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Guide to Majors

Guide to College Majors in Law


What is Law?

With so many television programs devoted to the portrayal of lawyers, it would seem that everyone should have an idea of what a lawyer does. But televisions shows focus on only one aspect of law--trials--and provide a somewhat exaggerated version of the profession. The legal system affects nearly every aspect of American society--because laws affect nearly every aspect of American society.

With a law degree, an individual can have an immediate and major impact on the lives of others. A law degree allows one to defend a person who has been accused of a crime, provides the chance to right wrongs, creates the opportunity to help the little guy battle the big guy, and offers the ability to defend the Constitution from attacks by individuals, corporations, and governments. But those ideals are only a small portion of the actual professional demands.

Attorneys can work in a small town, a rural area, a big city, or even in another country. A law degree qualifies graduates to start their own practices or work with larger law firms. Law is the most common profession of people who move into politics; both Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon were lawyers who became presidents of the United States.

A law degree can provide nearly unlimited career opportunities, because all professions need people who are skilled at interpreting the words and actions of individuals and organizations. With your JD, you can work as a practicing attorney or as a consultant with a company that more closely represents your personal interests. A graduate with an interest in communications, for example, may choose to work for a media company.

What does a lawyer do?

Think about what a lawyer does and you are likely to picture someone defending a client in a trial. TV would have us believe that this is virtually the only thing a lawyer does. Certainly it is true that a lawyer does represent clients in trial, but even among trial lawyers, the time spent in court represents only a fraction of the work involved. Many lawyers perform a variety of other services that rarely place them in a courtroom.

For instance, the lawyer acts as counsel to the client. To do this, the lawyer must listen to the client and ask questions that extract as much information as possible about the situation at hand. The lawyer must be armed with complete knowledge about the client's case before the real work even begins. Once the appropriate information has been obtained, the lawyer then advises the client about his or her rights and possible courses of action.

A substantial amount of a time is spent researching the laws involved in the matter, the client's specific circumstances, and the previous judicial decisions that are likely to have an impact on a case (known as precedents). Depending upon the size of the law firm involved, the individual attorney might handle the research, or it might be conducted by law clerks or by junior partners. Regardless of who does it, the research must be thorough and accurate.

At this point, the real and often unseen "lawyering" begins. Attorneys from both sides meet to begin negotiating, based upon the information obtained during the interview and research processes. This can be the time when the skill and expertise of a lawyer comes to the fore--because the vast majority of legal cases never go to trial. They are either negotiated into a settlement or are dismissed entirely.

When a case does go to trial, a new set of legal skills is involved. Again, the size of the law firm may determine to whom the task is assigned. Trial lawyers require a special set of skills. They must be familiar with courtroom rules and be able to develop an effective strategy for presenting a case. Trial lawyers need to think quickly, speak well, and present themselves with authority.

Legal Career Outlook

Employment for lawyers is expected to continue growing for another decade as laws continue to get more complicated. Despite the growth in jobs, however, competition among lawyers is especially keen. Government reports suggest that the employment trend is shifting towards larger law firms and away from individual practices. Anyone looking to open a private practice would do better to look in smaller towns than in metropolitan areas.

Earnings for lawyers can be substantial, in part because of the high cost of attending law school. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the middle range of lawyer income at between $62,000 and $137,000, but salaries vary according to the employer. Partners in law firms typically earn more than those with a private practice, but solo practitioners enjoy the advantages of being the ultimate boss--choosing how many cases to take and which ones, enjoying a more flexible schedule and workweek, etc.

Planning for a Career in Law

Students should understand the real lifestyle and work habits of lawyers before they make the decision to pursue a career in law. Once they enter law school and are faced with the long hours of study and exhaustive case reviews and analysis, students can become disenchanted with the procedure. However, the rigorous pace of law school helps prepare the student for the lifestyle of a lawyer, which often includes long days and weekends, plus meticulous attention to detail.

In addition, careers in law are highly competitive. Simply earning a law degree will not guarantee a job as a lawyer. Along with good grades in college courses, a law student needs to build an attractive portfolio to show to prospective employers. Law school applicants should consult with advisers to determine what opportunities are available through the school. Among the criteria law schools use to determine a law school applicant's admission eligibility are:

Preparing for a Degree in Law

Few degrees require more consideration and preparation for the potential student than does the Juris Doctor (J.D.), because most law schools are very selective in accepting students. Acceptance to a law school not only requires a bachelor's degree and a high score on an entrance exam, but also requires the demonstration of a set of skills that will be useful to the successful lawyer.

Preparing for the LSAT

Acceptance into most law schools starts with two important factors: an intelligent, articulate essay and a high score on the LSAT. The LSAT measures skills in reading comprehension, the ability to comprehend complex information, and the ability to analyze the reasoning of others. Therefore, it is vital that you approach the test very seriously and begins preparing for it as early as possible. Various books and courses are available to help you study for the LSAT.

Types of Law Degrees

A law degree is an advanced degree; only students who hold bachelor's degrees are accepted into law school programs. A Juris Doctor (JD) degree--and a passing score on a state bar exam--is required to practice law throughout the United States. Other advanced degrees in law are available but are not required. Those who seek to specialize in a particular area of law may choose to pursue a master's degree. These are the degrees available in law:

The Juris Doctor, or Doctor of Law, is the law degree awarded by accredited law schools after three years of post-graduate law study. A bachelor's degree is required to be eligible for a J.D. program. In some countries the degree is known as the bachelor of laws (LL.B.) degree.

The Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) allows someone to specialize in a particular area of law after having obtained a J.D., but lawyers generally are not required to hold an LL.M degree. A wide range of LL.M. programs are available, but most individual universities offer a limited number of programs. Some of the most common programs are in tax law, environmental law, human rights law, commercial law, and intellectual property law. These programs usually last a year and vary in graduation requirements. Some require students to write a thesis, others are research oriented with little classroom time, and others require students to take a set number of classes.

The doctor of juridical science (J.S.D.) is awarded instead of the LL.D. for research that includes a dissertation, and is seen as equal to a Ph.D. The LL.D. is typically an honorary degree. In Canada and the United Kingdom, the LL.D. is usually awarded for significant and original contributions to the science or study of law..

Joint programs

Because the legal field intersects with virtually every aspect of society, many law schools collaborate with other graduate departments to offer joint degree programs. Students usually must apply for admission to both programs. Each department then accepts transfer credits from the corresponding program to allow students to earn both degrees

Online Law Degrees

Online law degrees are a recent entrant to this highly traditional and status-oriented field, but they are available. Some programs offer actual JDs, preparing students to take the bar exam in a variety of states; others offer comprehensive legal education to boost a law-related career. Some online universities offer distance learning LL.Ms or related master's degree programs.

What Can You Do with a College Degree in Law?

Legal Career Outlook

The field of law cuts across a broad range of areas that often overlap. Lawyers who work in private practices are most often involved in criminal or civil litigation. Criminal law focuses on individuals charged with crimes, while civil law deals more with wills, mortgages, leases, and other contract matters. Here is a brief breakdown of some common areas of specialty:

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