lawyer

Q: I am thinking about pursuing law, but there are several questions I have. How long does it take to make partner in a firm? How do I apply for financial aid while in law school? If I want to major in anthropolgy, is that okay, or should I chose another major?

A: The length of time depends on the type of firm and there can be a lot of variation. At a small firm, it could be just 5 years to much longer. At a large firm, anywhere from 7 to 11 (or more). The financial aid application process is similar to the process used for undergrad. Majoring in anthropology is fine.

Actually, one of my close friends in law school was an anthropology major in undergrad. In terms of a minor, you might want to consider a subject that will help sharpen skills that are necessary to succeed in law (i.e.written oral communication, logic/reasoning). Some potential ones could include English literature, history, political science, economics, or psychology.

Q: What is your job description?

Q: What is your dream job?

A: NFL player, any position. But I m all hear and no skill, so I d settle for a legal practice exclusively focused on appellate court work, which would mean lots of interesting cases and the opportunity to shape the future of the law.

Q: What real world experience did you get during school?

A: I always worked throughout school and found it helpful for learning to juggle multiple things. Working at law firms gave me the most direct experience that I use today.

Q: What advice can you offer to high school students?

A: Try a lot of different things to see what you like. Work hard and keep your options open, no reason to lock yourself onto one career path too early. Enjoy the whole experience most of all.

Q: What did you major and minor in during college?

A: I majored in finance and minored in economics. Working in commercial litigation, I find that having a background in business has been helpful for understanding my clients situations. In law school, you ll find people from a wide range of educational backgrounds (anything from philosophy to advertising majors).

Q:  I know it doesn t matter what you major in to go to law school or what school you attend, but would you recommend to attend an Ivy League school even if it might be too expensive?

A: You should attend a school that a) has a solid program for your major of interest, b) falls within your financial margins, and c) you can expect to succeed. Law school admission boards are more interested in how well you did in undergrad (and on the LSAT) as opposed to what school you attended.

I know people who attended state universities, did extremely well, and were ultimately accepted to Ivy League law programs. If there s an Ivy League school you re interested in because it matches your preferred criteria, then go for it. You can always use scholarships and financial aid to help with the tuition (check out the financing college section on PrepHQ). But you shouldn t go for an Ivy League program solely to impress admission officers with the school name. Wherever you end up, just concentrate on performing to the best of your ability.

Q: I m a Junior in H.S. I m interested in pursuing a career as an attorney. I m interested in at least 3 different fields of law as my Major. How do I decide which one if any I should focus more on? I also have several interests for as Minors; some

A: Before you go to law school, you ll need to do an undergraduate program to complete your bachelor s degree. Some schools offer a pre-law major that might be of interest to you. As far as the three different areas of law that you re interested in, it ll be during law school that you start to choose your focus. There will be certain courses you have to take but you ll also be able to choose electives. I d suggest taking courses in those three areas and see which one is the best fit.

You can also do research or get in touch with attorneys who specialize in each one ask them questions about their work to get a better feel for it. As far as what to major and minor in during undergrad, neither one has to be directly related to law. I always tell people to pick a major/minor that they re interested in but will also help them with skills that are valued in the field (i.e. logic, reasoning, superior oral and written communication).

Q: How long would I have to go to school if I pusued law?

A: Most likely seven years. Four years to do your bachelor s degree and 3 years for law school.

Q: If one were to pursue a career in politics would a law degree be an acceptable step on that route? If so, what area of law would be most relevant to a career in politics?

A: A law degree would be an excellent choice for a career in politics. I am not sure that there is a better area of law than another, however, criminal law or public law (which focuses on public or regulatory institutions, individual rights and social reform) would be two areas that would be a good focus.

Federal judges are technically appointed by the President, however, considering how many federal judges there are, it is not necessary to know the President personally to be appointed. For selecting judges for trial courts, presidents follow the practice of senatorial courtesy, which means that the President takes recommendations from the senators of the state where the judge will serve.

In order to get a recommendation, it is important to have connections in the political party of your choice within your state, or possibly hold a state judge seat (which can be an elected office). It could be useful to work for the Department of Justice as an Assistant Attorney General as well.

Q: What other majors besides finance are preferable for a degree in law?

