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How to Become a Lawyer

Home >> Career Search Article Directory >> How to Become a Lawyer

How to become a LwayerBecoming a lawyer can be a taxing process but the rewards can be great. Lawyers are most often hired to represent a person or party legally. They are needed in just about every realm of life. They are required to draw up the legal documents to buy a house.

They are required for different aspects of a marriage. You’ll need a lawyer if you decide to start your own business. Lawyers are necessary for the legal conduct of corporations. Most notably they represent clients in legal or criminal cases, sometimes in front of jury, sometimes before a judge.

A Three Step Process to Becoming a Lawyer

There are three steps to becoming a lawyer, and the process can be very competitive. Potential lawyers must first graduate a four year college degree program before applying to law school. After being accepted to law school, students learn the fundamentals of the legal system, how to argue a case, how to interpret legal code, and the code and conduct of lawyers.

Students usually graduate law school in three years, but many students attend part-time or night school and may take longer to graduate. The final step in becoming a licensed lawyer is passing the BAR, a state issued exam testing each graduate’s legal acumen. Each state has its own legal codes, laws and bylaws, and many states require students to pass state-specific exams.

Pay Scales for a Lawyer

If you decide to become a lawyer, your pay scale depends on the type of job you choose. The average lawyer makes $131,000 in the corporate sector, while a judicial clerkship averages at $43,000, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Within the next seven years the profession is projected to grow another 10-20 percent.

The trend in the profession has been to specialize. If you’re thinking about becoming a lawyer, now might be a time to think about on which type of law you’d like to focus.

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