The steps to becoming an Attorney
Jamall D. Okoegwale
Comm. 112
10/18/11
Joseph Becker

The steps to becoming an Attorney
Today, there are more people in law school than there are actual practicing attorneys. The steps to becoming an attorney are rigorous. When a person decides he or she wants to become an attorney, a process starts long before one ever enters law school. The first unofficial step towards a career in practicing law begins with ones prep work in high school. Academic performance in high school will generally determine how well a student will perform in college classes. The second unofficial step is to determine what university or college to attend. While in college, it is imperative that one does well, the course of study is not important. What one should focus on while in college are the skills that will be most helpful in the legal profession. Developing critical thinking and analytical skills, research skills, and professional writing skills are essential tools for success in the future. Obtaining an undergraduate degree is the first major step toward a career in the legal profession. After graduating from college, one should research the different law schools, and select the school that is best suited for one’s overall success. Grades and overall GPA while at the undergraduate level is one-half of the factors used to determine ones acceptance to law school. The other half is ones score on the LSAT.
LSAT
The LSAT is the standardized Law School Admission Test. The test is comprised five thirty-five minute segments designed to last half a day. The LSAT used to measure the analytical and logical reasoning abilities of an individual as well as the persons reading comprehension skills. Most of the questions on the test are multiple choice and based on the analysis of one or two readings presented in the section. Recently, a new section was added to the test, a written essay portion was added so law schools can evaluate a candidate’s writing skills. The LSAT is a very difficult test; preparation is needed prior to taking the test. There are LSAT preparation classes offered to help one prepare for the test. Scores on the LSAT range between 120- 180, but the different law schools set the criteria on what a good score is. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) is a nonprofit corporation; the members of the organization include all of the law schools that have the American Bar Association approval. The LSAC administers the LSAT four times a year, in February, June, October, and December. It is recommended that one take the test in February or June in case a retest is needed. In order to be considered for acceptance into law school, one has to take the LSAT by December of the year prior to the start of the fall semester in which the student will be attending law school. One must preregister to take the test, and a fee of $127 is required in advance of the test. Once the test is taken and one has passed all of the background checks, future interests and extracurricular activities review, and been accepted to a law school, the journey begins.
Law School
Many people say that the first year of law school is the most difficult. Law school teaches students to think like a lawyer. The schools do this through the appellate case method developed by Christopher Langdell of Harvard Law School in the late 19th century. (Legal Careers Search, 2011) The first year workload is very tedious but set in a fast-paced environment. Students are required to brief hundreds of cases. A case brief is a written legal document used in various legal adversarial systems that is presented to a court arguing why the party to the case should prevail. (Wikipedia, 2011) In the first year, students are assigned thirty pages per credit hour, which works out to be about 450 pages per week to read and brief. (Schmoke, K. 2007) To handle this amount of reading, students must quickly learn how to read and comprehend complex material. The second year of law school is equally as difficult as the first year. Some people say it is a little easier because students are accustomed to the demands from the first year of law school. In the second year, a person takes some of the most challenging courses. This is the year a student is enrolled in Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Real Property and Evidence. Real Property and Evidence are the two most difficult classes that a student will take in law school. As a student starts his or her third and for some their final year of law school, they find that they have mastered a majority of the schools core curriculum. Most students are free to choose courses that they are interested in taking. The number on elective that many students enroll in is the Bar exam preparation course.
Bar Exam
Before a student can take the bar exam, he or she must first take the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE). This exam covers the rules of professional responsibility to which all lawyers must abide when practicing law. This exam is held only twice a year, in March and November. Only four states do not require this exam and two allow students, who obtain a C or better in a professional ethics course in law school, to be exempt from the requirement. After taking this exam and passing, a student is now ready to prepare for, and take the bar examination. The bar exam consists of essay questions, multiple choice, and sometimes a performance test. The exam is given only twice a year in February and July, it is held on the same day all across the country. The test lasts for two days, but in some states, it is held over three-day period. Passing the bar exam is not the end of the journey; there are several more steps one must complete before one can consider them-self a fully licensed attorney. A character and fitness evaluation is generally required. According to (www.collegecrunch.org 2008) these evaluations are very intrusive and delve deeply into the person’s background. Only persons considered of acceptable moral character and fitness will be admitted into the Bar.
A person cannot wake up one day and decide he or she wants to become an attorney. It takes hard work, dedication, and perseverance. The steps to becoming an attorney are rigorous, and if one does not have the work ethic an individual’s dream of practicing law may seem unattainable. This is a brief overview of the steps to becoming an attorney. The journey to becoming an attorney begins when the dream is realized, from high school, college, to law school, and taking the bar exam. If a person works hard enough, any goal is achievable.

References
Legal Careers Search. (2011). Preparing for Your First Year of Law School. Retrieved from http://legalcareers.about.com/od/educationandtraining/a/lawschoolprep.htm
Schmoke, K. (2007). EXPLORING CAREERS IN LAW. Black Collegian, 38(1), 73. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Solove, D. J. (2006). THE MULTISTATE BAR EXAM AS A THEORY OF LAW. Michigan Law Review, 104(6), 1403. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. http://www.collegecrunch.org/education/how-to-become-a-lawyer/ wikipedia. (2011, August 21). case brief. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_brief