A: Actually, to continue to law school after undergrad, it could also be helpful to major in history, political science, or English (for the writing skills). Law school is an intense three years of reading and writing and learning logic, as well as memorizing case law, so any major that would best prepare you for that type of course work would be good.

Q: What did you do in high school for experience?

A: I d say just having part-time jobs was a major help. Upon reflection, I can trace back my development of certain skills (i.e. time-management, multi-tasking, and interpersonal communication) to those first few jobs I held at age 16 and 17. These skills have been necessary to my success as an attorney. In college and law school, working in multiple law firms was also a major help. Exposure to the field is crucial.

Q: I m good at English and reading but not too good in math and science. Do you know what would be a good career path for me?

A: There are several paths you can take. Here are some potential ones to consider: journalism, public relations, advertising, library sciences, law, publishing, and teaching.

Q: I ve skipped around on what law field I d like to pursue. I ve settled so far on corporate. What would be most helpful as a major and minor for this field. (business, political science) Also what is one thing you would have done different to prepare

A: For corporate law, a background in business would probably be most helpful. If you have an interest in a non-business field, consider designating that as your minor. I was actually very pleased with my LSAT scores. I studied extremely hard and used various books as study guides.

If I had to do one thing differently, I would have taken the practice tests more seriously. These are a great preparation tool but I d always take breaks in between sections, stop for snacks, etc. Doing them start to finish would have better prepared me for the actual testing conditions.

Q: What is the best college to attend if you want to study law?

A: I m hesitant to designate any law school as THE best. Law school is completely what you make of it. You can t get by on a name alone attending a prestigious law school will only carry you so far you need to do well and be active. Attend an institution that you ll find challenging but you can also be optimistic about encountering success.

The same goes for undergrad you won t be admitted to law school solely based on the prestige of the college you attend. It is more important that you do well.

Q: When becoming an attorney, do I need to get a master s, or my bachelor s in my first four years?

A: You ll spend your first four years in school working on your bachelors degree. It s not necessary to have a masters degree to attend law school but you do need a bachelors.

Q: What exactly does a corporate lawyer do?

A: In general, corporate lawyers facilitate commercial transactions, specifically ensuring that all aspects associated with the transaction are legal. They make sure that the transaction doesn t violate local, state, or federal laws/regulations. And to construct the transaction, corporate lawyers often have to research varied areas like tax law, accounting, intellectual property rights, zoning laws, securities laws, etc.

Q: I want to become a lawyer and would like to know howmany years of college do I need and what are good colleges in New York for that career?

A: You ll need to get your bachelors degree first and that will probably take you four years. People will major in a variety of areas but some popular ones are business, English, political science, and history. After undergrad you ll spend three years in law school. There are many good colleges and law schools in New York.

Most importantly, you want to focus on doing well in both college and law school this is more important than the name of the school alone. Explore schools where you can expect to succeed and that meets your interests in terms of exact location, size, etc.

Q: I have always wanted to be a lawyer and also been told that I have the traits of a lawyer such as I m very argumentive, but how do I use this to better myself for law school?

A: To use this trait to your advantage, you should think of the ways in which you can draw positive skills from it. More than being argumentative, you need to: state your arguments in a clear and concise manner, be able to point to evidence that supports your arguments, do the appropriate research that would allow you to formulate an argument, think in a logical manner and articulate your thoughts in the same logical manner, know how to speak to your audience, maintain your composure, speak confidently, be able to think on the spot and respond to an opponent s argument, etc.

Joining the debate team would definitely allow you to foster these skills. Take multiple speech communication courses these help you with learning how to do research, formulate opinions/arguments, and present them in front of a group of people.

Q: What are the best majors to major in before attending law school

A: It s a good idea to pick one that allows you to develop skills that you need in law school and on the job: excellent oral and written communication, logic, reasoning, research, etc.

A lot of people will major in political science, history, English, or business. If you have an idea of which area of law you would like to enter, then perhaps choose a major that will complement that (i.e if you wanted to do tax law major in accounting environmental law major in environmental studies, etc.)

Q:  Can you inform me about the different types of lawyers? What are the best college for law and business degrees ?

