Once you’ve determined that a future career as a lawyer makes sense for you, the next logical question is, “What now?” Answering that question can be a challenge, as the legal profession itself is a vast ecosystem of practice areas and environments. On top of that, there is an even larger array of pathways someone can follow to enter the field of law. The answer is taking the process one step at a time. Here are three things you can do during the first few weeks of the school year to orient yourself to determine how to navigate the months ahead.
- Refine and deepen your reasons for seeking a legal career.
Going to law school is a huge investment in terms of time, money, and energy. Although you don’t need to know exactly the type of law you want to practice when applying to law school, you should have a strong reason for attending that is both specific and appropriately matched to a future career in law. For instance, a common reason for wanting to go to law school is a desire to help people and make a change in the world. This can be a good signal that law school makes sense for you, but it’s too general to help guide you in your final decision to ultimately pursue your JD. To make this more specific, you should ask yourself deeper questions, such as what kind of problem or problems you’re hoping to solve, what a changed world would look like for you, and what specific tasks or steps you see yourself doing.
After you’ve asked these deeper reflection questions, you want to honestly evaluate whether you need a law degree to accomplish your career goals. It’s true that the training you receive in law school can give you transferable skills, but you should not intentionally seek a JD to help you “figure out what you ultimately want to do” or as a means to unlock more career options outside of the legal profession. Speaking with alumni in a variety of legal settings is a great way to help you better understand the responsibilities and tasks different types of lawyers accomplish on a regular basis to determine if your goals can be fulfilled within the field. Unsure of how to connect with alumni? You can use this guide to get you started.
- Take courses that genuinely interest you, you can perform well in, and allow you to develop skills that will he helpful in law school and beyond.
A common question I get from students early in their pre-law journey is, “What classes do law schools expect you to take?” The answer is, there is no pre-law academic track. You can major in any discipline and still successfully apply to law school. One exception is if you intend to be a patent lawyer — you must major in a STEM field for this. Outside of that, take advantage of the open curriculum and find a major and classes that interest you. Additionally, law schools don’t find one major or category of majors more impressive than others. Don’t declare a major just because you think it will impress admissions officers or make you stand out from other applicants.
Having said that, there are some things to keep in mind during course selection:
- Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself, but be mindful to select classes that you can do well in.
- Make sure that you take courses each semester that help you hone your writing, critical reading and thinking, research, and debate skills.
- Even if you are not an LJST major, it would be helpful to take a course in the department in order to have exposure to the study of law before deciding if law school is for you.
- Review this page on the American Bar Association, which details the core skills, values, knowledge, and experience you should strive to acquire prior to law school.
- Select extracurricular activities you can stay consistently active in and contribute to meaningfully.
Your grades and LSAT score are very important when it comes to law school admissions, but that doesn’t mean what you do outside of the classroom isn’t priortized in the process. Extracurricular activities demonstrate leadership ability, commitment to building community and public service, and potentially a host of other important skills, like project and time management. Additionally, they can show law schools that you will contribute positively to their campus community and value building relationships with student peers.
Become involved with a student organization on campus or an off-campus activity during the school year that you can consistently commit to without sacrificing your grades or your mental well-being. Ideally, involvement means more than just attending weekly meetings. While joining a law-related organization, like mock trial, can demonstrate commitment to the law, your extracurricular activities can be non-law related.
When you’re ready to get started with these next steps, or want to learn more about what you can do now to prepare yourself for the pre-law journey, make an appointment with Victoria Wilson, Pre-Law Advisor, in Handshake.
