What to Do After You Graduate Law School
Many students aspire to go to law school, but once you graduate, then what happens? You might find that you haven’t spent much time thinking about the future. Luckily, you don’t have to worry if your graduation date is coming up faster than you had anticipated. You have many routes open to you. And once you graduate, there are a few things you’ll want to consider doing, starting with your finances.
Get Your Finances in Order
When you were living as a poor law student, you might have dreamed of the day you could have a big salary and live a luxurious life. But it’s a good idea to hold off on that for a while. Start by creating an emergency savings fund. Then you can look into taking care of your debt. Consider refinancing your law school loans to save money. Your savings will depend on the interest rate you may qualify for, which depends on your income and credit score. However, refinancing your loans makes it easy to combine several loans into one monthly payment or remove a cosigner. With the right lender, you can access a client happiness team in order to assist every step of the way.
Take the Bar Exam
if you want to practice, you’ll need to take the bar exam, and it’s imperative to pass it if you want to be a legal representative. Expect to take eight to 10 weeks or longer to prepare for the test. Try to avoid any distractions, such as work or spending too much time with friends. Consider enrolling in a preparation course so you’ll be more likely to pass it the first time. If you do plan on taking the bar exam, try to take it as soon after graduation as possible, when you are still used to studying and the material from your courses is still fresh in your memory.
Take an Internship
While you may know you want to work in law, you might not have a clear idea of your path. Luckily, you aren’t alone. Other students also aren’t sure where they want to go after graduation. One reason for this is the fact that you don’t have a lot of work experience. Consider landing an internship in an area you think you’re interested in. That’ll give you a better idea of whether that particular area is something you can see yourself doing for the rest of your career. You’ll also see for yourself what lawyers have to do each day and learn problem-solving skills. If you’re lucky, you might be able to land a paid internship.
Another possibility is a clerkship. That’s good if you know how you want to get involved with the field, and you will get a better look at the way things work. Remember, the competition for these positions is often tough, so you have to stand out when applying for a position. You’ll have to show that you have excellent writing skills and can make good judgments. It’s important to be able to work well with your coworkers.