Hello!
I’m currently a high school senior and was just accepted into the College of LSA at the University of Michigan.
Until about 7 months ago, I wanted to go into medicine, until I realized how much I didn’t like it after I took an anatomy class at my school. I’ve always been more of a humanities/history/English person rather than math/science. Not that I’m saying I’m exceptional in any of the subjects, but I do enjoy them a lot more and I tend to well in those classes as opposed to Math and Science.
I was intending to major in Environment/sustainability and minor in German studies at UofM to later do something Germany related to environment and public policy, but I really would like to further explore my interests in the humanities during undergrad. I’m also interested in criminal law, but isn’t everyone?
Law sounds pretty interesting right now, and I’m just wondering, based on my description above, is it a good idea to try law school? If so, what majors are best to prepare for law school/LSATs? Realistically, is Law a career in which I can earn a good amount of money?
(Also what’s the difference between an attorney, prosecutor, and lawyer? I’m really very lost…)
If there is anything else I should consider before making any solid decisions, please tell me.
Thank you, educated grown-ups.
Before setting your heart on law, be aware you can major in just about anything and become an attorney. You will need top GPA and good LSAT scores. If you think you’re really interested in law, try getting a job at a law firm or prosecutor or public defender. You could be a messenger and copier for them — they still frequently prepare very long documents, last I heard. Ask a friendly attorney if you can shadow him or her. It may be much more boring than you imagine.
Good research and writing skills are very useful. Logic is also very important. Good public speaking and interpersonal skills are also useful.
No, everyone is not interested in criminal law, and what about law is interesting to you? I’m a lawyer and don’t find “the law” inherently interesting; the last thing I’d want to do in my free time is read about law. I like being a lawyer though because you can help people navigate though red tape and other rules and accomplish what they want, and in the process you can outsmart people and win, which is particularly appealing when you’re working across from a bad person. If that appeals to you, then actually being a lawyer might be appealing.
Yes, law is a field in which you can earn a lot of money if you stick with “better” law firms or in-house jobs at larger companies. It’s nice being an “accredited investor” already at age 27, which is what 1st or 2nd year associates at large law firms are.
The best major to prepare for law school is a major in which you earn great grades, so be sure to take only classes that you expect to get As in.
I haven’t had much time to think about it and explore my interest much, but what you described really sounds interesting. It might sound a little cheesy, but I like exploring stuff like inherent values in people/society and what certain actions can reveal about them. Criminal law sounds super cool because of the investigation part but I’ve only seen criminal lawyers in T.V. shows, so I don’t know how realistic my impression is. In general, my thought (and correct me if I’m misunderstanding), is that studying law can expose you to a lot of different fields and areas of discipline. I’ve always been someone who’s interested in a lot of different topics and the fact that studying law might allow me to do that sounds amazing.
Law in real life is nothing like law on TV.
I spend 12 hours a day reading documents in Times New Roman 12 point font and staring at a computer screen. So do many other lawyers.
No, studying law involves only one field: law.
Attorney & lawyer mean the same thing.
A prosecutor works for the government & brings criminal actions against individuals (and sometimes companies).
How about specializing in environmental law? That’s what one of my college interviewers does for a living.
While the terms are used interchangeably, they really are not the same.
Actually a lawyer is anyone who graduates from Law school. You are a Lawyer when you get your JD.
However, an attorney is someone who is legally qualified to practice law , someone who has taken, passed the bar and is licensed to practice law.
^interesting info.
You have plenty of time. At LSA you can study what interests you AND still go to law school. No prep program required.
Some areas of law are more interesting than others. And you may not even use the law degree someday. Lots of lawyers enter corporate America and stop “practicing”.
Just enjoy. Go Blue!
@sybbie719: Not in the eyes of almost all state bars. If you graduate law school & put the word “lawyer” on any kind of correspondence whatsoever, you are engaging in the unauthorized practice of law (UPL).
Recently completed a case on this very issue.
@sybbie719: Also the dictionary definition of “attorney” is “lawyer” (which may be a loosely translated slang word for “liar”).
Researching this is quite easy & very clear. In fact, in many, probably most & possibly all states, stating that you are a law graduate or possess a “JD” or “JD degree” or even a “law degree” may bring a charge of UPL if not barred in that particular jurisdiction.
Some state bars are much more zealous than others. A few years ago the Colorado State Bar disciplined a Colorado attorney for giving his Minnesota in-laws advice over the phone on a minor consumer matter. The Minnesota lawyer turned in the Colorado lawyer who was then disciplined by both state bars–certainly by the Colorado bar as illogical as it may seem.
That is strange…having a JD or a law degree is a fact. Why would that be considered UPL unless you were also giving advice?
Most law students don’t special in any type of law or even pick the law school because of a specialty. Some do know that they want to specialize in maritime law because they already have a background in something connected so will specifically apply to U of Miami, but most just fall into it because their first job was as a clerk at a firm that does maritime, or environmental law, or water law. Most law students take a pretty core group of classes and then have enough electives to take 3-4 electives in the area of interest… A student interested in litigation might take trial practice, or do an internship at a clinic and help clients with a small civil matter while his fellow student takes a tax class. They both have to sit for the bar exam that is based on the core classes.
Political science is a common major for undergrad students who want to practice law. If you want to practice patent law, science background is extremely desirable. You’re gonna need good writing skills to get into law school too.
I started out as a journalism major and switched to poli sci and history. Before I went to law school, I wanted to practice criminal law because the cases seemed so interesting. In senior year of college, I had an internship at the local Legal Aid. Suffice it to say that while I still found criminal law interesting, I did not care for criminals and decided that I would not practice in that area.
I wanted to try cases, so I got a job in insurance defense because, in those days, that and criminal law were about the only places young attorneys could try cases.
After 30 plus years, I still love my work. I have not become rich, but I grew up in a housing project in the South Bronx and I now live on the North Shore of Long Island, in a house I own. I also was able to have a work life with some balance. If I worked in Big Law, I might have no kids, or maybe one, but definitely not five.
I read somewhere once that less than 10% of lawyers actually go to court or try cases. The beauty of the law is that there are so many aspects of it that almost everyone can find something they love or at least tolerate.
Don’t go to law school because you want to get rich. Go to law school because you want to be a lawyer.