BECOME A LAWYER. WHAT IS REQUIRED?

As I walked into the office, a call from a client greeted me. Soon after I ended the call, another call came in again. Then, I knew it was going to be a busy day for me. “Oh! I have an appointment at 10 am. I need to rush out quickly”. I said to myself while trying to figure out how I managed to fuse the appointment inside my tight schedule. Oh yeah! You can guess my profession now. I’m a professional lawyer.

Perhaps, you might be interested in how I became a lawyer. It wasn’t overnight. While in college, I had so much love for writing, and I wanted to build a career around it. So I studied hard and pitched for jobs online.

I got a job at PapersOwl as a professional essay or paper writer. It wasn’t easy at first, but I gradually adjusted to my new position, and the pay was awesome. A lot of students have challenges with essay writing, and they prefer to pay to write a paper. So, I was hired to work as a writer and helped these students with their essay problems when they wanted to pay to have paper written. I worked my ass off to ensure the jobs keep coming. I became an expert in writing papers and discovered that a lot of students were ready to pay for papers as long as they get quality service. To pay to write a paper is a good opportunity for those who don’t have time for it. These papers were either essay, dissertation, or another assignment in school. 

I worked as a writer for a while and discovered it wasn’t the career path I envisioned for myself while in college. I desired something more than merely helping students to do their essays online. I wanted to help the society, especially those that yearn for justice. I desired a professional career where I could excel. But still, I didn’t want to gear off entirely from writing, which I considered as my “first love.”

How can I find the right career path of my dreams? I pondered over these thoughts for many months. Not just that, I sought help from my parents, who were my career buddies. After examining my strengths and career goals, I knew studying a science course was not the best for me. So, I resolved to become a lawyer.

Note that this decision was not made overnight. Along the line, I encountered many challenges and almost gave up. But an inner voice within me kept cheering me up and telling me, “everything is gonna be alright.”

STEPS I TOOK TO BECOMING A LAWYER

I’m going to share the steps I took before I became a professional lawyer. Perhaps, my experience will motivate and help those who are finding it difficult to choose a career path or wondering what is required to become a lawyer?

An undergraduate degree

To get into law school, I needed an undergraduate degree. So I enrolled for a four-year course at the University of Michigan where I studied Criminal Justice. Upon graduating, I proceeded to apply for admission to law school.

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

I learned it was mandatory to submit the scores of my LSAT alongside my law school application. The test was meant to show the depth of my knowledge about specific skills such as public speaking, comprehension, APA, reading, and critical thinking. The test questions were administered by the Law School Admissions Council and came in multiple-choice format. I remember reading for several hours and doing research all day to ensure I passed the test in one sitting. And I was glad it was a success. But it was at this point that I quit my writing career and left PapersOwl. It was necessary because I needed to devote more time to my “newly found love”- law. 

While in law school, I took several courses in property law, constitutional law, and legal writing. I also studied various forms of contracts and torts. At regular intervals, I was asked to participate in mock trials, write for a law journal, and attend legal clinics in various jurisdiction. You can find more details on the Internet.

Gaining experience

Upon graduating from law school, I had my Juris Doctor (JD) degree. But I realised I needed some experience to enable me to start my professional career on a solid foundation. Just before leaving law school, I participated in a summer clerkship program and worked with an Anthony in a law firm. They handled all sorts of cases related to criminal law and justice. I learned a lot while I worked for them, which I can recall as I write this article. I also had the opportunity to become friends with some notable lawyers and a judge whom I first met during my first year in law school. I learned a lot from him too. And I still apply some of the knowledge I acquired to date.

Bar exam

This is one of the requirements in the US. I wrote my State Bar exam and ethics bar exam, and I was successful in both. These weren’t achieved without some struggles, sleepless nights and reading both offline and online. During my study, I got to understand the political climate generally and how it relates to law. Being a lawyer is just like knowing everything about politics without being a politician. 

It’s been five years since I started practising law in the United States. And I must confess that my journey to becoming a lawyer was not a smooth one. During those times, my parents and close friends gave me their support in every little way they could. I owe them a lot of gratitude. To anyone that wants to study law, you need to work hard and be dedicated. The end is always a victory. Oh! I must speak with a client now. Good luck in your future endeavour.