what a law student should ask a lawyer

15 Interview Questions for Law Students to Ask What's your typical day like? What project are you most proud of? Do lawyers here work mostly alone or as part of a team?

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What questions should I Ask my law firm?

Whom you ask: Partners. Follow up: Ask if any one client or industry dominates the firm's work. If so, the firm's stability (and your future) could suffer if the industry or the client's business tanks. What are the firm's plans for the future?

What skills do you need to study law at University?

The ‘sharp mind’ you need for university study comes in different varieties, and each degree demands a particular mix of certain skills. Law requires both absolute command of the details of legislation and cases, and a wider view of how different areas interlock and what they (aim to) achieve.

What is the law degree experience like?

There is no single ‘law degree experience’, much as there’s no single ‘university experience’; choose what you want to make your priorities over the three year period, as long as you always make time for your work. Like any subject at university, studying law has its ups and downs.

Is law a good subject to study?

Like any subject at university, studying law has its ups and downs. However, if you’re interested in the subject and able to motivate yourself to work sensible hours then there are definitely more positives and it is a fantastic subject to study for three (or four) years.

What are good questions to ask lawyers?

Questions to Ask Your Lawyer During a Consultation1) What kind of experience do you have with similar cases?2) What would be your strategy for my case?3) Are there any alternatives to going to court?4) What are my possible outcomes?5) Who will actually handle my case?6) What is my role in my case?More items...•

What is the hardest question to ask a lawyer?

12 Tough Questions to Ask a LawyerWhat's your opinion of the probate process?Under what conditions do you recommend a Living Trust?How do I protect my children from abusive relatives if something happens to me?Can I keep my kids from controlling their entire inheritance at 18?More items...•

What are 3 questions you should ask a lawyer before hiring?

6 Questions To Ask Before You Hire A LawyerWhat's Your Experience? ... What Percentage Of Your Practice Is Dedicated To This Area Of Law? ... What Will This Cost? ... Can You Charge Me A Flat-Rate Fee? ... Where's My Contract? ... Can I Avoid Going To Court?

How do you prepare to talk to a lawyer?

Prepare For Your ConsultationBring all documents. Make copies of all the documents you have collected regarding your case and give these copies to your lawyer.Have notes ready. ... Dress for success. ... Be honest. ... Talk about costs. ... Ask your lawyer questions. ... Understand all documents you sign. ... Keep your own files.More items...

What questions should I ask my lawyer mentor?

Questions to Ask Your Mentor How is what I am learning in school different from what it will be like practicing? How did you become a [insert practice area] attorney? What is a typical work day like for you? What types of cases/projects are you currently working on?

What's the difference between attorney and lawyer?

Attorney vs Lawyer: Comparing Definitions Lawyers are people who have gone to law school and often may have taken and passed the bar exam. Attorney has French origins, and stems from a word meaning to act on the behalf of others. The term attorney is an abbreviated form of the formal title 'attorney at law'.

What questions should I ask in a legal interview?

Are you willing to make sacrifices for this company?What role do you tend to play in a team?Describe your ability to work under pressure.If you were hiring a manager for this job, what would you look for?Do you have any questions for me?Tell me a little about yourself.What area of law most interests you.

How do you answer a lawyer question?

Give positive, definite answers when at all possible. Avoid saying, “I think”, “I believe”, or “In my opinion” if you can answer positively. If you do know, then say so. You can be positive about important things which you would naturally remember.

Should you always ask for a lawyer?

If you spontaneously or voluntarily speak without being questioned, your words can be used against you. Not only is it good to ask for an attorney, but you should also stop speaking until you have a chance to consult with an attorney on your case.

What do I say to my lawyer?

Tips for Talking to an AttorneyAlways be as honest and candid as possible about the facts of your case. ... Ask questions if you don't understand something that your attorney mentions or explains to you.Approach an attorney about your case as soon as you think you may need one.More items...•

How do I prepare for my first meeting with a lawyer?

Tips For Meeting With Your Lawyer For the First TimeDress To Impress. ... Be Ready To Give Your Attorney Important Information About Yourself. ... Gather Your Evidence And Have It Ready For Your First Meeting. ... Get Your Facts Straight. ... Plan Something You Can Look Forward To For After Your Meeting.

What should I wear to meet a lawyer?

The standard attire for meeting with you lawyer should be business casual. Wear dress pants, a nice shirt or top. Women should wear a conservative dress or skirt. Nothing too revealing.

Why do people go to law school?

