My little cousin would like to become a lawyer. Other than her talking to guidance counselors...?

Question

What resources can we use to find out what she needs to do to achieve this goal? Such as testing, prerequisites, and colleges that offer everything she would need in Ohio? Any intelligent answers would be apprecitated, if your just posting a stupid answer to get your 20 points, please go else where to do so.

She is 16, and we know it will take her quite some time go get where she wants to be. And she would like to be a criminal defense attorney.

Answer 1

Ack. I really disagree with some stuff from the first two answers.

The best thing she can do is think about why she wants to be a lawyer. What kind of lawyer does she want to be?

Law schools have very little requirements. They're basically looking for a bachelor in ANYTHING and a LSAT score.

So, since they don't care what classes you took, you should take classes that will help you get a job later in the field you like.

Law school is only a step you need to fulfill in order to get a job. The goal is to get a job. As a lawyer obviously. What classes you take in law school will help some, but what internships you get during law school will help even more.

So, your undergrad degree can really be helpful in getting those internships. If you want to be a business lawyer, be a business major. If you want to do criminal law, then take criminal justice or something similar. You get the picture.

Science, engineering, or math majors are good because intellectual property is a high demand field and they usually only take people who have degrees in science, engineering, or math.

Ignore that crap about being poly sci because lots of law students are poly sci. Unless you have a high GPA, poly sci hurts you. Law schools know it's an easy major so they expect a higher GPA than, say, an engineering student. They get too many of those kids so you don't stand out. It doesn't help either in law school or after, unless you go into politics.

Basically, she should take the classes in the area she eventually wants to study. All lawyers need to write well, so she should practice her writing. English is nice, but it can be a pretty hard major (and getting a high GPA is one of the top priorities) and many other majors require enough writing assignments to help you hone your writing skills.

If she wants to be a trial lawyer, acting can be helpful, but I wouldn't be a drama major just to do that unless you really love acting. Joining a club can be enough practice, leaving you to take a major in something else you think might be useful.

Answer 2

No offense to the previous post, but I think more than 50% of people who go to law school practice law five years later. But anyway, like they said, any major at an accredited school will suffice for application purposes. There is an insatiable demand right now for lawyers with engineering degrees, particularly in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Most of these law jobs require you to take the United States Patent and Trademark Office Bar, which is notoriously difficult and does in fact have a prerequisite. To sit for this exam you need an undergrad science or engineering degree or the equivalent amount of courses it would take for a degree in them. The downside of these majors is that they are difficult, and GPA is important for applications. But the patent jobs pay great, mostly over 100K, even in smaller cities. LSAT is the most important thing of the (GPA LSAT) admissions criteria. It is worth taking Princeton Review to try and boost scores.

As for college choice, I know many lawyers who went to Harvard or Yale law, even, and did not go to top 25 undergrad schools. They were however, able to develop relationships at those schools with their professors, because they were the cream of the crop. A lot of people on here act as if every lawyer has to go to Amherst undergrad and Harvard Law School, but that's b.s. Sure, you probably aren't going to be living in a penthouse in NYC if you go to a lower ranked school, but there's work out there. And it pays o.k., a lot better than most jobs.

Answer 3

My husband is an attorney. I don't know how old your cousin is, but she should major in something strong in the liberal arts (history, policy studies, sociology, etc). Then, after graduation, she'd have to sit for the LSAT, which is like the SAT only for law school. There are good guides out there, and I recommend taking a prep course. Then, she should apply to the best schools she can based on that LSAT score. The higher the school is ranked, the better her degree looks to future employers. Also, I'd call to shadow attorneys in your town and remember: over 50% of people with law degrees don't practice law 5 years out.

Answer 4

My husband is in law school right now and will be graduating next May. One can obtain a degree at a University in anything basically but political science/government/business are usually majors that can or will help with the JD degree. After one has a bachelors and has taken the LSAT, then they apply to law schools in or out of State. It is very important to make decent grades in undergrad and a high LSAT score to get into a prestigious Law School. Tell your little cousin, Good luck.

Answer 5

How old is your little cousin? And, has she decided what type of lawyer she wants to be? Basic pre-college course, including all the English classes available. She want to be a trial lawyer? A little drama wouldn't hurt. Business law? Do the math. Wouldn't hurt for her to practice doing research, for that matter.