As long as there will be laws, there will always be a need for representation. With over 1.3 million Lawyers in the United States, there is still a massive deficit for lawyers in the country.
As long as there will be laws, there will always be a need for representation. With over 1.3 million Lawyers in the United States, there is still a massive deficit for lawyers in the country.
Apart from the nobility of the title “lawyer,” pursuing a career in law is a long yet fulfilling journey. Whether you are a young undergraduate student wondering what to do with your degree, or a graduate professional looking to change careers, a law degree is an excellent addition to your career portfolio.
When you become a lawyer, your primary duty is to uphold the law, while at the same time protecting your clients’ rights. In essence, you will help people get justice. Below are some of the duties that you will carry out when you become a Lawyer:
In order to make sure that your client receives the best representation, you will assess the legal data available, formulate, and present a case to the jury. Similarly, in order to protect your clients’ interests, you will have to carry out research to ascertain which laws surround these interests and the best methods to use to help your client attain their interests within the law.
Lawyers are the most knowledgeable people where the law is concerned. In law school, you will interact with many previous cases and their outcomes. This knowledge will help you to predict the results of lawsuits, even before they are presented before a judge.
You will, therefore, provide your clients with legal counsel about the consequences of their planned actions, and how best they can act within the law
Individuals, businesses, and communities can send a lawyer to represent their interests even in their absence. Similarly, as a lawyer, you will be called to act as a legal trustee or agent for individuals, companies, and societies.
Lastly, individuals who cannot be present – probably because of sickness, death, or any other form of unavailability will send you to represent them.
These documents include, among others: Wills, legal correspondence, deeds, constitutions, Business contracts, applications, decrees, leases and contracts.
You will be expected to perform the above duties and many more with strict adherence to the responsibility guidelines provided by the American Bar Association.
If your goal is to serve your community as you make a living, there are several ways that your work will change your community.
By becoming a lawyer, you automatically become your community’s legal watch-dog. You will have the power to keep the government and other agencies in check. You will study and challenge laws and policies that marginalize your community or infringe on their rights.
Moreover, you will also have the chance to challenge big corporations that use their power to oppress communities. The big corporations sometimes use their influence to get licenses to sell substandard goods, destroy or pollute the environment, forcefully evict community members in order to set up factories, and other adverse actions.
By studying law, you will earn the right to protect your community from criminals of all sorts.
Lawyers are the number one teachers of the law to society. Sometimes your community members will come to you with documents written in legal jargon that they cannot comprehend. If they fail to understand the contents of the said writings, they may end up losing their businesses livelihoods, or even shelter.
In addition, you will use every avenue available means to share your knowledge of the law with your community. You may have face-to-face conversations, or write and publish legal articles in newspapers, journals, and even websites. It is from these materials that members of your community know when their rights are violated, or how they might violate other community members’ rights.
Lawyers work to avoid a miscarriage of justice. When there is a violation of rights to the members of your community, it is your role as a lawyer to use your knowledge to ensure that members of your community receive the justice they deserve and that judges and juries rule in strict accordance with the law.
As a lawyer, your presence in your community will be an assurance that they need legal help; they can access it through you. Members of your community will live with the certainty that their rights are protected and their property safe.
On the other hand, a person intending to violate another person’s rights will refrain from doing so, seeing that you, the symbol of justice, will help have them prosecuted for violating the rights of other members of the community.
Law is a broad course with many fields to choose from. Below, you’ll learn the different disciplines of law that you can venture into as career paths. Each has a brief description of what they entail.
Family Law: If you decide to become a family lawyer, you will be dealing with everything that concerns a family: Marriage, divorce, and child support.
Immigration Law: As an immigration lawyer, you will advise and represent foreign citizens on matters to do with visa application, citizenship, deportation, naturalization, among other issues faced by foreigners.
Criminal Law: Commonly known as a defense lawyer, you will be defending people accused of all manner of crimes. Their issues will range from fraud, embezzlement, domestic violence, drugs, robbery, and violence, among others.
Accident and Personal injury Law: As an accident and personal injury lawyer, you will work to help people who have been involved in accidents to get financial compensation for monetary losses the accident cost them. These losses may include money spent on medication, loss of jobs, incapacitation to earn a living, among other damages.
Business and Corporate Law: As a business lawyer, you will represent businesses in legal issues that involve taxation, mergers, and partnerships, among others. You will also draft business papers like contracts, partnerships, business agreements, and other business paperwork.
Employment Law: As an employment lawyer, you will deal with the rights and duties of both the employee and the employer. Employment issues range from fair wages, unlawful dismissal, discrimination at the work-place, oppression, among others. You will also be involved in mediation, negotiation, and arbitration between workers and their employers.
Animal Law: You will be dealing with cases involving pets, veterinary malpractice, pet attacks, and disputes of tenants rearing animals in places where the landlord has a ‘no-pet’ policy.
Environmental Law: You will deal with environmental policy implementation issues. Companies and individuals will seek your advice and representation on matters involving environmental compliance in real estate, energy, manufacturing, among other areas that concern the environment.
