If you are considering going to law school and being an attorney, then you probably have wondered, “how do I get there?”. The correct answer is that there are multiple ways of getting there. Some people go straight out, some people decide to change careers later in their lives. It’s different for every individual, so do not stress out about “time”.  No matter how you get there, for the most part, getting to law school requires the same steps.

To be able to apply to law school, a person must have a bachelor’s degree. Once obtained,  a person has to take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). The LSAT is offered multiple times a year. You can register for the LSAT through the Law School Admission Council LSAC website, where students can see the multiple testing locations, LSAT scores, and have their data sent to law schools. To me it has been a great research tool, since they also provide information about financial aid, and law school fairs held at different law schools.

While going to law school will help you get your Juris Doctorate (JD) degree, many law schools offer so much more! Most law schools offer different types of degrees. For example, UC Davis’ School of Law also known as King Hall offers joint degrees, (where students can combine law with other disciplines like business, economics or areas like sociology and some soft sciences). King Hall also offers the LL.M Program which is a Master of Law degree (this program is usually shorter than the JD route). However, since being a litigator does require a JD Degree, the following information is specific for that career route.

First, in California, students have to take and pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE), which is a requirement in order to be admitted to the California State Bar.

Next, you will have to take and pass the BAR exam, the difficulty level of which will depend on that state. However, it’s crucial to know that there is a Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) which is a universal type of exam that allows attorneys to practice law in different states that allow this. I found this site to be helpful with this information: JD Advising

In California, where I am from, has this website CA BAR Exam to provide you with the information needed for those who plan to practice law in the state. Once a person passes the BAR exam, they will be able to be a corporate litigator, or a district attorney or clerk for a judge or even teach. At this point a person can join a law firm or even start their own firm.

To recap, in order to be an attorney, advanced degrees are required. On average it takes about 4 years to get a bachelor’s degree, and then the 3 years of law school for a JD degree.

And remember, most law schools offer joint programs, like the LL.M Program or the joint JD and PhD program. Usually these programs take 4 or 5 years in law school because of the double degrees.

Once a firm or an agency is ready to hire you, you must go through their interview process, that could be with one person or a group of their lawyers. Some schools even help students prepare for interviewing. So that they can obtain the job they want. Keep in mind though, to be successful, an attorney has to have strong communication skills (both written and oral) and must be comfortable with public speaking! Lawyers and all types of attorneys work with a very diverse clients and need to be able to communicate effectively with everyone they work with, from clients to coworkers.

Moreover, there are many fields of law you can practice.One type of field that interests me is insurance litigation. After some research I realized that this is a very specific field but one that is extremely necessary.Contracts can be tricky, but especially insurance ones due to the language and exclusions attached to it. If you are also interested in this, there is a great law firm in California’s Central Valley, McCormick Barstow LLP  in Fresno, CA. This firm handles a lot of “insurance coverage, and Bad Faith” cases. One of their most senior attorneys is Mr. James P. Wagoner, he has been in this field for so long, that he has actually contributed to some law changing cases that currently influences how insurance is handled in California today.

For more information on either of these law firms, check out their websites:

McCormick Barstow LLP  & Eric Ratinoff Law

I do not have any affiliation with either firm, but while doing my research on insurance litigation firms, these two were the ones that most resonated with me. Hope this helps you in your own research!