It has a reputation for offering a career of riches, and for many this is sufficient to turn to a career in law.
However, as one might expect, the process is hardly seamless. It has a lot more steps in comparison to a “typical” career in another field, and this is something that Dan DeKoter Lawyer knows all about.
Bearing this in mind, we have tapped into his knowledge to find out what steps you should be looking to take if you have serious ambitions about becoming an attorney.
Step #1 – Get your bachelor’s degree
The first stage you need to complete is to attain a bachelor’s degree. This is quite an interesting stage as contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to get the degree in any law-related area. It can be in absolutely anything. Whether you are based in Iowa or Osceola County, this is regardless – the same rules apply countrywide.
Step #2 – Pass the law school exam
Your next stage needs to be to pass the law school exam. Formally known as the Law School Admission Test, your score here will be used to reflect your ability in the field of law. Part of it is multiple-choice based, while the other part is a writing sample.
Step #3 – Apply for the law schools
Next, start to apply for law schools. These schools should be accredited by the American Bar Association, and if you are struggling to find any of this ilk, try looking at the Law School Admission Council.
Whether or not you are accepted into these law schools will depend on a variety of factors. The scores from your law school exam is one of this, as is the coursework from your undergraduate course. In other words, make sure that everything is firmly in-check before you apply.
Step #4 – Get your Juris Doctor Degree
The fourth step of your law career process involves obtaining a Juris Doctor Degree. This is the degree that is nationally recognized for law through the country and hundreds of law schools currently offer it.
From this point, it’s possible to specialize as much as your heart decides. Some students might look to focus on real estate law, while others might turn to criminal. The choice is yours and some would suggest that this is really when a law career can start to get exciting, and you can start to affect your destiny.
Step #5 – Pass the bar
Finally, it’s all about the bar exam. Up until this point, it hasn’t mattered where in the country you are located, but as soon as it comes to completing the bar exam the conditions will change based on the state in which you reside in.
Usually, this is a two-day process. Sometimes it’s not just the exam results that need to be taken into account either; examiners have been known to look at all elements of a candidate’s background, including their education and general character.