Intellectual Property Law: Commonly referred to as IP, your area of specialization will involve copyrights, company branding, designs, and trademarks, among other intellectual properties.
The above list is not comprehensive; you will learn a lot more at law school.
Now that you have an idea of what it is like to be a lawyer, there are steps that to follow in order to become a lawyer.
The American Bar Association requires that before you are admitted to Law School, you must have finished an undergraduate course in any field. This is good news if you want to change your career to law, and your degree is in another area.
The acronym LSAT stands for Law School Admission Test, which is administered by the Law School Admission Council. The test involves assessments in comprehension, critical thinking, writing, logical thinking, among other skills that you will need as a lawyer.
You are allowed to retake the LSAT exam three times in a testing year. A testing year begins in June and ends in May the following year. Each law school has its pass mark, but the average requirement is around 153. The Law School Admission Council shares each of your LSAT results with all the law schools in the country.
At this stage, you will be required to submit your Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS).
For you to earn the required Juris Doctor Degree (JD) you will be required to attend law school for three years. You must obtain this degree from an institution accredited by the American Bar Association.
While here, start building your C.V in the field that you have chosen to pursue by going for pupilage and volunteering in relevant law firms.
Passing the bar exam is a tough bridge to cross, but you can do it. Bar exams may sometimes vary from state to state. Some states may require that you pass the state’s bar exam, while others will take the uniform bar exam. Once you are admitted to the bar, you can practice law in whichever state you are admitted in.
Law schools in the US must be accredited by the American Bar Association. In New York, you can attend a brick and mortar law school or study online. Some of the brick and mortar schools also provide online learning. A university gets accredited after meeting and sustaining quality standards as required by the ABA.
Not only is NYU the oldest Law School in New York, it similarly is always ranked among the top 10 best law schools. NYU prides itself on having the best faculty who come from a pool of senior lawyers, top bank managers, among others. The school has graduated over 40,000 lawyers.
-LSAT Score: 166-170
-Acceptance rate: 27.2%
-Bar Admission Rate:95%
Located in Ithaca, Cornell Law School is a private Ivy League law School always ranked in the top 20 law schools in the country. Among the private sector salaries of graduates, Cornell is ranked as a producer of some of the highest-paid law graduates ($180,000).
-LSAT score: 167
-Acceptance rate: 21.1%
-Bar Admission Rate: 95.9
Columbia University School of Law is hailed as the source of many leaders in the country, from presidents to Supreme Court justices to senators and company heads. It has an employment rate of 93.3% after graduation, Columbia University is an Ivy League institution.
-LSAT score: 170-174
-Acceptance rate: 16.8%
-Bar Admission Rate: 97.7%
Located in Long Island City, CUNY prides itself as the leading public interest school of law in the country. In the 2021 rankings, CUNY ranked as the 107th Best Law School in the country. CUNY is also ranked as the Law school with the most number of female faculty members.
-LSAT score: 154
-Acceptance rate 31.9%
-Bar Admission Rate: 86.2
With a private-sector salary of $110,000, Brooklyn is located on 250 Joralemon St. in New York. Brooklyn Law School is a private school founded in 1901. Its location allows students to interact with New York City’s Law firms, courts, and businesses.
-LSAT score: 157
-Acceptance rate 47.2%
-Bar Passage Rate: 78.7
Located in Manhattan, the students of Fordham enjoy the benefits of learning amid respected law firms and big businesses. Fordham is ranked 27th best Law school in the country.
-LSAT score: 164
-Acceptance rate 25.9%
-Bar Passage Rate: 92.3%
Located in Hempstead, Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University has graduated more than 1200 lawyers in various fields. Hofstra Ranks 100th in the 2021 Law School Rankings.
-LSAT score: 153
-Acceptance rate 48.1%
-Bar Passage Rate: 68.2%
Located in Tribeca, NYLS is a private Law school. NYLS is ranked 117th in the national law school rankings. Its location is a big plus since students can benefit from the surrounding law firms and businesses.
-LSAT score: 153
-Acceptance rate 52.4%
-Bar Passage Rate: 59.5%
Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University ranks as 136th best university in the nation, although its environmental program comes in highly recommended.
-LSAT score: 151
-Acceptance rate 50.3%
-Bar Passage Rate: 75.8%
It's wise to remember that the law school that you attend will have a significant impact on your employability as a lawyer. Also, the amount of money, your LSAT score, determines where you will take your course from.
Earning a Juris Doctor Degree can be expensive in terms of time, tuition fees, or even studying and passing the bar exams. The benefits that come with practicing law are lifelong and life-changing, and therefore make it worth it in the end.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional consultation or advice related to your health or finances. No reference to an identifiable individual or company is intended as an endorsement thereof. Some or all of this article may have been generated using artificial intelligence, and it may contain certain inaccuracies or unreliable information. Readers should not rely on this article for information and should consult with professionals for personal advice.