"How To" Become A Lawyer!
Some Quick Steps to a Good Paycheck by Your Friend, Sydney
What Do Lawyers Even Do?
Law Book With Gavel
Tip: If you're going to be a lawyer, know the rules!
Justice Scale
Be Punctual!
Pros and Cons
There are many rewarding perks to being an attorney... like the money! "The median annual salary for all lawyers is $110,590," (Kane). The top lawyers in the world get paid millions. You get so much flexibility! Lawyers set their own work hours, choose who they represent, set their work area, and set how much they get paid. Not to mention being a lawyer comes with a lot of dignity and influence: having an impressive degree, a generous salary, a professional status... need I go on?
However, while there are many advantages, there are also a few disadvantages. Money. Money. Money. There's a lot of money put into law school, and out of that comes... debt. There's law school debt: "The cost to attend Vanderbilt Law School, tuition only, is $47,746," (Dwilson). That's a steep debt. Then there's the bar exam debt, paying for exam prep courses, the actual exam fee itself, and maybe even a laptop fee. But once you graduate law school, the fees don't stop there. "You'll also be responsible for paying yearly fees to your state for being a lawyer. In Texas, as of 2013, attorneys have to pay a yearly occupation tax of $200, a legal services fee of $65, and state bar dues of $68 for attorneys who've practiced less than three years," (Dwilson). These fees should only be a bother if you can't find a job and have no money to pay the fee with. But, if you can get through those obstacles and come out on top, you'll be getting dough.
How To: Get The Job Done!
If you are going to be a lawyer, then you have to have these traits. You have to be persistent and argumentative: no one wants a doormat for an attorney. You have to be willing to sacrifice your times, as you will spend many more hours in the office than you intend, and you need to have patience, because almost no one will pick up your phone call on the first try, you'll probably spend time waiting for verdicts, maybe even getting your client to see eye-to-eye. And you need good writing skills, because you will write, write ,write. You'll write drafts, motions, contracts, and many other things.
But it's not just the personality traits that will get you the job. You need a degree.
After the four years you spend getting a bachelor's degree, you will spend three years in law school and it all leads up to your J.D. (Juris Doctor). It's the degree you get after passing your state bar exam and is what you need to actually get a job in world of law.
And remember some tips for the office and starting out: Let people help you, and when you help someone else, they may not give you credit; it's life. Your client is always right, and when your client, or anyone for that matter, is in your office, treat them as your guest. "Under-promise and over-deliver. Never the other way around," (Tarlton).
Now that you have some tips, you know that being an attorney isn't all fun and games, and that there are personality traits one should have, on top of having your J.D., it's time to wrap it up.
Wrap It Up!
Today we learned that to be an attorney you have to get four years of bachelor school and three years of law school (which is actually pretty pricey), then you take your bar exam that you take several months preparing for, and after you pass you get your J.D..
But being a lawyer isn't all fun and games and money. You have to start from the bottom and work your way to the top, and spend a lot of hours in the office doing so. You can choose your hours clients and you get a lot of flexibility, and when you pay off your school debts, it's smooth cruisin' from there.
Works Cited
Law Book With Gavel. Digital image. Dickinsons Lawyers. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2014.
Be Punctual! Digital image. Checking for the Best Lawyer. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2014.
"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 01 May 2014.
Dwilson, Stephanie Dube. "Advantages & Disadvantages of the Costs of Becoming a Lawyer." Everyday Life. GlobalPost, n.d. Web. 05 May 2014.
Kane, Sally. "Top 10 Reasons to Become a Lawyer - Lawyer Career Advantages and Perks." About.com Legal Careers. About.com, n.d. Web. 05 May 2014.