I want to be a lawyer, just don't know what kind?

Question

I have wanted to be a lawyer for some time... do mock trial and teen court so I know that it isn't all smiles and butterflies, glamor and glitz like on TV...there are just so many different types of law out there. I know I don't want to do criminal law, because I don't think I could handle having to prosecute someone who I know is innocent or defend someone I know is guilty. Stick to civil law? And also, is corporate law mostly writing contracts?

don't answer this question if it's just to say "oh I hate lawyers, they're scum, we don't need anymore of you..." blah blah blah. you don't know me, so don't judge me. go do that to someone else who cares. this question is for people who will take it seriously. because I do.

and I know people hate lawyers. I honestly don't care. they won't hate me when they need me to get them out of trouble.

also something to add: I like doing the grunt work, the research, putting together the pieces. not always being in trial is okay ( I would still like to try some cases in the courtroom but doing the research and getting the facts is something I like just as much)

Answer 1

Most attorneys never see the inside of a court room. Prosecutors NEVER prosecute someone they believe is innocent, but defense attorneys have to defend someone they think might be guilty - that's part of the job.

Tax lawyers, corporate lawyers, most civil work - it's just writing documents and meetings. It's well paid if you turn out to be good in your chosen field.

Becoming a lawyer is hard work. You have to get a first degree (in any subject you choose) then apply to law school. Usually the course at law school will be another 3 years - so it takes seven years from the time you leave high school to qualify.

To get into law school you have to get a great score on the LSAT test, and you need good references - that's after getting you first degree! Then you will also have to pass a bar exam for your state - that may take another year. All told, you'll probably be able to start practicing when you are 26 or 27, assuming you go straight from your first degree to your law degree. Many people don't - they take a year or two out to pay off some of their student loans before going back to law school.

Answer 2

First, if you are a prosecutor and you know a person is innocent you have an ethical obligation NOT to prosecute or you will end up like Nifong down in Durham, NC--facing jail himself.

As a lawyer myself (a prosecutor) you probably will not know what you want to do until you see what it is really like. I decided I wanted to be a trial lawyer. The best place to get trial experience is criminal law. Most private lawyers early in their career do not get many opportunities to do any trial work, they basically do paper aspects of the cases.

My suggestion would be to keep an open mind an when you take your internships in law school (you will have at least two), try to do one in a big firm and the other in something that you find interesting. And you might find that you'd rather be a tax lawyer, or do something else.

Corporate law is a general term, there are those who do contract law, those who set up corporations, those who work in the litigation department, those who write those nifty little warnings you see in TV Ads. So it really depends.

The lawyers that make the most money are Personal Injury lawyers (they get 33 to 40 percent of all money awarded or settled to their clients.) But go for what interests you, not the money. Those who go for the money usually hate doing their job and never make as much as they think they would.

Answer 3

In law school you'll learn about each kind of law and be more able to figure out what you may want to practice. But even after you graduate, many new lawyers aren't sure whether they want to do corporate law or litigation so they look for a law firm that has both and allows their new attorneys to "test drive" both. Usually within a year, you'll have had enough hands on experience to know which kind you prefer to practice most of the time (and some attorneys do both corporate and litigation). In litigation, you sometimes get to go to court and argue your case, and certainly you get to exercise your ability to present in pleadings your argument in an effort to win. Corporate attorneys don't just write contracts. They use their legal knowledge and ability to communicate to protect and defend their clients. There's trademark law which seems to involve both litigation (sometimes) and corporate--all those news items where Google made some new deal or one big bank bought up some other big bank all involved lawyers. There's entertainment law too. If you're not heavily into crime and punishment, criminal law probably isn't for you (I have an uncle who's a criminal lawyer and although he likes his work, he sometimes had problems getting paid for his work and was threatened often). But you don't have to decide what kind of law you will practice yet. Go to law school, see what each kind of law has to offer you. Become a summer clerk in various law firms to see how things actual work. Maybe even work as a clerk for a judge (once you get some law school under your belt) just to see how the legal system works.

Answer 4

As a law student, please let me give you some advice. Go to college and major in something fun and challenging. Take at least 1 class in basic logic, 1 class in ethics, and as many Writing Intensive classes as possible. You'll have to read and write more than you could possibly imagine, once you get to law school.
Do NOT choose an area of law!!! To do that at this point will not help you at all. Infact, within your first 2 years of lawschool you will figure out what you want to do, and it will change drastically from any preconceived idea you have now. It's perfectly fine to wait.
I wish you the very best.

Answer 5

The criminal law occupies 1/2 of the law. The Civil law is fractionalized along a number of lines.

Go with commercial law, it pays very well and includes patent and trademark litigation (hot areas today), along with tax (boring) bankruptcy (specialized), administrative, and so forth.

There's also real estate law, so that's also somewhat important.

Anyway, just do your research and you might settle on something.

Oh. Uh. Be prepared, people really hate lawyers.

Answer 6

I'd go for corporate law, probably the best money. Yeah it is 70% contracts at least.

Answer 7

Become a constitutional lawyer.s
Too many people are being denied their constitutional rights.Especially children who are placed in abusive homes.They are being denied the right to be safe in their own body.We really need lawyers to stand up for the innocent victems.

Answer 8

Definitely wait and see, that's the fun part :) Also, I'd be wary of corporate law--I hear the hours are absolutely miserable at the bigger firms.

Answer 9

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RE :I want to be a lawyer, just don't know what kind?
I have wanted to be a lawyer for some time... do mock trial and teen court so I know that it isn't all smiles and butterflies, glamor and glitz like on TV...there are just so many different types of law out there. I know I don't want to do criminal law, because I don't think I could handle having to prosecute someone who I know is innocent or defend someone I know is guilty. Stick to civil law? And also, is corporate law mostly writing contracts?
Update: don't answer this question if it's just to say "oh I hate lawyers, they're scum, we don't need anymore of you..." blah blah blah. you don't know me, so don't judge me. go do that to someone else who cares. this question is for people who will take it seriously. because I do.
Update 2: and I know people hate lawyers. I honestly don't care. they won't hate me when they need me to get them out of trouble.
Update 3: also something to add: I like doing the grunt work, the research, putting together the pieces. not always being in trial is okay ( I would still like to try some cases in the courtroom but doing the research and getting the facts is something I like just as much)
Follow 14 answers

Answer 10

When you go to law school you will find out....no need to pcik now..you have plenty of classes and summar jobs to decide