Earning potential, an opportunity to help people, and diverse practice areas are some of the top reasons to become an attorney. It doesn’t matter if you’re a high school student or college graduate. It’s never too early or late to learn how to become a lawyer in the USA.
While becoming a successful attorney will require hard work and dedication, the reward of helping people makes it worthwhile. Don’t know how to embark on a legal career?
We’ve got you covered. Here are the steps you need to follow to become an attorney and start helping people.
1. Earn an Undergraduate Degree
Are you a college graduate? If you answered no, you should study and earn one as soon as you can. While some people recommend earning a degree in political sciences, criminal justice, or other related fields, law schools don’t require a certain background.
You may think earning an undergraduate degree is too expensive. Yet, you might consider attending a local college and applying for scholarships. Local universities are less expensive than attending Ivy League universities.
2. Pass the LSAT and Narrow Down Your Law School Top Choices
After earning your degree, it’s time to take and pass the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Before sitting down for the exam, you should narrow down a list of your top law school choices. Make sure to consider their location, cost of attendance, admission requirements, and curriculum before applying.
Every law school requires a certain LSAT score to admit a student. It’s vital to meet the score requirement to boost your chances of admission. Before taking the LSAT, you may consider taking a preparation course to obtain the highest score possible.
3. Apply and Get Into Law School
Once you pass the LSAT, you should apply to your top law school choices. You’ll need to create an account at the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) to complete your applications. When applying, it’s vital to submit all the required paperwork and complete all documents.
Try your best to apply before the early decision deadline. Applying early will help you plan everything ahead of time if you need to move to another state or city.
4. Earn Your Juris Doctor
While you’ll need to meet the curriculum requirements, it’s important to make the most out of your elective courses. Consider taking subjects regarding your intended practice area.
A Tort Law course will teach you the basics about topics like “what is wrongful death“, but not the in-depth knowledge needed to become a personal injury expert. Yet, studying courses such as toxic torts, workers’ compensation, among other related courses will provide you the upper hand.
5. Take and Pass the Bar
Earning a Juris Doctor prepares you to practice law, but it doesn’t guarantee bar admission. Every attorney needs to pass the bar to obtain a license to practice law. Keep in mind you’ll need to sit for the bar exam at every jurisdiction you wish to practice.
So You Learned How to Become a Lawyer in the USA, Now What?
Learning how to become a lawyer in the USA is the first step to embark on a promising career. You may think it’s too late to study to become an attorney, but that’s far from the truth.
All it takes is developing an A to Z plan and executing it down to a T. Consider everything for the cost of earning your degree to where you want to practice. Don’t leave it until later and become an attorney today!
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