A lot of people go to law school for bad reasons, e.g., “because lawyers are rich,” because they want to please their parents, because they think they’re “good at arguing,” or because they like the legal lifestyle that is portrayed in Hollywood. Some people attend for no reason other than the fact that they can’t think of anything better to do with themselves, and law school has always been viewed as a “fallback” option for underpaid liberal arts majors. The reality is that the practice of law is different from how it’s portrayed in Hollywood, the money’s not always great, supra, and the work is often very hard. Therefore, many lawyers—and especially those who were just chasing dollars or entered the profession without a great deal of thought—wind up not enjoying their careers.

What does it mean to be a lawyer?

Becoming a lawyer means learning how to to negotiate and learning how to manage people. The Carnegie Institute (one of them ) says that 87% of financial success is three things: (1) personality, (2) ability to negotiate, (3) ability to manage people. So, only 13% relates to technic

How much does it cost to go to law school?

There are still a few public schools that are good deals, but you’re looking at about $60k for a public education and $125k for a private school, minimum. And certainly, at some spots in major cities, $200k+ is no longer uncommon. Those costs are typically financed with loans, which one then has to repay over the next 10–30 years. If you’re making serious money, student loans are a minor annoyance, but the reality is that…

Which profession analyzes the written decisions of the past as guides for current decisions?

Law is one of the few professions that intensely analyzes the written decisions of the past as guides for current decisions.

Is the law school market depressed?

The market for young lawyers remains depressed, even as the number of people attending law school remains high. This is the biggest issue. Shortly after the economic collapse in 2008, market demand for young lawyers fell off a cliff and is only now recovering. We’ve reached a point where firms aren’t engaging in layoffs with regularity, but this “new normal” includes far fewer young lawyers than before, as young lawyers simply aren’t needed in great numbers by firms, nor are they valued by clients. But in spite of low demand, the supply of law school graduates continues to be high. See, e.g., The 2016 ATL Top 50 Law School Rankings. If one accepts ATL’s numbers—and I see no reason not to—40,000 people graduated law school in 2015, and fewer than 6 in 10 got jobs as lawyers. Even if you factor in that some people may be getting law degrees for reasons other than practicing law, this is not an outcome to celebrate.

Is law school a good idea?

The bottom line is that for people (1) who are admitted to quality law schools and (2) have a genuine desire to practice law or a realistic plan of how to utilize their degree, going to law school may be a good idea. But for just about everyone else, law school is a (highly) risky proposition.

Is a law degree a Swiss Army knife?

A law degree is not a “Swiss Army knife.” A common refrain—especially at schools where most graduates don’t become lawyers—is that a law degree is very versatile, and can be helpful in numerous fields. There is truth to this: attending law school exposes one to a wide variety of subjects, and learning to “think like a lawyer” can be useful in other lines of work. But law school is best at training someone to be a lawyer, and the highest value of a law degree for the vast majority of JDs will be working as a lawyer. The fact that a law degree has use outside of the law does not mean that attending law school is a good investment for non-lawyers. In any event, the true “Swiss Army” degree is the MBA, not the JD.

Can you arrange things out of court without an attorney?

In the legal industry, there a variety of processes moving forward. Sometimes an arbitrator would be suitable. You can arrange things out of court without the need for an attorney, too. And the reason for asking is that you might have considerably less cost to worry about. 9.

Do all lawyers charge the same percentage of your winnings?

In many areas of law, all lawyers will charge a similar percentage of your winnings for their attorney fees. That said, why not go with someone who has experience with your specific type of case?

What to ask before applying to law school?

program, aspiring lawyers should be aware of what the law school environment will be like, how much it costs to get a law degree and what distinguishes one school from the next. It's also important to consider whether the difficulty of obtaining a J.D. degree and passing a state bar exam is a challenge you are ready to confront. In addition, you should conduct some research on the legal job market and reflect on whether a legal career is a good fit and whether you'd really enjoy the practice of law. Here are 18 questions to ask prior to submitting a law school application.

What are the requirements to get into a law school?

When applying to reach law schools, where your grades and scores are below the norm, be sure to write a compelling personal statement and recruit references who can write strong recommendation letters.

What are practicums in law school?

Many schools offer practicums or clinics, which allow second- or third-year students to work with real clients on cases. Clinics can focus on specific legal issues, such as criminal or immigration cases. Law school applicants should find out what type of experiential learning opportunities schools offer and the quality of those options when deciding where to go, admissions experts say.

Why is it important to do introspection before applying to law school?

It's vital to do some introspection before applying to law school so that you can determine whether a legal career would be personally fulfilling, experts say. There are many areas of law that aspiring lawyers might want to practice, so it's helpful to do some research about the various types of legal jobs. Law schools often excel within a particular branch of law, such as tax law, so it's worthwhile to find out which schools align with your interests.

