I Want to Become a Lawyer. What Should I Do?
 How
many years does it take to qualify as a lawyer in the United States?
In the United States, it
takes seven years to become a lawyer: four years for an undergraduate Bachelor's
degree, followed by three years for the graduate Juris Doctor (JD) law
degree. The study of law is not offered at the undergraduate level, but
only at the graduate level.
With
an American law degree, can I practice law in my own country?
Before deciding to embark
on legal education in the United States, international students should
find out the procedures for lawyers qualified under U.S. law to qualify
to practice law in their own countries. Contact your national Bar Association
for fur-ther information. It may be advantageous for you to qualify as
a lawyer in your own country, and then broaden your scope with an advanced
law degree, such as the LLM, in the United States.
If
law is not offered at the undergraduate level in the U.S., what subjects
should I study?
The best way to prepare for
law school is to study what interests you most and helps to develop your
analytical abilities. The three skills that a law student most needs are:
communication
skills both written and spoken; research
skills; and especially analytical thinking
skills. These abilities can be developed by chemistry major or a literature
major, it doesn't matter. The majority of law students had undergraduate
majors in the social sciences, especially political science, history, and
economics, but there are a lot of humanities and engineering students in
law school too.
I've
read about some universities offering a "pre-law" major. What is this,
and will it help me to get into law school?
First and foremost, "pre-law"
is NOT a major, and NOT a field of study. It is merely a collection of
recommended courses that might help a person prepare for law school. You
will major in an academic field, such as political science, and you should
take advantage of counseling offered by your university's pre-law advisor,
who will help you to select a rigorous course of study that will broaden
and strengthen your mind.
How
should I plan my undergraduate education in order to strengthen my chances
of getting into law school afterwards?
You should look for undergraduate
colleges or universities where the classes are small and the academic challenge
intense. To strengthen your analytical abilities, you need professors who
demand a lot of their students, who make you write long re-search papers,
who draw you out in class discussion, who do not accept sloppy thinking.
You need colleges or universities that offer a rigorous and demanding curriculum,
where you will be surrounded by highly intelligent students. What matters
is not what subjects you study, but how you study them. Look for liberal
arts colleges that are ranked Highly/Most Competitive or Very/Most Difficult.
Ask the admissions office what percentage of their law school applicants
were admitted over the past five years, and apply to the colleges with
the best records.
How
difficult is it to get admission to law school after my Bachelor's degree?
Admission to law school is
very competitive. Only about half of those who apply each year are admitted.
Admission to law school is based on your undergraduate academic record,
your scores on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), recommen-dations,
and your personal essay. Because law school admission is so competitive,
it is important to attend a top undergradu-ate college that can increase
your chances of making it into law school.
I already
have my Bachelor's degree from a university in my own country. Can I enter
law school in the United States? What must I do?
Yes, you are eligible to
apply to law schools. The Educational Advisor will help you to decide whether
U.S. law school is appropriate for your interests, abilities, and career
plans. You will have to select law schools, complete all application requirements,
take the LSAT, and arrange your financing.
Is
there any financial aid for international students attending law school?
As with any professional
field of study, financial aid for international law students is very scarce
and very competitive. Contact the admissions offices of the law schools
that have the highest international enrollments, and find out how to apply
for aid.
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