It’s hard work. The overview to becoming a licensed lawyer is as follows: (1) obtain a 4-year college degree with above-average grades (GPA); (2) obtain above-average results on the law school entrance exam (LSAT); (3) obtain a law degree (juris doctor) from an accredited law school (this generally is a 3-year program); (4) study for, and pass, the state bar exam(s) for the state(s) in which you would like to practice law. There is not enough space to devote here to describing the hard work that goes into achieving these steps and, more importantly, that continues for your career after you become a lawyer. But so what? If it’s the right choice for you, then going through this process will be extremely gratifying. I have fond memories of all of the above, including the day that my wife and I received our law licenses in the Rhode Island Supreme Court and years later starting my own law practice.
It’s expensive AND most lawyers do not earn more than $100,000 per year. Most people know that the costs of attending college and law school are ridiculous. Some people justify these costs by believing that if they spend this money (or, more accurately, often take on an immense amount of debt) to obtain a law license, they will automatically become fabulously wealthy. This is far, far from the truth. But most law schools happily advertise this fantasy because law schools are in the business of filling their classrooms year after year, as explained in the recent New York Times article here. In truth, according to the American Bar Association, the reported median wage for all lawyers in Providence County is $105,400. While that is more money than most Americans earn, it may be less than what you expected after seven years of advanced schooling cost that cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Further, this median figure is far higher than what the vast majority of new law school graduates will earn – if they can even find a job in this economy. So if money is your prime objective, you would have a better chance of becoming wealthy in other career fields (and with a lot less stress and hours worked).
Visualize Your Life and Set Goals Now. The reality is that becoming a lawyer is hard work, expensive, and that you probably will not become wildly wealthy. That does not mean that you should not become a lawyer. But it should mean that the decision to go forward should not be made lightly. Bad reasons to go to law school include: * it will please my parents * it is a nice degree to have * I will become wealthy. Now more than ever, it is more important for you to meditate on WHY you want to go to law school and whether you intend to be involved in your community. Two books I highly recommend to help meditate on these questions are Happier and Lawyers Career Change Handbook.
If You Decide To Become A Lawyer – Be A Smart Consumer. My two cents: The name and pedigree of a given college and law school is far less important than the value that these schools deliver for your personal goals. If you have truly thought about Point 3, then you should be able to focus on the attributes of a school that are important to you, such as a top trial advocacy clinic if you wish to pursue a career as a trial lawyer. Finally, I would recommend looking at public schools that may offer in-state tuition if you live in that state for a year or so. Good luck!
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