Step by step guide to become a lawyer in the United States | How to become a lawyer in the USA

Lawyers are among the highest-paid professionals in the legal industry, and most attorneys earn salaries well above the national average. The median annual salary for all lawyers was $120,910 in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, but the world’s top attorneys can pull in million-dollar annual incomes. A career as a lawyer has been a hallmark of prestige for generations. Impressive degrees and a certain authority over others have placed lawyers in an elite circle of professionals who command respect and embody the definition of success. Lawyers enjoy a unique professional status and an often-glamorous image perpetuated by the media. Lawyers are in a unique position to help individuals, groups, and organizations with their legal problems and to further the public good. Like anywhere else in the world the demand for legal services continues in the United States and its increase or decrease may depend on prevailing economic factors. Despite the high level of competition in the legal job market, there is also an increasing number of law students waiting to enter the market. In such a dynamic environment, it is important that you decide your future career options in the US carefully before deciding to study law. Typically, lawyers in the USA hold profiles ranging from defense attorneys, government counsels, corporate counsels (also known as in-house counsels) to legal aid lawyers. Lawyers can specialize in a particular area such as environmental law, tax law, intellectual property law, family law, securities lawyers, etc. Apart from these, they can also consider becoming arbitrators, mediators, or conciliators. If eligible they may become judges or hearing officers where they apply the law by overseeing the legal process in courts. 

However, in this article I’ll provide you step by step guide to become a lawyer in the USA. There are four main steps to become a lawyer: 

Step 1: complete a bachelor degree. You generally can't practice law unless you have a law degree from a law school. To be eligible to apply to law school, you must have a bachelor's degree from a 4-year college or university. You may choose from several subjects to help you prepare for law school. It is advised that courses in English, history, political science and economics can be completed within a variety of majors and can give students an idea of what area of law they want to pursue. 

However, it is very important that you perform well in your undergraduate degree to gain entry into the right law school. Maintaining a high GPA will improve your chances of getting into a good law, and potentially qualify you for scholarship money. Most law schools require a GPA of at least 3.0 to qualify for admissions. 

Step 2: Appearing for the LSAT exam The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is an exam that you must take before entering law school. This is one of several factors that law schools will take into consideration before assessing applicants. Questions on the exam cover reading comprehension, analytical reasoning and logical reasoning. The Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) is a half-day standardized test. All law schools accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) have this test as an admissions requirement. The test is offered in June, October, and December. Take it as early as possible. 

Step 3: Enrolling into Law School Lawyers are required to earn a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from a law school accredited by the ABA. Students are shortlisted based on several criteria including GPAs, LSAT scores, statement of reason, etc. General requirements for application: As mentioned above, you will need to have a bachelor degree or its equivalent (4-year university degree) in any subject. Then Register for the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) Submit LSAT scores Recommendations TOEFL scores if English is not your native language Financial documents showing proof of funds It is advised that during law school, you invest time in considering your future options and building your CV. Participate in co-curricular activities such as moot court competitions and debates and keep an eye out for holiday internship opportunities that are advertised. 

Step-4: Sitting for the Bar Exam Bar exams are considered as the toughest form of exams in the US. Each state requires law graduates to pass the bar exam in order to practice law. While each state may offer their own exam, some states have adopted the Uniform Bar Exam, which allows lawyers to practice in any other state that also accepts this exam. The exam is prepared by the National Conference of Bar Examiners and composed of questions from the Multi-state Essay Examination, Multi-state Bar Examination and Multi-state Performance Test. Some states may allow students to take the bar exam before they graduate law school. Pass rate of bar exam are approx. 60%. To get help with exam preparation, students enroll in bar review courses which assist them in reviewing substantive law, drafting, tests and training in multiple choice questions. As a lawyer you have to be very honest and trust able person. Bar applications require fingerprints for criminal background checks, which can take several weeks to complete. The criteria for eligibility to take bar examinations or to qualify for bar admission are set by each state’s bar association. After passing the bar exam, you are now officially allowed to practice law in the state. 

You may now apply to a law firm, work there for several years to learn the business, gain experience. Work various company as a legal advisor or start your own law firm and many things. I hope in this video you’ve got an overall idea, of becoming a lawyer in the USA. That’s all for today, make sure you stay tuned, If you are new to blog reading me for the very first time, please consider subscribing to our newsletter so you can get future content strait to you inbox. Thank you.