| Becoming an attorney requires extensive education, | | | | 70% is required to pass. Unfortunately, all law school |
| training, and hard work but rewards those who | | | | graduates must pass their state's bar exam before |
| persevere with a career filled with a sense of | | | | becoming a licensed attorney. |
| purpose, importance and financial security. In order to | | | | Once someone completes four years of college, |
| become an attorney, a person must have a | | | | three years of law school, and passes the bar exam, |
| bachelor's degree and then enroll and complete three | | | | they may now practice law as an attorney. However, |
| years of law school before a Juris Doctorate (law | | | | there are still choices to be made. A law degree and |
| degree) is awarded. But the road to becoming an | | | | license allows a person to choose from a wide range |
| attorney does not end there, as law school | | | | of different career paths. One can choose to be a |
| graduates in nearly every state must pass the | | | | corporate lawyer, whose duties include negotiating |
| state's bar exam before being admitted to the bar | | | | deals between large corporations, setting up new |
| and allowed to practice law. Once someone becomes | | | | corporations, or ensuring that large corporations obey |
| an attorney they have a wide range of career paths | | | | the law. Family lawyers handle matters such as child |
| they may take. Corporate law, criminal law, and | | | | adoptions and divorces. There are lawyers who |
| family law are a few of the many specializations that | | | | handle wills, prosecute criminals, defend criminals, sue |
| a new attorney may choose from. The amount of | | | | people, defend people being sued as well as many |
| earnings that an attorney can make is often | | | | other specialties. There are private lawyers, military |
| dependent on the field of law and the experience of | | | | lawyers, and government lawyers. An attorney has |
| the attorney and can range anywhere from $30,000 | | | | almost infinite possibilities when it comes to a career |
| to millions of dollars a year. | | | | path. |
| The road to becoming an attorney begins in college. | | | | The career path that an attorney chooses often |
| Admission to law school requires a bachelor's degree. | | | | determines how long they work and how much they |
| Unlike many other careers requiring a bachelor's | | | | get paid. Even among lawyers in the same field, the |
| degree such as medicine, law schools do not require | | | | ranges of work hours and pay vary greatly. |
| that an applicant have a degree in any particular | | | | According to Mr. Pham, corporate lawyers are among |
| major. In fact, the American Bar Association (A.B.A.) | | | | the well-paid lawyers but also work some of the |
| "does not recommend any undergraduate majors or | | | | longest hours. It is not unheard of for an associate at |
| group of courses to prepare for a legal education." as | | | | a large law firm to regularly put in 80 hour work |
| "students are admitted to law school from almost | | | | weeks. Although sole practitioners have more control |
| every academic discipline." ( The only advice from the | | | | over their work hours, many of them work long |
| A.B.A. is that students are "encouraged to pursue an | | | | hours since most of them are working on several |
| area of study that interests and challenges you, while | | | | cases at the same time. Government lawyers, |
| taking advantage of opportunities to develop your | | | | including prosecutors and city attorneys, usually have |
| research and writing skills." | | | | shorter hours but also generally get paid less than |
| Once a future attorney finishes their undergraduate | | | | those in private practice. Public interest lawyers, |
| schooling, they must apply to and complete law | | | | including those who represent the poor or |
| school. Before applying to law school, a student must | | | | disadvantaged groups including minorities, children, and |
| take the Law School Admissions Test. Once that is | | | | the elderly are among the lowest paid attorneys. |
| done, the application process can begin. Once a | | | | However, they have among the highest job |
| student is admitted, they must complete three years | | | | satisfaction rates among all attorneys. According to |
| of law school before receiving a Juris Doctorate or a | | | | America's Career InfoNet the median salary for an |
| law degree. However, there is still one more step a | | | | attorney in 2003 was $92,700 nationwide. |
| future attorney must take before becoming a | | | | Becoming an attorney is a long and difficult process |
| practicing lawyer. The bar exam, according to Lan | | | | requiring a large amount of intense education and |
| Pham, a recent law school graduate and bar | | | | training. Being an attorney often requires long hours |
| examinee, "is a hellish three-day ordeal the likes of | | | | and a lot of hard work. However, attorneys are |
| which I have never faced." In California, the exam | | | | rewarded with a career that offers a large measure |
| involves six one-hour essays, two three-hour essays, | | | | of prestige and income as well as the freedom to |
| and 100 multiple choice questions. A grade of roughly | | | | choose a wide range of fields in which to work in. |