"I want to be a lawyer!" -- Frequently Asked Questions

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Advocate wrote:

I just saw some of a great murder case on CourtTV, which would be valuable for would-be lawyers to view. It was the Serano case in FL, in which he was convicted of murdering a former business partner and three others who had the bad luck to be present at the scene. The lawyers on both sides were terrific, and the police work was superb. The defendant had set up a phony alibi that almost worked for him.

The only clinker was the judge, who gloried in asserting her authority. For instance, she threatened a mistrial if any witnesses, included the spouses of the deceased, showed any emotion. (Wouldn't the jury expect a spouse to show some emotion?) She also stifled valid arguments by the attorneys, especially the prosecution pair.

Do you have a link?

The accused is entitled to a fair trial free of undue prejudice. The state, in prosecuting the accused, is entitled to present evidence that is relevant to proving each and every element of the crime charged. Whatever pain or anger that the victims' family members might feel over the loss of their loved one isn't relevant to a determination of the accused's guilt. If there was a risk that the prosecution would use the emotions of the family members to prejudice the jury against the accused, it was certainly within the judge's power to discourage that kind of tactic.

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I appreciate everyone's interest in general legal topics, but I'd like to see this thread reserved for questions from people who are thinking about going to law school or pursuing a career in law. Thanks in advance for your anticipated cooperation.

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Joe - thanks for doing this thread. I've often wondered about these things...

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Thanks snood -- close to 19,000 views for a thread that has only 125 posts: that must mean that lots of other people are also wondering about these things.

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Joe, I don't think that some marginal comments would somehow preclude would-be lawyers from posting queries.

But I guess you think that such comments would adversely affect the purity of the thread.

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joefromchicago wrote:

Thanks snood -- close to 19,000 views for a thread that has only 125 posts: that must mean that lots of other people are also wondering about these things.

Yeap - thanks!

(I want to be a lawyer: first result on google with quotation marks, tenth without :wink: )

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joefromchicago wrote:

I appreciate everyone's interest in general legal topics, but I'd like to see this thread reserved for questions from people who are thinking about going to law school or pursuing a career in law. Thanks in advance for your anticipated cooperation.

How do I find out if I'd be any good at lawyering?

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That's a really excellent question. I have to run off to work soon but my first instinct is to intern for a law firm, even a very small one, in the area that you think you'd like the most for practicing. Not every lawyer goes to court a lot or even ever. You may find that you don't like court work but that research is great, or that you thought you'd love criminal law but really want to be a tax attorney. A very large firm will have a lot of departments (probably, unless they are absolutely a specialty house) but they might not love if you cherry-picked your days and tasks. A one-person shop might be better as the guy (or gal) might be grateful for any help.

I interned between my second and third years and, in retrospect, I should have done that a lot sooner (but I needed the cash I got in those years for being a receptionist. The internship was unpaid). I worked for a one-man shop and we did a lot of criminal work. While I didn't stay in the law, one thing I learned was that even the guilty need representation and, hell, they need it a lot more than the innocent and you're not a bad person for providing it. And, that, the guilty (the guy was inevitably found guilty) can seem charming and have some very non-intense moments of just acting like, well, like everyone else.

It was also a ticket, in some ways. I didn't do enough networking (and I would advise anyone in an internship to network their fanny off) but I did have a ready-made answer if anyone ever wanted to know, in a job interview, if I would have the stomach to do something. Well, once you've defended a guy convicted of killing a small child, you can stomach anything.

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Thomas, as a first step, you should take the Law School Admissions Test. It measures your logical and analytical skills, which are important in a law practice. Moreover, a poor score would probably preclude your admission to a law school.

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Thomas wrote:

How do I find out if I'd be any good at lawyering?

As usual, I agree with Jespah, so I'll only add a few comments.

Ultimately, the only way that you'll learn if you're good at lawyering is by becoming a lawyer. I would only add that, in that respect, lawyering is no different from most other professions. You won't learn if you're a good doctor or a good accountant either until you enter those professions. Interning or being a paralegal may give you valuable insights, but ultimately there is nothing like practicing law except practicing law.

