What Major Do You Need to Be a Lawyer? The Juris Doctor may be the only degree you officially need to become an attorney, but you can’t get to graduate school without first completing your undergraduate studies. Every law school requires a bachelor’s degree from a university or college.
Top 10 Best Pre-law Majors (see also: what did most law school students major in?)Political Science - 9,612 admitted. ... Other - 2,917 admitted. ... Psychology - 2,960 admitted. ... Criminal Justice - 2,220 admitted. ... English - 2,564 admitted. ... History - 2,657 admitted. ... Economics - 2,373 admitted. ... Philosophy - 1,858 admitted.More items...•Jun 23, 2018
The most popular major of law school candidates is political science. There's a reason why many successful politicians are lawyers—the link between law and political theory is very strong. Political science is the study of government systems, political behavior, and how the judicial system works.
In summary, law school is hard. Harder than regular college or universities, in terms of stress, workload, and required commitment. But about 40,000 people graduate from law schools every year–so it is clearly attainable.
Prepare for Law School and Careers in Criminal Justice Criminology is one of the most appropriate majors for those planning to pursue a career handling criminal cases as a lawyer or judge.
Some of the skills needed include: Analytical and interpersonal skills.
At least 46 states require lawyers to participate in continuing education courses to maintain their professional license to practice, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some states require lawyers to pass ethics exams as well. If you relocate, you may be required to complete further education. If you move from one state to another, you need to take the bar exam in your new state. Some states do allow reciprocity, provided you meet their requirements in experience and moral character.
You should expect to spend many hours studying while attending law school. At some point during your first year of law school, you will need to take the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination. You need a passing score of at least 75. California and a few other states require a score of 86.
Becoming a lawyer takes a total of seven years, and you must pass the bar exam. Every law school requires a four-year bachelor’s degree from a university or college, and law school takes another three years to complete. You should study English, government, history and public speaking.
This is a standardized test that provides information about your acquired reading and verbal reasoning skills. The results of this test is used as one factor in determining whether you are accepted to law school.
The bar exam covers a large range of topics pertaining to law. Specializing in a particular field of law will allow you to achieve greater expertise than if you were to become a general practitioner. Becoming a lawyer will help clients resolve their complicated issues.