Law School For Dummies
There are plenty of students in law school right this moment. Most of these students are working to get their JD in order to become a lawyer. Not everyone, however, is going to be a lawyer. You probably wonder why someone would get a JD then. Well, the reality is that a JD isn't just useful for everyday lawyers.
For instance, some people earn their JD and immediately hop into a career as a lawyer, then decide they want to change their career. The reality is, there are a lot of jobs that can benefit from a JD. Many former law students work with large businesses, allowing them to not only pursue a career they are passionate about but exercise their legal expertise as well.
There are many benefits to having a JD. That's pretty cool, because it means that even if you graduated from college dead-set on becoming a lawyer, studied for three years to earn their JD and changed your mind, you will not have left empty handed.
As an added benefit, having this degree on resumes will be a huge aid in building your career. You will not only be a valuable employee, but a huge database of skills as well.
You don't have to have a Juris Doctor. Some graduates of your class, in fact, possibly even yourself, are not going to become a big lawyer. However, you are almost guaranteed to have a big head start over other people. Further, you are going to have more benefits over your co-workers when whatever tasks you must do. With facts like these, why aren't you in law school?
For instance, some people earn their JD and immediately hop into a career as a lawyer, then decide they want to change their career. The reality is, there are a lot of jobs that can benefit from a JD. Many former law students work with large businesses, allowing them to not only pursue a career they are passionate about but exercise their legal expertise as well.
There are many benefits to having a JD. That's pretty cool, because it means that even if you graduated from college dead-set on becoming a lawyer, studied for three years to earn their JD and changed your mind, you will not have left empty handed.
As an added benefit, having this degree on resumes will be a huge aid in building your career. You will not only be a valuable employee, but a huge database of skills as well.
You don't have to have a Juris Doctor. Some graduates of your class, in fact, possibly even yourself, are not going to become a big lawyer. However, you are almost guaranteed to have a big head start over other people. Further, you are going to have more benefits over your co-workers when whatever tasks you must do. With facts like these, why aren't you in law school?
In addition to many other things, you probably want to know the amount you are going to have to read while you're in law school. This is largely dependent on the law school, your teachers, and various additional factors, but regardless of who you are, the reply will probably be quite worrying
To give you a better idea, your average law student reads around almost 4,000 words each semester. This includes course work, publications, and everything else law professors will throw at you. Though it depends on the student, that is around 40 pages of reading each day. This includes reading on Saturdays and Sundays, special occasions, and birthday parties.
When you add the time you need for outlining and going over your reading notes, class time, and the various other requirements that you're going to need to do, that comes out to as a minimum several hours everyday, on a daily basis, learning, reviewing, and sitting in class. No matter who you ask, that's quite a bit!
Whatever your need to do, you can exceed by making sure your priorities are straight and staying dedicated. Time will be scarce at law school. Most of the time you will put pretty much the majority of your time to your scholarly responsibilities. If this sounds too hard, maybe law school isn't the best idea.
To give you a better idea, your average law student reads around almost 4,000 words each semester. This includes course work, publications, and everything else law professors will throw at you. Though it depends on the student, that is around 40 pages of reading each day. This includes reading on Saturdays and Sundays, special occasions, and birthday parties.
When you add the time you need for outlining and going over your reading notes, class time, and the various other requirements that you're going to need to do, that comes out to as a minimum several hours everyday, on a daily basis, learning, reviewing, and sitting in class. No matter who you ask, that's quite a bit!
Whatever your need to do, you can exceed by making sure your priorities are straight and staying dedicated. Time will be scarce at law school. Most of the time you will put pretty much the majority of your time to your scholarly responsibilities. If this sounds too hard, maybe law school isn't the best idea.
This is going to be a short post, but something that needs to be said. You will know if law school is for you or not after you're done reading. Law school will be difficult, and helps prepare you for work as a lawyer. Sit down alone after reading, and think about the questions that you see below. Considering these questions will give you an idea about for sure if you will succeed in law school.
How disciplined are you? There are tons of things that will eat up your time at law school. Be sure you are committed. No matter how you look at it, you will need to put a ton of time into law school. Are you capable of relying on your own will to sit down and study instead of putting things off? Law school isn't like college. Homework was often completed the day it was due, and you had a lot more time to yourself. When you get to law school there won't be as much. You won't remember what free time feels like. Most of your time will have to be spent studying. If you neglect your responsibilities, you will fail.
How comfortable are you with actively participating and forming arguments in a classroom setting? Things may be harder if you are shy. Don't be afraid to speak up. Law professors favor the bold. Are your priorities in the right order? Law school will be your main priority. That means you won't be spending time hobbies, hanging out, taking a trip, or playing video games. You are going to need to devote essentially all of your waking hours to your duties at law school.
Can you argue critically? In law school this is a valuable skill, and can teach you many things you need to know regarding how to become a lawyer. In class, be ready to generate complex arguments. Are you ready for law school? Ultimately, only you can answer that question. Nevertheless, considering this points, and perhaps expanding upon the implications of your answers, you will be able to see the answer more clearly.
How disciplined are you? There are tons of things that will eat up your time at law school. Be sure you are committed. No matter how you look at it, you will need to put a ton of time into law school. Are you capable of relying on your own will to sit down and study instead of putting things off? Law school isn't like college. Homework was often completed the day it was due, and you had a lot more time to yourself. When you get to law school there won't be as much. You won't remember what free time feels like. Most of your time will have to be spent studying. If you neglect your responsibilities, you will fail.
How comfortable are you with actively participating and forming arguments in a classroom setting? Things may be harder if you are shy. Don't be afraid to speak up. Law professors favor the bold. Are your priorities in the right order? Law school will be your main priority. That means you won't be spending time hobbies, hanging out, taking a trip, or playing video games. You are going to need to devote essentially all of your waking hours to your duties at law school.
Can you argue critically? In law school this is a valuable skill, and can teach you many things you need to know regarding how to become a lawyer. In class, be ready to generate complex arguments. Are you ready for law school? Ultimately, only you can answer that question. Nevertheless, considering this points, and perhaps expanding upon the implications of your answers, you will be able to see the answer more clearly.