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practicing law?
16/f
hi. im a junior in high school and i really want to figure out what i want to do with my life. i get about b average in my classes. well im not super smart like a lot of lawyers are but i believe i would make a good lawyer. the thing is is that i dont know what kind of law is out there and how many years i would have to go to college. i also would like to know how much money i would be making. im want to stay away from busniess lawyer or patent lawyer, i was thinking about general lawyer, and lawyers helping people with cases like judge judy cases. examples :helping someone sue an ex due to unpaid car insurance, sueing a company for emply discrimination. . . something like that. i know this is kind of weird, but im in a law class now and i like it. im not sure what else to do. please help. thanks.
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I’m going to let the grandfather in me speak out for a bit. The practice of Law is a well respected profession with many different facets to practice with in. You are looking at four years of under graduate school and three years of Law School. You then have to pass the Bar Association Test in the states you wish to practice in.
In the different areas of the law there are practices that your income will be higher than in others. Lawyers who have a General Practice, which is the type of practice you are speaking of generally, make a comfortable living. Just how much you will earn really depends on your practice as even in General Practices there are lawyers who specialize in certain areas or who excel in certain areas, such as personal liability law.
What is important, this is the grandfather speaking, is that you enjoy what you are doing. If you do not enjoy what you are doing you can make tons of money and still not be happy. I have a friend who has a law degree and a cousin who has a law degree. My cousin specializes in real estate law, is a senior partner who they refer to as the rain maker in a very prestige’s Washington DC Law Firm. My friend on the other hand has a law degree but has never practiced law preferring instead to build homes. Both are well respected in their professions. Both are capable of doing the others chosen profession. They both would do well in the other profession and earn a good living. The problem is neither would be happy. Both they and their families would suffer needlessly because of this.
I am sure you have heard the expression; “money does not buy happiness”. No truer expression has been ever written. If you want to practice law, practice law for the love of the law, not because you want or think you can earn tons of money.
I was a salesman for over 30 years, was very successful at it and made a very nice living. I was successful because I loved selling. I have the ability to do other things some of which paid more but I was not happy doing them. I found a job selling and excelled at it, competitor companies recruited me to work for them. I worked my way from no names companies to the premier company in the industry I chose to work in. This is what working is all about. Doing something you love and supporting your family while doing so.
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I used to be a pre-law adviser, so I hope I can help.
You have lots of time. First, you will need to go to college. Your GPA really matters, so major in something you really like, you'll tend to get better grades and if you change your mind, you'll have a degree something you like. Do not take a pre-packaged Pre-Law program. Hardly any colleges offer them anymore, but they are not well thought of. Do not major in Criminal Justice, law schools don't like it. Do take a coursed or two in accounting. Every law student I ever worked with says one of two things: "I'm so glad I took accounting in undergrad." or "I wish I had taken some accounting in undergrad."
Other than that, major in anything else. Really.
LSAT scores matter a great deal. When you get to college, buy some second hand LSAT tests and start prepping with them a little each week.
Law is in every single area of life that there is, every kind of business, courtrooms, transactional, research, teaching etc. Most lawyers never see the inside of a courtroom.
There are lawyers who make huge salaries, and lawyers who don't make much money at all. There are lawyers who work 60 - 80 hours a week, and some who work under 40. It all depends.
On Judge Judy you are seeing Small Claims Court.
Every state has a limit on damages, often $5000.
Usually people do not take lawyers with them to small claims court.
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