<p>I'm a student in high school, and I'm still trying to figure out things that I want to do. </p>
<p>The idea of becoming a lawyer crossed my mind recently. I really enjoy the Constitution and I think the Federalist Paper's are the bee's knees. I have a small flair for mathematically rigorous social sciences, economics and statistics for example. I thought that if law and deliberation didn't bore me, that law could be a rewarding career. With my measure of talent in things like econ and stats, I'd like to maybe do something like anti-trust law. I have no qualms about working for the government or corporations. </p>
<p>I take tests well, and that bodes well for the LSAT. </p>
<p>The thing is, I don't really know many lawyers. Could I go to a courthouse and watch a case? I know the case would presumably be criminal or something dumb like a traffic violation, but I want to see what the whole deal is like. </p>
<p>A question I have about law school is does your undergrad institution really matter (assuming you go to law school right out of college) I want to go to my local big 10 university, would that really hinder my application if I applied to a t14 school?</p>
<p>No, your undergrad institution doesn’t matter as long as it’s not like a community college. But, GPA matters. For t14, you need a pretty high GPA. Keep that in mind. I have no clue if you will be allowed to watch a case esp. if it’s criminal. But I would just call the local courthouse near you and explain to them your situation. They might be accommodating.</p>
<p>yes, you’ll be able to observe nearly any type of case (some examples of things you’re less likely to see: many family law and juvenile matters, mediations and other alternative dispute resolutions, evidentiary hearings). </p>
<p>You’ll probably have to go through a metal detector and you may not be able to bring in a cell phone, especially if it has a camera built in.</p>
<p>Finally, you should know that many (most, perhaps) attorneys very rarely go to court. Even those who often have cases go to trial spend the majority of time preparing their cases, not trying them. So visiting a courthouse is good, but it’s also kind of like saying “I wonder what Michael Phelps’ life is really like?” and just observing the Olympics finals, not his practices.</p>