How to Become a Lawyer in the United States

 How to Become a Lawyer in the United States

Wondering what it takes to become a lawyer.
Today, I provide you with the eight steps to becoming a lawyer in the United States.
Hi. This is Professor Beau.
Byes.
The journey from high school to lawyer is a seven year old.
Your Process for most people, I'm going to walk you through the steps
of becoming a lawyer, but I am going to do so backwards.
This is because everything will make more
sense if we start at the end of the journey rather than at the beginning.
Inward, outward, upward.
By making inward and outward changes,
you can propel yourself towards becoming a lawyer.
Eight swearingin Ceremony the final step
in becoming a practicing lawyer requires reciting an oath in a court of law.
My oath was fairly simple, where I stated I'll do it again.
I will honestly demean myself in the practice of law and execute
my office of attorney at law to the best of my ability.

In many states, this is a formal ceremony conducted by that state's supreme court.
But in other states, going to a local judge and reciting the oath is enough.
The key is saying the appropriate oath before a judge.
Seven character and Fitness not everyone
who graduates from law school will practice law.
This is because each state bar determines
if an applicant possesses the character needed to practice law.
For example, most people that have committed felonies
will have a difficult, if not impossible, time becoming a lawyer.

A former student of mine was convicted
of murder when he was 18 years old and high on drugs.
But by the time he came to law school, he was a different person.
Keep in mind that it's not just felonies that can keep you from practicing law.
As part of your bar application, the state bar will require you to provide
information on every crime and arrest, even if it was expunged from your record.
They also want to know about all
disciplinary matters in college and law school.
And let's not forget telling them about all your traffic offenses.
The key is to fully disclose everything,
as that demonstrates your current character.
By the way, if you do have a felony
conviction, it might be worth hiring a lawyer who specializes in this area
and get their advice to see if law school is for you.
Six bar Exam within two months
of graduation from law school, there is this bar exam.

There is a two or three day test, depending on the state.
In some states, 40% of all firsttime takers fail the exam.
I'm not going to lie to you, it's a tough exam.
I began preparing for the bar exam during my last semester of law school.
Even with all that preparation, I still felt like I flunked it.
After the exam, I went back to my car with my buddy and I cried like a baby.
I believe I'd failed.
I ended up passing the first time, but it was a brutal process.
Five law school, you need to earn a JD, which stands for Jurisdictor.
Most law students earn their JD in three
years, though some can do it in two years and others parttime in four or five years.
When you start school,

you quickly realize there are a lot of smart people in your class.
Everyone in my class had top LSAT scores
and undergraduate GPAs during law school orientation.
The law school dean told us to look to the left, look to the right,
and only one of us would be getting an A in each class.
We're all shocked because we were used to getting top grades in college.
Few people get A's in law school.
Four admissions Process

each law school has a limited number of seats for their incoming class.
The primary factors that law schools look
at our undergraduate GPA and a standardized test score.
Yes, they're going to look at other factors, which are called sauce.
These include your personal statement,
extracurricular activities, personal references, and the like.
But don't expect the sauce like a letter from a US.
Senator or some volunteer work to make up for a low GPA or LSAT score.

Generally, softs are much more important at the elite law schools,
where they can choose between equally talented top applicants.
If your scores are high enough, you'll have some options,
like attending a top law school and paying their high tuition, or two,

attending a lower rank law school and getting a full scholarship.
Both paths have some pros and cons.
Three standardized test Score the primary standardized test score used in law school
admissions is the LSAT, which stands
for Law School Admission Test, though today more law schools are also
taking the GRE as an alternative to the LSAT.)
When you are ready to apply to law school,
you sign up with an organization called LSAC,
which administers the LSAT and also acts as a repository for all standardized

materials used in the law school admissions process.
You will send LSAC all your undergraduate transcripts, which they will then collate
and create a unified GPA, which is used by all law schools.
Most law schools will not require much
more than the LSAC report in making an admissions decision on your application.
Two college Degree to enter law school, you need a bachelor's degree.

The college you attend and the major don't
matter very much, though graduating from an elite college
still helps in the law school admissions process.
If you know you're going to law school and that college is just a means
to that end, then find a major that allows you to earn A's.
That's exactly what I did.
I decided to major in Speech, Communications and earned almost all A's.

That high GPA, along with a good Elsa score, got me into an elite law school.
One high school diploma or GED to enter
into college, you either need a high school diploma or a passing GED score.
Keep in mind that law school admissions

departments aren't going to look at your high school grades or disciplinary record
unless it resulted in an arrest by the police.
In other words, college gives you a fresh start.
Work hard, and you can become a lawyer.
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