What undergraduate degree should i get to be a lawyer

Psychology is powerful because it will help in all aspects: dealing with clients, helping in mediation, and understanding behaviors and experts. For students considering a career in law, some majors are a reliable source of the skills and knowledge central to the profession. However, no major will guarantee a law school acceptance letter — and no major will disqualify a student, either.

No matter what major students ultimately choose, a high undergraduate GPA and killer LSAT score will boost their chances of gaining admittance to a top-tier program, and from their, securing a position at a firm and launching their career. Michael Dye was awarded a bachelor of science from the College of Business Administration with a concentration in economics from Gardner-Webb University in While there, he was a member of the Law Journal and authored an article examining various provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the respective effects on the economies of Mexico and the United States.

Upon graduating and passing the Florida bar exam, Dye accepted employment at a nationwide securities litigation and arbitration firm. In , Dye opened his own practice primarily focusing on criminal defense. Since opening the firm in , he has been committed to helping accident victims assert their rights and obtain the money they deserve. Louis metropolitan area for most of his life. After law school, he immediately went to work as a trial lawyer for some of St.

During that time, he litigated numerous cases and was responsible for managing litigation on behalf of a Fortune Company in both Illinois and Missouri. Since then, the two have spent most of their time litigating personal injury cases in the St.

Louis metropolitan area. Michele S. Mirman is a nationally-recognized trial attorney with more than 40 years of experience representing accident victims across New York City.

David Reischer, Esq. Reischer is a New York business attorney who was admitted to the bar in New York in and specializes in real estate, mortgages, finance, and general tax and estate planning law.

He is committed to the traditions of client service, professional development, and community involvement, while embracing the innovations driving the legal profession in the 21st century.

Eric J. Trabin grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida. After graduating from Suncoast Community High School in the International Baccalaureate program, he was accepted to the Honors Program at the University of Florida, where he received his undergraduate degree with a major in criminology and a minor in philosophy in He remained there to receive his JD in He currently practices criminal defense and family law in central Florida with an office in Maitland.

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Her work focuses on providing hands-on resources for high school and college-age students in addition to their parents and educators. Updated on March 18, I mean class. Having trouble finding the law courses? Here are seven majors for the lawyers of tomorrow, all recommended by the lawyers of today.

Business A business major is a great option for those who are entrepreneurial-minded. Common classes: communications, economics, ethics, management, and marketing. If there are genuine mitigating circumstances that led you to a or third instead of a higher grade, explain this on application forms or contact recruiters directly.

Find out more about writing a legal CV and cover letter. Where you choose to study should be based on your own research into different locations, institutions and their facilities, reputations, industry connections and employability records. It's a personal choice - just because an institution tops the rankings doesn't necessarily mean it's right for you. However, according to the Times Word University Rankings by subject , the following UK universities top the list for law:. In addition to strong academic grades, there are certain skills you'll need to demonstrate to become a lawyer.

A good indicator of what's required is the LNAT, which is used by many universities as an entrance exam for law degrees. It assesses your:. To find out more about specific skills, see 7 skills for a successful law career.

Organise informal work experience with high street legal firms before going to university. For example, this could be a couple of weeks spent work shadowing a solicitor and carrying out general office duties.

Placements like this, arranged independently, look good on applications for law degrees. During your studies apply for formal work placements. These include vacation schemes at law firms, which take place during academic holidays, and mini-pupillages in barristers' chambers.

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On this page What qualifications do I need to become a lawyer? What's the difference between a solicitor and a barrister? How long does it take to become a lawyer? Like political science, criminal justice is a natural undergraduate major for those applying to law school. Most programs are interdisciplinary and require you to take some courses that fall under the political science, sociology, psychology, and philosophy departments.

You can earn a B. The coursework can equip you with the research, analysis, and writing skills needed to succeed both in law school and in the legal profession. Because of the crossover between the legal world and the criminal justice world, graduates of these programs can feel confident in their foundation before diving into post-grad legal studies. It can also signal to admissions counselors that you have a genuine interest in law and the justice system. An English major for law school?

It makes more sense than you may think. Like lawyers, English majors must study and comprehend material, analyze it, and make persuasive arguments about it. Successful students must possess the ability to process complex information and make logical connections, requiring high critical thinking skills.

English majors generally study literature, composition, and writing and can choose to concentrate in areas such as creative writing or American literature. English majors also study related cultures and history, giving their knowledge base a broad range.

While a B. An English major prepares you for law school by giving you strong reading and analytical skills and honing your ability to make strong arguments for your case.

As an English major, you also will learn how to write clearly and correctly, which is important for any profession, but particularly law. Majoring in English teaches you how to organize and complete large projects efficiently and on time — again, valuable skills for any job, and certainly for a lawyer. History is another smart choice of undergraduate major for those interested in going to law school. As an American history major, you will learn how the United States developed its legal system and will be able to put those developments into context.

American history may seem the most obvious choice for law school, but you also could study European history or Eastern civilizations depending on what your school offers. Knowing the history behind our laws can make you a more persuasive litigator. As a history major of any kind, you also will be required to read, write, and analyze different materials — all skills that you need as a lawyer. During your studies, you will be required to analyze historical records and interpretations of events.

These skills can help make you a more perceptive, confident, and sophisticated writer, thinker, and lawyer. While other options may be available, most schools will over a B. While you may not think of a philosophy degree as an obvious choice for getting into law school, it can actually be quite fitting. Philosophy students study human thought and debate on age-old topics such as knowledge, existence, ethics, and truth.