Choosing an attorney in a sea full of all competent and highly qualified attorneys can be a very hard and difficult task. Even so, just the thought and reassurance that the legal fraternity has no shortage of talent when it comes to lawyers is reassurance enough to keep checking. But how are lawyers made in the first place? Probably you are thinking of becoming a lawyer? Are you up for the challenge? Read on to find out how lawyers are made in the US.
For starters, it should be mentioned that the minimum amount of time required to be a lawyer is at the very least 3 years. But the whole education process can take up to 7 years depending on various factors. The first step to becoming a lawyer is to complete and pass an undergraduate education. While specific entry requirements to law schools will often vary from one school to another, and depending on the field of law that one is pursuing, no doubt all the law schools in the United States of America will expect you to have fully completed and not just complete but have passed your undergraduate degree. Note that at this juncture you will not have been required to major in any particular field of prelaw. However, completing a degree in whatever discipline of your choice is often the first requirement to get admitted into law school.
The second and most important step to becoming a competent and highly reputable lawyer in the US is taking the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). LSAT is where most people often fail especially because the admission test is not for the faint hearted. This Test can be taken either in the summer after your junior year in college, or you can take during the fall of your senior year in college. For those who are not in college but want to try their luck by taking the LSAT, this can easily be done before the deadline to law school application approaches.
The third step, and another equally important step when it comes to the making of a lawyer, is to participate in the legal system education and complete it. It is important to mention that for one to complete the last step of becoming a lawyer, one will have to have earned a Juries Doctor degree. This is the entry point, as Jonathan Bunge will tell you, to becoming a competent and reputable lawyer in the United States of America.
Last but not least, and just like Jon Bunge, in order to become a reputable attorney you will have to sit and pass the bar examination.