The Path to Becoming an Attorney

The Path to Becoming an Attorney

Becoming an attorney requires extensive education, training, and hard work but rewards those who persevere with a career filled with a sense of purpose, importance and financial security. In order to become an attorney, a person must have a bachelor's degree and then enroll and complete three years of law school before a juris doctorate (law degree) is awarded. But the road to becoming an attorney does not end there, as law school graduates in nearly every state must pass the state's bar exam before being admitted to the bar and allowed to practice law. Once someone becomes an attorney they have a wide range of career paths they may take. Corporate law, criminal law, and family law are a few of the many specializations that a new attorney may choose from. The amount of earnings that an attorney can make is often dependent on the field of law and the experience of the attorney and can range anywhere from $30,000 to millions of dollars a year.

The road to becoming an attorney begins in college. Admission to law school requires a bachelor's degree. Unlike many other careers requiring a bachelor's degree such as medicine, law schools do not require that an applicant have a degree in any particular major. In fact, the American Bar Association (A.B.A.) "does not recommend any undergraduate majors or group of courses to prepare for a legal education." as "students are admitted to law school from almost every academic discipline." (http://www.abanet.org/legaled/prelaw/prep.html) The only advice from the A.B.A. is that students are "encouraged to pursue an area of study that interests and challenges you, while taking advantage of opportunities to develop your research and writing skills."

Once a future attorney finishes their undergraduate schooling, they must apply to and complete law school. Before applying to law school, a student must take the Law School Admissions Test. Once that is done, the application process can begin. Once a student is admitted, they must complete three years of law school before receiving a juris doctorate or a law degree. However, there is still one more step a future attorney must take before becoming a practicing lawyer. The bar exam, according to Lan Pham, a recent law school graduate and bar examinee, "is a hellish three-day ordeal the likes of which I have never faced." In California, the exam involves six one-hour essays, two three-hour essays, and 100 multiple choice questions. A grade of roughly 70% is required to pass. Unfortunately, all law school graduates must pass their state's bar exam before becoming a licensed attorney.

Once someone completes four years of college, three years of law school, and passes the bar exam, they may now practice law as an attorney. However, there are still choices to be made. A law degree and license allows a person to choose from a wide range of different career paths. One