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

Jespah said, "This made me smile. My first job out of Law School, in 1983, I made $21K/year"

That was very good money back then. Are you an attorney today?

I haven't practiced in over 20 years. And that was crappy money. I could barely afford an apartment on Long Island.

Very helpful responses. Thank your daughter for us, hilbert.

Joe if your really from Chicago, then you have some wonderful law schools in your home time. Loyola University of Chicago and University of Chicago are very well known for their law programs and they offer a wide variety of courses to pick from. You will have to take your Bar Exam courses when admitted, but to get into law school, all you need to do is pass the LSAT which has to deal with writing, critical thinking, reasoning, and logic games- The games are ******* terrible so really practice on them. Get comfortable for the LSAT and then shoot for it. Once admitted into law school, your social life will end and sleep deprivation will become your new friend. In law school, you are able to enjoy the curvature grading scale- It is based on not only the performance of yourself, but your classmates as well. The curve is unique because you will get the grade according to your rank in class. Let's say, for instance, that your entire class earns a 90% and your the only one to earn an 80%, then you will recieve the lowest grade in the entire class. Even though you have a B- average, you will not get that. You will earn a C. To elaborate a bit more, your always in competition with your fellow students as well as yourself and the entire time you are in school, you have no clue if you are doing well or not because they don't hand back graded papers in law school. You don't know if you did well or not until the final is over and your grade is posted.

It's a complicated process, but if your well disciplined, it is worth every strain of it. You will also, most likely, find a job after you graduate and pass the BAR exam.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

It's a rough row to hoe, Joe, but well worth the effort. Hang in there.

Good luck, Joe!

It seems like the de novo review is a strong way for wealthier people to buy a better chance at winning against people without disposable income.

How many times can a person pay for a de novo review?

There is an old saying that five percent of the lawyers make 95 percent of the money. The trouble is that the saying is true.

I've wondered about that, too.
(In Germany, it happens very rarely. And since we have a separate system of administrative courts - it doesn't happen there at all.)

What are you talking about? De novo is a level of review that an appellate court uses for certain questions of law. It's not a type of appeal or appellate procedure. Is there something in the news about de novo review?

pm and links sent

Thanks, I think I understand what's going on. In a family court case in Texas, the initial hearing is conducted by an associate judge. That judge, however, can't make a final determination of the case. Instead, the associate judge recommends an order to the district court, which issues the final order. If a party is dissatisfied with the associate judge's recommendation, they can ask the district court to conduct a de novo review.

This type of "second trial" is uncommon in the US. It exists because the associate judge isn't, strictly speaking, a "full" judge, and the hearing isn't, strictly speaking, a trial. Instead, the AJ is more like a court-appointed arbitrator who is intended to do a lot of grunt work that would otherwise clog up the court system. But since the AJ can't conduct a real trial, and since everyone is entitled to at least one real trial, the district court will hold a real trial in case one of the parties objects to the AJ's recommendation. And because the AJ's decision isn't binding, the district court conducts the trial de novo (i.e. as if the previous hearing never happened).

I will re-emphasize that this is not the typical procedure in the US. It may be common in family court, but it's not standard in most other areas of the law.

Thanks, joe!

To me. A lawyer makes more sense than an officer of the law.

Was. An interest of mine. But. Some fruit don't ripen as quickly as they should.

I can't imagine a bigger waste of one's life than becomming an attorney. While I enjoy the law as a hobby-interest, I can't imagine the thinking that goes into anyone wanting to do it for a living. Especially if any part of the desire is about money. If you just wanna make money you can do that a lot simpler and with less effort than required to become a lawyer.

If my discourging didn't work, and you're hell bound for leather to become a member of a profession only slightly better thought of than pedophiles, civil rights (religious expression in particular, as well as gay rights and equality issues) is a 'hot' area of law right now, sex law too (California's attempt to over-regulate the porn industry for example,) and they always need more prosecutors. Though I can think of better ways of dealing with criminals though mine's more of a 3rd world solution.

"Sex law"? Now that sounds exciting. How do I sign up for that? Please tell me, HesDeltanCaptain.

Well, since semper sexus masculinus etiam foemininum continet, this is a more interesting practical course.

The Lupinar University offers quite a few courses about res sexuales - even online, but only in Nevada.

Um, I miss Advocate. Anyone know how he or she is these days?

So, they have sex in the southwest U.S.? Wonders never cease. Sounds like that could be lucrative to adjudicate. Or administer.