The requirements to become a lawyer include training and testing to ensure capability and effectiveness in court.

Generally considered a prestigious career, the practice of law is rife with education- and talent-related qualifications. This is perhaps why lawyers often also become politicians, judges, governmental officials, teachers, and business executives. The trajectory one must follow to become an attorney are as follows.

Go To College

In order to begin the path from debate team junkie to courtroom extraordinaire, one must first attend and earn a 4-year diploma from a college or university. Any school will do, albeit Ivy Leagues will assure you fit in with your peers at the Country Club, and any course of study is acceptable as well, although many advise majoring in political science or English. On the other hand, there can be no freshman foolishness or senioritis – Law schools (the next step) are relentlessly competitive, as you can rest assured that all of those tormented social serfs from high school are releasing their vengeance all over their transcripts. Furthermore, there is usually an enormous disparity between the number of applicants to a law school and the amount of openings that law school is offering per admission period.

Take the LSAT

The LSAT (Law School Administration Council examination) is the next step to achieving Lawyerhood. This is a test composed entirely of riddles that measure reading comprehension as well as logical and analytical reasoning. There are five sections, each with a 35-minute time constraint, four of which are multiple choice (with one that is unscored) and a written sample (that likewise is not scored, but is instead disseminated to selected law schools). Essentially, it is a test that measures a student’s preparedness to attend law school, and is provided three times a year on either Saturdays or Mondays at specific locations.

Go To Law School

Upon receiving a score for the LSAT, those interested in becoming in an attorney must then apply for Law School. While the LSAT is definitely a cardinal consideration for acceptance (most law schools even specify a minimum score), other factors help determine an applicant’s candidacy. This could include the review of an academic dossier and personal characteristics that indicate how well a student would contribute to a diverse and interesting student body.

Take the Bar Exam

Once a student graduates from law school, he or she must then pass the bar exam in order to practice law in a given state. As suggested in the previous sentence, the bar exam varies for each state, and therefore, must be taken for whatever state in which a lawyer intends to practice. However, the National Conference of Bar Examiners (who currently produces the Multistate Bar Examination) is lobbying to establish a Uniform Bar Examination that is administered in all states. Opponents to this synthesis include New York, California, Texas, Florida, Illinois, and the District of Colombia, citing issues such as state-specific legislation.

The Bar exam consists of:

• A 200-question multiple-choice multistate bar examination, which tests knowledge of common law and the Uniform Commercial Code
• A performance test to determine the actual capacity to be a lawyer
• Essay questions that test knowledge of state-specific laws and general legal principles

The frequency and date of bar examination administration is dependent on the state, with some offering it multiple times per year, and others offering it only once. A bar exam can be taken any number of times, though, as exemplified in the movie “My Cousin Vinny.”