The best that you can do, right now, is get a sense of the kinds of things that lawyers do (write, reason, argue, etc.) and ask yourself whether you're good at those things. If you are, then there's a greater likelihood that you'll be a good at lawyering.

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There is a strong correlation between a good score on the LSAT and success in law school and beyond.

What is next -- abolish the bar exam?

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ossobuco wrote:

<Smiling at that, not as a generalization, but with regard to Thomas.>

Yeah, me too, osso.

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Ok, here's a question, and I apologize if it has been asked but I skimmed the thread and didn't see it exactly.

The question is, should I be a lawyer? I confess it isn't a serious question. I enjoy researching the law and court decisions and formulating arguments. But I understand that actual lawyering doesn't often include those things. Is that true?

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FreeDuck wrote:

Ok, here's a question, and I apologize if it has been asked but I skimmed the thread and didn't see it exactly.

The question is, should I be a lawyer? I confess it isn't a serious question. I enjoy researching the law and court decisions and formulating arguments. But I understand that actual lawyering doesn't often include those things. Is that true?

I suppose a lawyer wears many hats. But, he/she can't be a successful lawyer who engages in "actual lawyering" unless he/she is able to conduct legal research and apply the law to the issue(s) that he/she was retained to handle.

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Why does one want to be a lawyer? I'm sure there are many answers to that but from some of the lists posted by MarionT, et al, it would seem that income potential and making partner at a top firm are a priority to many. Is that why people go into law? I'm curious if the resident A2K lawyers would be willing to share what motivated them to enter law school, and if those same motivations are what keeps them in the field.

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JPB wrote:

Why does one want to be a lawyer? I'm sure there are many answers to that but from some of the lists posted by MarionT, et al, it would seem that income potential and making partner at a top firm are a priority to many. Is that why people go into law? I'm curious if the resident A2K lawyers would be willing to share what motivated them to enter law school, and if those same motivations are what keeps them in the field.

As Joe correctly pointed out to me early in this thread, the title of this thread is "I want to be a lawyer." So, the purpose of this thread is to provide information to persons who have already decided, for whatever reason, that they want to be a lawyer. If we want to discuss "why" someone should or should not become a lawyer, we need to start a new thread.

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Debra Law wrote:

JPB wrote:
Why does one want to be a lawyer? I'm sure there are many answers to that but from some of the lists posted by MarionT, et al, it would seem that income potential and making partner at a top firm are a priority to many. Is that why people go into law? I'm curious if the resident A2K lawyers would be willing to share what motivated them to enter law school, and if those same motivations are what keeps them in the field.

As Joe correctly pointed out to me early in this thread, the title of this thread is "I want to be a lawyer." So, the purpose of this thread is to provide information to persons who have already decided, for whatever reason, that they want to be a lawyer. If we want to discuss "why" someone should or should not become a lawyer, we need to start a new thread.

That's fine, but my question wasn't about 'should or should not' but about motivation - specifically looking at the recent posts of MarionT and clone as they relate to finances and ladder climbing. I get the impression from his posts (recent and historic) that he feels money and getting into a top law firm are the primary motivators for entering the field. I'm guessing they aren't the prime motivators at all, but here or on another thread makes no difference to me.

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But they are certainly motivators for some people. Those were not my motivators. I ended up leaving the law because I hated it. I was stressed and unhappy because I felt that so much time was being wasted and people's lives and money were being tossed around with abandon.

If I had only been in it for the bucks, I probably would not have gotten into the particular area I was in and I probably would have stayed. But such is speculative. Even with the stress in my current situation, I will never go back to the practice of law. I just don't want to do it, like others don't want to eat brussels sprouts.

Oh -- quick comment re dual careers -- http://www.mass.gov/obcbbo/rpcnet.htm this (and others like it) often has something to say re dual careers.

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"I want to be a lawyer!" -- Frequently Asked Questions

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