If you have decided on a career in law then you are looking at an incredibly tough road to success, providing you have the skills and the work ethic, a career as a lawyer can be rich and rewarding, your first step on this road, is getting your place in law school. There are some fantastic law schools and universities in the United States that have produced some of the World’s finest lawyers, and you should be aiming to get a position in the best law school possible. People like JD Dukes, Duke University alumni, know only too well about the importance of gaining a position in a top law school, it will put you in the best position build a great career in law. First however, you will need to get in to law school and here are some things that you will need to do.
Be Consumed by Law
It isn’t enough to solely have good grades in order to gain your place in law school, especially for a place in the top schools, you must also be able to prove your dedication to this career. You should to be using your free time to gain further knowledge and experience in the law profession and taking on a summer internship in a law firm can be the difference between you gaining a place and not. Internships will gain you great knowledge and experience in the industry and you should be seeking out mentors who can help you learn. Having prior experience on your resume looks great to law schools and if you want to make that place your own then you need to be dedicating your free time to law.
GPA Must be High
In order to get a place in most law schools you are going to need to have a GPA of at least 3.4 and in order to stake your claim in the top law schools in the country you will be looking at anything above 3.8. These are high GPAs to have an in order to get them and maintain them you need to be a model student in all aspects of your studies. Focussing on your GPA should begin as soon as you start your studies, each exam and test must be studied for and your life should be consumed by your studies if you truly want to succeed.
Pick the Right Major
The American Bar Association gives no direct requirement for what you should major in for your undergraduate degree. This being said, law schools do look favorably on majors such as journalism, philosophy and history, majors like these have much in common with law, they encourage heavy reading, amassing information and formulating arguments. Studying prelaw is not a requirement for law schools and most of them do not place the study of prelaw above some of the other majors like those we have just mentioned. If you are in doubt as to which major you should be studying then try to speak with a selection of lawyers to find out which education path they took in order to get into law school.