Once you go through your four years of undergraduate and score well on the LSAT, it’s time to go through law school and get a law degree. In order to get into law school, you’ll have to have a decent GPA and LSAT score, and in order to get into a top law school, your GPA and LSAT scores need to be near flawless.
Law school is quite grueling with lots of assignments and strict graduation requirements, so it certainly isn’t easy. You’ll also have to be in law school for a minimum of three years, meaning that you’ll be in school pursuing your dream of becoming a lawyer for at least seven years total. Even when you finally graduate from law school, the journey still isn’t over as you still have one more step to take.
Take the Bar Exam
The last thing that you’re required to do in order to become a lawyer is to take the bar exam. Although you might think that the bar exam would be extremely easy with your extensive education and knowledge, that isn’t always the case. Sometimes the pass rate for the bar exam is well below 50%, meaning that you’ll have to study extremely hard in order to pass.
The exam is a long and grueling one that will test your knowledge of laws and your ability to apply them to different scenarios. You’ll be unable to practice law until you pass this exam, making it the final hurdle you may overcome. However, once you complete the exam, your dream of becoming a lawyer will finally be realized.