Law School/ Type of Lawyer I Should B?

Question

I am planning on going to law school next year. Do I need to know what type I want to be before I begin? Will I take different types of classes like gen ed stuff my first year so I'll know more about the different types? Do people get a law degree in something specific like family law or is it just in general then you pick a field? Is there a good website with the list and job descriptions of the types of lawyers there are? Thanks
(oh and feel free to add anything else about law school)

By next year I mean Fall of 2008

Answer 1

No, you don't need to know what type of law you want to practice before you start law school. On my first day of law school, one of my professors asked each of us what we thought we wanted to do, and almost half the class said they wanted to go into environmental law. Now that we have graduated, I don't think a single one of my classmates is practicing environmental law.

In your first year or two, you will take contracts, property, torts, criminal law, criminal procedure, civil procedure, constitutional law and remedies, along with legal writing and legal research. Then you choose "electives", but you will find that most people use many of these to take things that are on the state bar exam. For example, in California, where I was in law school, the Bar covers things like family law, wills and trusts, etc., and most of us took those classes, even though they were considered electives.

I went to a part-time evening program, so many of my classmates had prior careers which led them to study a particular type of law; the accountants often went for tax law, the scientists went for patent law, the actors went for entertainment law, and the police officers went for criminal law, not surprisingly. However, there were far more people (and this is even more true of the full-time program) who took whatever interested them.

I've met many lawyers practicing in areas in which they never took any classes in law school. My securities law professor told us that when she was hired to do that type of law, she had to pick it all up on her own, and I've heard others say the same thing. For many people, the learning only starts with law school, and continues after they graduate. That certainly is true of the people I know who are sole practitioners, who often take on a broad range of cases.

I wish I could tell you about a website which describes areas of the law, but I don't know of anything like that. You might check out your local Bar Association. Some of them have referral services and may give information on them.

Answer 2

You will have to take required courses your first year. Then you will have the option to choose certain other required courses along with a few courses of your choosing. It is not necessary to know what you want to do when you get out. Most people end up changing their minds anyway. Once you get started you will begin to get a feel for what area you want to focus your practice on. In law school you will mostly likely choose your classes based on the bar in the state you will be testing in. Law is a general degree, you specialize afterwards, so don't stress out about it. Start school and get your feet wet before you start planning your future.

Answer 3

Criminal Law is required for everyone.. A few other courses will be required as well. After you get your core classes you would be free to choose electives from several different areas. A good website would be the website of the school that you are planning on going to. Start there

Answer 4

No, you don't need to know what area of law you want to practice before you begin. That's what law school is for, for you to figure it out. 1st year are basic foundation law courses that apply to all areas of law. Your 2nd you allows you to take classes in the areas you are interested in. When you graduate, you can go into any area of law you desire. I once had a professor that started out as a corporate lawyer, then went into criminal. Just to let you know, I'm not a law student or a lawyer. I have many friends who are though. Law school is really tough, and you want to try and get into a school ranked in the 1st 3 tiers. If you don't, you're going to have trouble finding a job with a reputable law firm. If you just desire to work at the General Attorneys as a Public Defender, then you can go below 3rd tier. If you want to join a big law firm with huge sign-on bonuses and a 6 figure salary, you got to get into a 1st or 2nd tier school. Good luck!

Answer 5

Law School is a general law degree program (usually a Juris Docorate - JD). You can take elective courses in an area you want to practice, but a declaration of specialty is not required.

Answer 6

as far as the first year of law school...
you do not pick your own schedule... there are set first year classes and everyone who starts with you will be in each of your classes with you for the duration of your first year.
and NO you do not need t o know anything about the law or what kind of lawyer you want to be before you go to law school. yo upretty much decide as you. often people graduate law chool and STILL dont know what kind of lawyer they want to be-- which obviously answers your question about majors--there arent any. after your first year, you just pick classes that you're interested in or might be on the bar.

good luck