Lawyers?????

Andre

If you want to prosecute, it's generally lower pay. The money is on the defense side. This is probably something you don't have to worry about for another 7 years, but with the way the law industry is now, I wouldn't enter it. It takes so much time, so much money and little reward.

heyteach

That's going to continue to be a VERY competitive field because it pays so well. You can get some useful info here:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos053.htm

When you say criminal lawyer, I have to assume defense attorney. You might want to think more about what ASPECT of that you want to concentrate on--homicide, drugs, terrorism, etc. THEN if you think you know, start learning things PERTINENT to that specialty--would help you get into law school AND be successful in getting on with a firm (though starting in the PD's office is a real possibility, but LOW pay compared to the private field). Example, let's say you wanted to focus on homicide--get some SCIENCE ed, particularly things related to medical, so you understand what a medical examiner, etc. will say. You can do that with coursework like Anatomy & Physiology, Pharmacology, Chemistry, etc.

While you're so young, USE IT for every advantage it AUTOMATICALLY confers. Ask folks like your counselors at school how you can shadow an attorney, what programs for would-be lawyers are out there, etc. and START networking NOW. It is NOT too early at all. You can also go "court watching." You can, over the summer, watch trials. Few are closed to the public--go see the kind of trials you want to be involved in (again homicide, drugs, whatever). Unless you live in Mayberry, you'll have a selection to view.

Take DEBATE. A criminal attorney IS a litigator. Take JOURNALISM courses--you need to be able to think on your feet and gather facts and write them up ASAP.
Take ACTING--really good litigators work the jury and the courtroom audience if there is one. (I was going to be an attorney, even spent a summer in the DA's office--yes wanted to be a prosecutor--and I did legal secretarial, etc. for a while. I am telling you the way it is--the GOOD ones have these talents.)
You must develop EXCELLENT study skills. You must be good at taking tests. You need TIME MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION.
Also work on your appearance--you can't afford to have body piercings, tattoos, be 50 pounds overweight, etc. AFTER you have a name for yourself you COULD, but to be blunt, firms NOW look for reasons to NOT hire you because there is (and will continue to be) A GLUT of lawyers out there. You can't afford automatic negatives and you need to come up with EVERY positive you can.

Serge M

Study hard, get excellent grades, and when you finish high school enroll in a good college. Take courses in accounting, finance, other business subjects,criminology, psychology, and sociology, and earn good grades. Talk to college counselors about your goals and get their advice. Then apply to a good law school.

truluv78

Don't get into any trouble ever

CatLaw

Criminal law can be either defense or working for the state as a prosecutor. Either job is very interesting. If you work in defense your biggest issues will be getting the client to pay you and answering those who ask how you can defend such a person. (The answer is because our constitution allows all people to have a legal representative in court.)

In high school you may want to take courses that will help you read faster and retain more info, teach you how to debate, and teach you the finer points of writing. Other than that just get good grades.

In college you want to take courses that interest you so that you will keep your grades up. According to the experts pre-law courses are not required -- personally I found them confusing compared with the law school classes. I would suggest you take some solid business courses because being an attorney is a business.

You will need to take the LSAT, an entrance exam for law school. Make sure to take a prep course for this. However, the best preparation is just taking the sample tests over and over. You can get sample tests from bookstores or at the website when you sign up for the LSAT.

The best source of info for those interested in becoming an attorney is http://www.abanet.org/legaled.html That is the American Bar Assoc page for those interested in law as a career. Good luck.

isar

Besides making good grades and scoring high in the LSAT, people seem to forget that in order to become a practicing attorney, one would need to pass the Bar exam for the state they will practice in. Before you take the bar exam, you will go through a background check. If you have anything, such as a DWI, a criminal record, a drug/alcohol problem or really bad credit, there is a possibility you can be denied the opportunity to take the Bar. If you can't take the exam, you can't practice. Besides hard work, you need to keep your private life as clean as possible.

george

By the time you become a lawyer there will be more lawyers than people..why not a scientist?

enrique7718

criminal laywers are real freaks....
start studying for the lsat and become hardcore

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