What are the benefits of being a lawyer?

One of the perks of a job as a lawyer is seeing the fruits of your labor when you win a case and an appropriate remedy for your clients, according to attorneys. Representing underdogs in David vs. Goliath disputes and achieving a victory against the odds can be especially fulfilling. "Unlike many other careers, you can see the direct impact that your hard work has on the lives of the people you serve," Eric Pines, founder of the Houston-based employment law firm Pines Federal, wrote in an email. "Working in the area of federal employment law, I’ve been able to leverage my knowledge and experience to help people who are afraid of losing their jobs and livelihood for reporting wrongdoing at their workplaces."

Why do people become lawyers?

A desire for fame and fortune is not a compelling reason to become a lawyer and practice law, since there are many ways to achieve celebrity and become wealthy that don't require a law degree, experts say. On the other hand, an interest in helping others and improving society isn't sufficient alone to demonstrate that law is the right profession, since there are many civic-minded and service-oriented jobs outside the legal field, according to experts. A history of successfully advocating for others and winning debates against intelligent opponents is a sign that a legal occupation could be appropriate. Zeal for pursuing justice and righting wrongs is common among lawyers, who often have a strong sense of righteous indignation when they witness unfairness.

How much does a law school cost?

News Best Law Schools rankings that submitted these statistics for the 2020-21 academic year were $51,268. At public schools, they were $29,074 for in-state students and $42,143 for out-of-state students.

What should I know about English law?

Perhaps the really big thing to know about an English law degree is that there are subjects which (i) you have to study (ii) you expect you won’t enjoy. This is an unfortunate side-effect of the fact that law degrees are at heart vocational and so you study certain areas which are crucial to the smooth functioning of society but aren’t considered too glamorous. It’s worth noting that some people do come to university with a professed love for commercial law and that’s great, but it does seem to be the norm to start university dead set on being a human rights barrister.#N#However, because you have to learn these topics in significant depth you do find yourself getting far more interested than you ever plan to. What can seem like a fairly technical subject such as land registration is actually vitally important to individual people when you think about it — many cases on the topic end up with someone being evicted from their family home, or allowed to stay despite the aspiring purchaser having no idea that they had a legal interest in the house as it was not entered in the register.#N#There is a frame of mind to adopt here, and it’s absolutely central to ensuring that you enjoy studying law. Find the interesting element of something which doesn’t originally appeal to you — there will always be one, often the ‘human interest’ or political angle. Make as much of it as is possible as interesting to you as is possible. And resign yourself to the fact that you’ll just have to learn the rest!

Why do law students clock up library hours?

Law students get a reputation for clocking up the library hours because each week you need to learn what the law actually is and academics’ opinions of it from scratch, and neither of these will be particularly short.

Is criminal law a good subject?

Criminal law, for instance, makes a good first year subject because it is easy to get to grips with the ideas and it doesn’t overlap too much with any other area. It is just important to know that if you study Land law before Trusts/Equity, it is not a problem if you don’t fully understand what a trust is because that will come next. 3.

Is law a good subject to study?

1. There is a lot of reading. Just to get the scary one out of the way first, it is difficult to explain how much reading a law degree involves other than to say that there are a lot of law books! Law students get a reputation ...

Why is law school important?

This is super important. Law school is a means to gain a J.D. to help you have a legal career. If the jobs aren't coming to graduates from this school, that is a huge consideration to keep in mind.

Why is it important to know the average cost of an apartment, transportation, and food for a student in that city?

Every city is different and when planning out finances , it is important to know the average cost of an apartment, transportation, and food for a student in that city. This helps to plan finances as well as maybe being a deciding factor between two similar schools.

Is parking bad for college?

Parking can be the worst part of college campuses. It is important to know if a lack of parking is a consistent problem at this school.

Is black letter law a good experience?

Academics and learning cases and black letter law is great but hands-on experience with real-life legal work is just as important. Not every school requires experiential learning but even if they don't find out if there are opportunities for those who want it. 11.

Is law school all work and play?

Law school simply cannot be all work and no play- find out what fun things these law students do outside of class and decide if that sounds fun to you.

Do you need a GPA to get a scholarship?

Some schools require a minimum GPA to maintain a scholarship while other schools simply require you to maintain academic good standing to retain your scholarship. This is important to know because a scholarship GPA requirement will cause added stress around finals time and also you need to understand what the chances are that you may lose your scholarship and the importance having a financial backup plan.