Shape Policy, Procedure, and Precedent With a Career in Law
Courtroom dramas are exciting to watch, but there are many other avenues someone could take to build a successful law career. Along with criminal law, a student could focus on the laws influencing intellectual property, nonprofits, corporations, and the constitution – just to name a few. Also, related jobs like paralegal and arbitrator, judge, and criminal justice professor fall under the legal career umbrella as well.
The question of what direction to take with a career in law is greatly influenced by how much education you want to pursue. For instance, legal secretaries and court clerks can find employment right out of high school, while paralegals and legal assistants require at least an associate’s degree. Mediators require at least a bachelor’s degree, while law professors obviously have a Ph.D. The traditional path to becoming a practicing lawyer is perhaps the easiest to outline though, and typically goes as follows:
- Earn a Bachelor’s Degree: The minimum requirement for acceptance into law school is a bachelor’s degree. However, the American Bar Association does not recommend any one particular degree over the other, and notes that students from a wide variety of backgrounds are accepted into law schools each year. The most common undergraduate degrees held by students accepted into law school include philosophy, journalism, business, political science, economics, and English.
- Pass the LSAT: The LSAT, or Law School Admission Test, is another requirement that all aspiring lawyers must meet. The exam includes five sections of multiple choice questions and a writing sample, which is unscored. The test is designed to measure a candidate’s skills in critical areas, such as reading comprehension, information management, argumentation, reasoning, critical thinking, and analysis. Test takers are given 35 minutes to complete each multiple-choice section and 30 minutes for the writing sample, for a total of three hours and 25 minutes.
- Find Law Schools and Complete the Applications: Along with GPA, undergrad coursework, and LSAT scores, law schools will also consider other factors like community service, organizational affiliations, and recommendation letters. It’s not uncommon for students to take a year or two after earning a bachelor’s to gain some practical experience that will make them look more attractive to prospective schools. LSAT scores only stay valid for five years though, after which they need to be taken again.
- Earn a Juris Doctor: The Juris Doctor, or JD, is the degree that is recognized for practicing law in the U.S. There are currently 205 ABA-accredited law schools in the country. Students can typically earn their JD in three years of full-time study.
- Pass the Bar Exam: Once someone has graduated with their JD from an ABA-approved law school, they are allowed to take a state bar examination so they can practice law. The bar exam is usually a two-day process, with day one focusing on the Multistate Bar Examination and day two comprising written exams on various legal matters. Test scores are only one part of the licensure process though: bar examiners also consider a candidate’s education background, general competence and character, and the potential to represent others in legal matters.
Expected growth in law careers depends on the state; Tennessee, for instance, will see an increase in demand for legal professionals of 31 percent from 2012 to 2022, while Oregon only anticipates 15 percent growth. The average salary is well above the national average, but again this varies by state as well.
