Which courses should I take in highschool to become a criminal lawyer?

toddlcrawford

You must be very strong in English, Logic, Government, and History. Contrary to popular belief, Latin is not necessary for law school. Go to the local book store and get a copy of the Law School Admissions Test Preparation. You will find that solving puzzles is very important. You must study very hard in college. Your college GPA and your LSAT score will be combined to form a law school quotient. Good Luck. Todd Crawford, Esq. toddlcrawford@yahoo.com

notyou311

English and speech classes. Join the debate team. History and current events are also important.

amethyst

It's great that you know what you want to do with your life. I'd suggest English because attorneys have to be able to communicate exceptionally well. As an attorney you will see the less than perfect side of life: Political Science might help you prepare for that. Public speaking, any class that teaches you research skills. And definitely get into debate.

white.sale

Just get your diploma. Worry about specialized courses in college. Not now.

Sunshine

Courses in high school would not usually help in becoming a criminal lawyer. You need to start thinking about what college courses to take when that time arrives.

http://www.wrightlawnv.com

Constitutional law, US Government, Civics, US History, Driver's Ed, hmmm...what else might a high school offer?

Harriet

Where do you live? It's unlikely there are specific requirements. You should take classes you're good at to increase your marks so as to get into college. I would say English is a must, and some type of Politics/History would come in handy, and Legal Studies if your school offers it, so you can get a feel if you're interested in it. In general high school is pretty soon to start specialising though.

farmatty

English, Spanish, American history. Get a well rounded, grounded education in the liberal arts. Don't worry about math and science unless you like it. Once you get to law school the only math you'll need is figuring out the rip off interest on the student loans.

Grick

It doesn't matter what you do in high school or college. It only matters once you pass the LSATs and get int a Law School. My dad is an attorney and he studied history in college. I know of a couple other lawyers that studied history, two that did business, and one that did rhetoric and writing. The most important thing is to read a lot and be able to analyze complex situations.

Laura

Doesn't matter in high school. And, really doesn't matter in college, either. There's no such thing as a "pre-law" degree. At my law school, I think there are around 50 different undergraduate degrees represented. (Pretty much everything you can think of.)

However, the degree that is really useful for the study of law is Philosophy, perhaps with a minor in Journalism. My degree is in Pscyhology, which helps, but I have a friend who majored in Philosophy, and law school is very easy for him. Philosophy teaches you to think outside the box and how to argue effectively. Journalism is good (as opposed to English) because legal writing is very technical in nature-- not creative in the least!

However, this is only if you're POSITIVE you want to go into law. And, like I said, any degree will work. A degree in Chemistry or Biology is great, too, because there are so many advanced degree programs that require a strong science background... Chemical Engineering, any sort of medical, pharmacy, dental route, etc. You close a lot of doors for yourself if you don't have a strong science background.

schwhat?

Uh...You need to worry about getting in to college first...You might even find out you hate pre-law by your first semester of college.

edit:

I started college at two different schools. One dead set on becoming a writer and the other set on becoming a nurse. I discovered I didn't really want to do either. The more pressure you put on yourself now the more of a let down college will be. I am speaking from experience. You won't believe me now, but you will see in time.

yyyyyy

English

& general college-prep course load
&Latin might help for legal terms later

baby_rost

I am thinking you just need to get into a good college?

alternatemememe

my best friends dad is a lawyer, do comercial law, there get paid wayyy tto much

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