Many people want to become lawyers or seek legal profession jobs. The law is appealing to them. There are plenty of valid reasons for wanting to make it your career.
Before you start on that path, there are a few queries you should ask yourself. How you answer might determine if you want to be a lawyer or focus your talents elsewhere.
Here are some of those questions.
Do I Want to Take the Time to Go to Law School?
To become a criminal defense lawyer, or any other type of lawyer that interests you, you’ll have to go to law school. That’s a serious commitment. Law school:
- Takes quite a lot of time
- Takes a lot of mental energy
Unless you’re a prodigy, you must commit many hours to studying the law and its nuances if you want to pass the bar exam. You may have to do nothing but learn and study for years before you’re ready to start this profession.
If you’re not passionate, you’re wasting your time. Figure out if this is the only way forward for you professionally, or if you can picture yourself doing something easier.
Do I Want to Spend My Money on Law School?
Law school isn’t cheap, either, even if you go to one of the less prestigious ones. You may have to:
- Liquidate your savings to pay for it
- Go into debt
- Borrow from relatives
You should take some time to think about whether it’s worth it to you to make this sort of financial commitment. You might take years trying to pay off your loans.
If you start to spend money on legal training, and then change your mind in the middle of it, you’ll still have to pay for your progress up to that point. That’s why you should consider quite carefully before taking this plunge.
Do I Have the Mental Aptitude for This?
The legal profession, and law school, require you to be detail-oriented and meticulous. You have to learn a lot of dry, factual information that you can then apply once you’re practicing law.
Some people would find it boring. If you do not have a genuine passion for it, you’ll probably realize that very quickly.
If you’re someone who didn’t like school and couldn’t wait to finish with it, it seems unlikely that you’d want to go to law school and become a lawyer. You have to be scholarly. That’s part of the job.
Only you know yourself well enough to figure out if this the right move for you. Don’t let anyone pressure you into it. If you do, you’re probably going to be miserable before very long.
Do You Like Helping People?
Lawyers help people, and justice motivates them. If you’re a criminal prosecutor, you’re attempting to help the public by putting criminals behind bars. If you’re a defense lawyer, you’re helping the people the law has accused.
It’s all about helping, either individuals or the public. Even if you get into corporate law, you’re helping businesses, but people comprise them.
If you don’t care so much about your fellow humans, you likely won’t make the best lawyer.
Would You Find Legal Work Satisfying?
Many people find that their job defines them. They take pleasure from it, and they’re proud to tell people what they do.
Try to picture whether you would like telling people you’re a lawyer. Think about the day-to-day work. Would you like going to the office every day?
It’s true that we’re not our jobs, and some people do things just for the money. Most individuals who get into the law, though, feel that it calls to them. They don’t get into it just for fun.
Getting into the legal profession is like getting into a long-term relationship. You’ll dedicate time and energy to it, hoping to get something back. What you’re looking for from the law is a good living wage, professional pride, and the knowledge that you’re making things better.
There’s a swagger some lawyers have, and you might want to get into the law for that reason. You might want to be a hotshot defense attorney who never loses. You may want to be the complete opposite, a lawyer who champions the downtrodden and humanitarian causes.
If you feel like you have to get into the law, it can be a great thing for you. It can focus you and give your entire life direction.
