So I want to be a Lawyer but I dont consider myself smart, except in English what should I do?

Question

I have asked questions on Yahoo Answers about the courses I should be taking and ok, English,yes I can do but Im terrible at maths and only ok at science. Someone said that Law in the uk (where i live) is rather popular so Ive got to have the grades- which Im not sure I have. I really had my heart set on being a Lawyer any suggestions please?

Answer 1

Sorry, but if your question represents the best English you can muster, you will not make a good lawyer. Contrary to what several people have said here, it does take smarts to make a good lawyer. A person of average intelligence will make a poor lawyer and, frankly, will get eaten alive by other, smarter, lawyers.

Answer 2

Listen, you do have to be of higher than average intelligence to get a lawyer job you will enjoy and excel at, rather than spend your life doing document reviews. And Math is extremely important, because it is about logic. Logical reasoning, analyitical reasoning, deductive reasoning, are both critical for Law. That is my experience as a lawyer. I am good, and most successful lawyers I know are extremely articulate, have both great language and logical reasoning skills. It is not just about getting accepted, but whether you'll succeed after graduating. I don't know why you say that you are not smart. Your grades may not be telling you the whole story. Get some tutoring in Math and see how you do. Take the law school admissions test (I don't know what your equivalent is in England) and then assess whether you can qualify. You should get good grades in both Math and English. But, regardless, even if you're not good at Math, it does not mean you're not "smart." You'll have a harder time being a lawyer if you really are more into words only and not able to reason efficiently and analytically. but if you are that good at English, you're smart!

Answer 3

You can still make it as a lawyer but it will just mean working harder and will probably take longer than people who are naturally smarter. But you have to really really want it and be willing to work for a long time. An access course is possible, it only takes a year but I think you have to be over 21 (not definite).

If you really cant do it another option is to work as a legal secretary, you can work up within the law firm, get some hands on legal work and earn a lot of money, without anywhere near the quali's that you need to be a lawyer. Worth looking into maybe?

Answer 4

I'm currently studying Law at uni, and the first thing to point out is you don't need to do any specific subjects. However, the subjects you choose for A Level should be of an academic nature: e.g. English, History, etc. You may want to consider doing a foreign language. Obviously it is beter if you can get a good spread of arts and sciences, but if you're not so good at sciences and maths, and you don't enjoy them, you probably shouldn't continue with them.

Secondly, even if you want to go into law, you DO NOT have to do a Law degree. You can do a degree in another subject and then do a one year law conversion course. This may be more hectic, but can sometimes be more attractive to big law firms. There should be more info on this in the links below.

Which university you go to will be important. Law is the most popular subject in tht UK, and you'll need a degree from a good university. (Note: a good university does not necessarily mean Oxbridge).

In terms of grades, I know places like Cambridge, Nottingham and UCL ask for straight A's if you want to do a law degree. Universities like Bristol and King's College ask for a mixture of A's and B's. Check the Guardian and Times Uni league tables and check uni websites to see what kind of grades the decent unis want.

Some unis will want you to sit the LNAT. Click the link to see which ones:

http://www.lnat.ac.uk/

I guess for further info, you should check out the Law Society (for solicitors) and the Bar (for Barristers):

http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/home.law
http://www.legaleducation.org.uk/Main/

Hope that Helps!

Answer 5

Hi Kelly,

I have just finished my LLB (July).

The key thing to doing any degree is that you must want it so much you can taste it!

You have your heart set on practicing law then do it!

You will need good passes at A-level in English and Maths and one other subject that need not be science. You might do Economics or English Literature. Psychology or something like that will be ok. Just get the highest possible grades you can.

Places on law degrees are highly sought after. The better the grades the better the chances of reading law at your chosen university.

Universities have open days throughout the year, try to go to some of them.

If you are in doubt, contact a uni that offers law and e-mail the admissions tutor. He/she will normally be happy to advise you.

Hope this helps.

Very best of luck.

Answer 6

Most of the lawyers that I have met don't seem any smarter than anyone else. If you are good at English, then you probably have the skills to become a lawyer. Much of it involves reading and memorization.

In the UK, law is an undergraduate degree. If you don't get in immediately, you may be able to change majors once you are in. If you do well in your undergraduate studies and do not major in Law, then you can always apply to Law Schools in the USA -- where it is a graduate degree.

Answer 7

of course you can be a lawyer. It really doesnt matter what A levels you take (try to avoid a law A level, its frowned upon by unis) You are better off taking core subjects i.e. maths science english

as long as you get above 3 Ds at a level you would probably accepted into a university to do a law degree. If you wanted to go to Nottingham or Sheffield etc maybe you would be offered a conditional place for 3Bs

I am at uni doing psychology and i was offered a conditional place for 3Cs, but came out with 2Cs and a D, i was still accepted

the best thing you can do is apply for a few unis who ask for your predicted grades (eg 3Cs), apply for a better one in case you do better than expected (3 Bs), and a fall back, in case you do worse. (3 Ds)

Good luck!

Answer 8

Training to be a Paralegal is an excellent idea - that gets you a job in the law environment - and you can really see how lawyers work.

As defined by the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, a Paralegal is a person, qualified through education, training or work experience to perform substantive legal work that requires knowledge of legal concepts and is customarily, but not exclusively, performed by a lawyer. This person may be retained or employed by a lawyer, law office, governmental agency or other entity or may be authorized by administrative, statutory or court authority to perform this work.

OOPS sorry you're in the UK. Let me see what I can find.

Answer 9

I too am very bad at maths and science so I took the route of going in as a mature student where your grades dont matter, I am good at English and am doing Law it's brilliant all you need is English, would you consider getting extra tuition in mathe and science to bump up your grades? Otherwise work and travel til you are 23 and then go to college as a mature student, it's what everyone in Ireland is doing.

Answer 10

STUDY hehe Let me tell you about my story:

I dropped out of school at 16 (I am 17 now) I have always wanted college. SO I went back to school and got my GED and I am working towards a degree in the medical field.

If I can do it you can. Never listen when someone tells you that you cant do it. Always have faith in yourself that you can make it and study. Do some research or email the University you have in mind and ask them what the requirments to get into the course is and what you need to focus on. Put studying before your fun. As boring as it sounds it will pay off in the end trust me. Good Luck!!