Lawyer is a reputable profession on its own as it has several other branches under it. Some of which are:
- Personal Injury Lawyer
- Estate Planning Lawyer
- Bankruptcy Lawyer.
- Intellectual Property Lawyer.
- Employment Lawyer.
- Corporate Lawyer.
- Immigration Lawyer.
- Criminal Lawyer.
Just as there are different types of lawyers, so is their job and duties. They vary depending on their work content, work discipline etc. For example, some lawyers give legal counsel, some stand for their clients to address cases in the court of law and so on.
Becoming a notable or outstanding lawyer takes determination and hard work as this professional can be competitive.
This article promises to be a guide to helping one become a Legal man. And so, if you wish to become one keep scrolling because this article is mainly for you.
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Who is a Lawyer?
Before diving into how you can become a Lawyer, let’s take a brief look at who a lawyer is.
A lawyer (also known as Solicitor, Attorney, Advocate or Counselor) is a licensed professional who is qualified and authorized to practice law, i.e. give legal advices and also represent people in lawsuits or trials.
Unlike the past few centuries, both young and old, male and female can now become a Lawyer as long as they have fulfilled all its requirements.
How Do I Become A Lawyer?
Now here’s the main part of the article. Without further ado, below are the steps to become that lawyer you have wished for:
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Develop Some Basic Skills
As a lawyer, there are certain skills you have to constantly develop in order to be at the peak of your profession, they include:
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Communication skills
To become a Lawyer indeed, one’s communication skills is a determiner. The way you speak (especially when under pressure), your gesture, the way you express yourself (using a persuasive tone), your intonation, etc; these are the things that makes up a lawyer.
Also, develop a good listening skill. Your ability to listen to your clients complaints is another thing. A good lawyer is a good listener.
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Research skills
If you want to be a legal practitioner, then be ready to spend time researching. It will help deepen your knowledge and your chances of winning any case.
If a defendant end up winning the case at the law court even when it’s obvious that he is guilty then he’s lawyer must have been vast in knowledge of his field.
A lawyer must also develop confidence and the ability to think critically.
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Obtained An Undergraduate Degree
Here’s is the very first requirement needed to become one; earning an undergraduate degree, Bachelor’s preferably.
In fact, it is the minimum requirement an aspirant must hold from an accredited institution. Without a Bachelor’s degree, getting into any law school might be difficult.
And because this profession is slightly competitive, your degree must be worthwhile. Law schools often admit undergraduates with the best GPAs (Grade Point Average) of at least 3.0
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Pass The Law School Admission Test
Welcome to the next step, a crucial step indeed. Here, after fulfilling your undergraduate requirements, you also need to fulfill the requirements of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).
This test is organised to access students abilities, if truly they would do well as a lawyer. The test spans for about twelve hours and it’s taken four time per year. This examination has five multiple-choice question sections and an unscored writing sample.
The objective of LSAT is to measures candidates’ skills in sensitive areas of future legal work, which includes their ability to read comprehension, information management, analysis and critical thinking, reasoning, and argumentation.
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Earn A Degree In Law
After passing the LSAT, you can then proceed to earning a Juris Doctor (JD) degree in an accredited law school. A larger number of states recommend that aspiring lawyers obtain this graduate degree prior to taking the Bar exam.
It is here in this law school that students choose their specialties; going for a program that offers a curriculum in their area of interest.
Some students may concentrate in areas of property, criminal, real estate, environmental, tax, immigration law and so on.
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Generally, law schools spans for three years with intensive study. However, many a graduate go for an additional one-year clerkship.
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Pass The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)
Aspiring lawyers are expected to pass this course in the U.S. states and jurisdictions except Wisconsin, Maryland, and Puerto Rico. The time duration for exam this two hours. The traditional exam consists of 60 multiple choice questions. MPRE is a prerequisite for the Bar exam.
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Pass The Bar Examination
After successfully earning a degree in the law school, then there’s a green light ahead. Aspiring lawyers are expected to pass the Bar exam later on in their field.
Without mincing words, this exam is tough, based on its low pass rate of about 40% in few states. In view of this, you’ve got to also be tough by making adequate preparations.
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Expand Your Scope As A Lawyer
Having obtained all the requirements in each step, then congratulations, you’re good to go as a lawyer. All you have to do is keep developing yourself.
At first, they start off as being associates, they learn constantly from reputable and experienced lawyers in order to tap from their conducts in the law court.
After many years of successful practice, attorneys may then become partners in a firm while others may choose to open their own law office.
Perhaps, after having a deep knowledge of your law field. You can the become a judge.
However, Lawyers can also pursue further education at both the master’s and doctoral levels. The Master of Law (LLM) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) see for lawyers interested in careers involving research and academic scholarship.
Wrapping up:
So far in this article, we’ve been able to see what and what to do in order to become a Lawyer.
Lawyer is sensitive profession, and so, becoming a lawyer requires one to have determination and hard work.
