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How to become a Lawyer?

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Talent.com talent.com
Answered February 26 2021
Career Expert at Talent.com
Becoming a Lawyer in the United States requires many years of education, joining the state bar and landing a career as a Lawyer. The entire process of becoming a Lawyer requires a minimum of 7 years of education as well as passing a few exams along the way. 
  
The first step to become a Lawyer is to complete a bachelor’s degree. The major can be in any subject, however political science, history and communications are common. It is important to maintain good grades throughout the bachelor studies due to the competitive nature of law school. Many law schools require a minimum GPA of 3.0 to be admitted. 
  
The second step to become a Lawyer is to take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) exam, which is a standardized test that is required for anyone who is applying to a law school that is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).  The LSAT score will be an important factor when applying to law schools. 
  
The third step is to apply to law school. In order to apply to any accredited law school you need to sign up with the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). Once admitted law school will take three years. During the third year of law school students will need to sit for the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) in most states, however in Maryland, Washington and Wisconsin this is not required.  
  
In order to become a certified Lawyer, you will need to complete the bar in the state where you wish to practice. Each state has different rules, so it is important to prepare accordingly. The bar exam is commonly consisting of two days, one which includes the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). The MBE focuses on six areas (Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts) and is 200 questions. The second day focuses on an essay format with broader subjects; however this will vary from state to state. 
  
The last step to becoming a Lawyer is to land a job after you have successfully completed all of the other steps. 
  
Things to know before becoming a ­ Lawyer  
  • The laws around becoming a Lawyer are very specific to each state, it is important to be aware of these.  
  • It is important to network and gain experience while you are still in law school, just because you graduate law school does not mean that you will land a career after completing years of studies. 
  • Law school can be very arduous and will require a lot of focus and studying. It is also important that prior to attending law school that you excel academically in order to be admitted.  
  • You can retake the bar exam if you fail, and this does happen. Most states allow unlimited attempts, however there are 21 states that have limited the amount from 2 to 6 tries. 
Easteregg!