A: There are dozens of types of lawyers (too many to list here). These are some sites that list the different types and provide information about the type of work each one completes:

It s difficult to name the best colleges for business or law. A college that is a good fit for one person might not be the best for another. For example, there are large colleges and small colleges with good business programs. Some people function better at a large school and some do much better at a smaller school.

You ll want to look into colleges that have degrees in your areas of interest but also match other interests like size and location. These can make a big difference in how well you do. The most important thing is doing well.

Q: I want to enter the JAG program in the Marine Corps and I have wanted to be a lawyer since I was extremely young. Would you have an idea about the difference in difficulty between JAG and regular law school?

A: To be honest I m not extremely familiar with JAG. I would expect that the curriculum s level of difficulty would be comparable to that of a regular law school. It takes a lot of education and training to become a lawyer, regardless if you re in the Navy or civilian sector.

I do know that there s a physical training component to the JAG program (which is probably for the best as I know from experience that in the wake of a busy schedule, law students often don t find the time to eat well or work out).

Q: Law school and College, it sounds expensive. How did you pay for it all? What do you recommend?

A: You said it college and law school isn t cheap (I know all too well from experience). At the same time, there are options to make paying for it manageable. Explore the financing college section on this site it provides a nice overview of the ways in which you can pay for college.

To give you a brief summary: You can get scholarships (money you don t have to pay back) there s federal financial aid (loans you have to pay back but at a lower interest rate) private loans (loans that you receive from private organizations like schools, banks, or educational loan organizations) The Military also has several options to help you pay for college (particularly look into the ROTC options). Definitely check out scholarship options every little bit counts (don t pass up a scholarship because it s a smaller amount the small ones add up).

Look into scholarship options at your colleges of interest. If you do well in your first or second years, many colleges offer merit based scholarships. I mainly paid for college/law school with federal and private loans. Do remember that attorneys tend to make lucrative salaries and paying back loans really isn t so bad once you re working.

Q: Can you get through law school in 2 years? Did you have a job while in law school?

A: Most programs are designed to be completed in 3 years (as a full-time student). You might be able to find some sort of accelerated program but I m not sure I would recommend it. During the school year, I worked at a law firm a few days a week. It s hard to manage anything more than a small part-time job.

Q: What majors do you recommend to someone pursuing a career in law? Which one is the best for legal studies? Does the undergraduate school play a part in acceptance to a major law school? Thank you.

A: Some popular undergraduate majors include political science, business, history, and English. Your courses in law school will require a lot of reading, research, writing, and analytical logical reasoning. I encourage aspiring law students to choose an undergraduate major that will allow them to develop these skills.

How well you do in undergrad will definitely play a role in admission considerations. Law schools are growing increasingly competitive and many factors must be weighed to determine whether an individual will be accepted. You ll want to take a challenging course load and maintain a high GPA.

Q: Is being an attorney too time consuming? If I have a husband and kids would I have time for them?

A: Yes it can be extremely time consuming. But of course that goes in phases where you ll have a really busy period and then it will lighten up. During the busy times, you might find yourself working seven days a week, thirteen hours a day.

Finding time for family requires a lot of careful time budgeting and management. When you re not quite as busy, you ll find that you have a good amount of time to spend with your family. Bottom line, while it is a demanding field, you adjust to your schedule and find ways to fit in all the things you want to do.

Q: Would sports marketing be a good major to get into before you go on to law school?

A: A lot of people feel that some sort of business degree provides aspiring law students with a strong background for law school so yes sports marketing could be a good choice for you. It s especially beneficial if you want to practice law in the sports field.

Q: I am thinking about pursuing a career in corporate law. What type of degree will I need?

A: You ll probably find it helpful to have some sort of business degree (economics, finance, accounting, marketing, etc.).

Q: Is being on a debate team a good practice, in terms of law?

A: Absolutely. The skills that you develop as a debater can carry into the law field. These include research, logical reasoning, analytical thinking, forming arguments clearly articulating them, and written oral communication. Those skills are all at the heart of excelling in law and it s certainly a huge help to develop them at a young age and continue to foster them as you go through school and life.

Q: I was recently informed that I do not have to major in Pre-law to be an attorney. I was told that actually, I do not have to do anything with Pre-law at all. Is that correct?