<p>Hello. Excuse me if this is not the right place to post this, but I just want to know if i'm getting the basics down on the path of becoming a lawyer. If i'm wrong in anything I write, please correct me so I don't make a mistake and waste my time.</p>
<p>This is how I understand it: You can major in either English or political science. Either way, I plan on majoring in political science. Once I get my AS degree (I am currently at a community college), I move on to get my BS. I plan on getting that at a California State University. Once I get my BS there, I then take the LSAT. If I pass, I then get admitted to law school (Which by my understanding is a graduate university). My dream school is UCLA, so I plan on going there. Once I get my masters I then take the BAR exam, and once I pass that I receive my juris doctorate degree.</p>
<p>Is that the basic outline on the path to becoming a lawyer?</p>
<p>For You:</p>
<p>Do very well in CC
Do very well at your 4 year school
Do very well on the LSAT (you will probably take end of Junior/beginning senior year0
Go to Law school
Do very well in law school so that you can get a job 1L/2L Summer
Graduate from Law School (when you graduate, you will receive a JD)
Pass the Bar (you will need to do this in order to practice law)</p>
<p>Awesome. Thank you for the clarification.</p>
<p>
You can major in anything to become a lawyer. Unlike the educational pathway for MDs, there are no pre-requisite courses for law school. You should major in a field of interest to you, one where you can perform well. It should ideally be a field that will prepare you for another career in case you change your mind about law school. </p>
<p>I agree with everything sybbie said about the need to do very well at each step. Good luck!</p>
<p>You should major in something you enjoy and can do well in. If that’s polisci, that’s fine. You should also major or at least minor in something that provides you skills you can sell employers. Law school is a risky proposition that doesn’t work out for most people. Your other major/minor helps provide a backup plan. </p>
<p>You want to aim for a 3.7 or better in your community college and 4-year university. Then you want to take the LSAT and score 170 or better. The LSAT is graded on a curve of 120-180; there is no passing per se. Then you apply to law schools and you come back here to strategize the best school for your money. It may be UCLA, but it may not be. Then you need to do well in law school, generally at least median at any of the schools worth going to. Then you apply for jobs right before your second year of law school. Those jobs will generally take you for 8-12 weeks over the summer after your second year as a sort of tryout/extended job interview. If they like you, they’ll hire you. When you graduate, you receive JD. JD is the degree you get from going to law school whether or not a state licenses you to practice. Then you take the bar exam in the state you want to work in. Then you go work at that place that you spent your summer at. Then, finally, you’re a lawyer.</p>
<p>@ Demosthenes49: Awesome. Understood. But what major prepares you for the LSAT? Or do I prepare for that separately? I couldn’t imagine majoring in music and thinking you could pass the LSAT. </p>
<p>Also, I am very interested in being a criminal prosecutor. How great is their pay? What are other highest paying types of lawyers? I’ve done a little research, but they all vary and I can’t find very reliable sources.</p>
<p>No major prepares you for the LSAT really. Physics and philosophy students tend to do best, but I don’t know if that’s a causal relationship. You will either study on your own for the LSAT or take a prep course. Gearing your entire college experience around a test you may not even end up taking is foolish. College is useful for far more than just preparing you for the LSAT.</p>
<p>Prosecutors don’t make that much money because no government jobs really pay all that much. The big advantage to government work is job security and benefits. They also get pretty decent PTO. How much a state prosecutor makes depends on the state. You’d have to look that up. How much a federal prosecutor makes depends on other factors I’m not totally familiar with. However, I highly recommend you don’t pursue law if you’re just interested in the money. That’s the key to a very unhappy life.</p>
<p>@ Demosthenes49: Well, law has always been a big interest in mine. I shoot for the lawyer fields that make the most simply because I don’t mind the field that I’m in. I just feel like I would be great at convincing others and debating. I fairly enjoy it. </p>
<p>Law has very little to do with “convincing others and debating.” I highly recommend you take a few internships at law practices to see what it is really like. Law practices are also quite different from one another. Being an M&A corporate lawyer is very little like being an IP litigator. I’d investigate fields more closely to see what aligns with your interests. </p>
<p>@ Demosthenes49: So you’re saying that it’s not all about getting a client and gathering evidence to prove that your client is correct?</p>
<p>I’m saying you really need to get an internship or two.</p>
<p>@ Demosthenes49: will do. Thanks for the advice. I’ve heard of internships, but I’m not quite familiar with it. Is it like a part time job without getting paid? How would I begin one? Do I talk to my school and ask if they have any local firms that accept learning students for an internship?</p>
<p>Talking to your school is a good first step. Most public defender offices/district attorneys offices have regular internship programs. You can just call them and ask. </p>