If you’re thinking about how to prepare for law school and build a successful career in law, here are a few tips to try to clear up any doubts you might have.
Many law career options aim to resolve clients’ personal or business problems. As a law practitioner, you might also be required to gather facts for a case or defend your client’s case in a court of law. An aspiring lawyer can choose to pursue specific types of law, like corporate law, criminal law or tax law. You can gain expert knowledge if you focus on a particular field of study. It’ll also help you stay on track with your study goals before becoming a full-fledged professional.
You can do several things, irrespective of whether you’re a student or a graduate, to make sure you’re on the right track, career-wise.
- Identify your strengths and weaknesses: Self-awareness is crucial when it comes to choosing any profession. You should know what you’re good at and what you need to improve on. You should know what your skills are and where your interests lie; what you’re being taught is also an essential factor. You should see if you have leadership qualities and whether you’re skilled in public speaking.
- Choose a challenging major: If you’re pursuing an integrated law course, you should choose a major that’d be challenging for you. A challenging major should instill a strong sense of work ethic in you. It will also help you learn essential skills for a law career like argumentation, critical thinking and writing.
- Choose the right clubs and groups: You can choose to participate in debates and moot courts. If you take these steps, law schools will think that your interest in the subject is genuine, setting you apart from the other applicants.
- Focus on professional development: Some of the top law schools put a lot of emphasis on professional development. Without professional development, your skills would remain in a state of stagnation. In the legal industry, there are several areas where professional development applies. For a career in law, develop your skills in the areas of leadership, business, substantive law, ethics, practice management and soft skills.
- Get yourself a mentor: You should be mindful of people around you who are from the same field. Find out if they have the skills you want to learn and whether there is anyone who can be a good mentor for you. Your mentor will be able to share their own experience with you and give you career advice. Nothing will be as helpful as that when you’re just starting. You can always reach out to your mentor for a second opinion.
- Do some networking: While building a career in law, you should give importance to networking. For professional networking, you’ll find platforms online, which you should use to network with your colleagues and clients.
- Get an internship: You can gain a bit of experience in the legal profession by interning at a law firm. You can also be an intern with a district attorney or a public defender. You can make contacts while working there and you’ll also be able to explore your interests.
Lyle Solomon is a principal attorney for the Oak View Law Group in California where he specializes in consumer finance. He has also written several articles on financial well-being. Connect with him on LinkedIn or tweet him at @lyle_solomon.
