I am a high school freshman and im interested in becoming a lawyer help?

Question

can someone tell me what it takes to be a lawyer

like what classes should i take

and how many years of college i have to take / law school

and like how much lawyers usually get paid

or if it is fun being a lawyer or not

stuff like that

help please

Answer 1

for high school, you really shouldn't be worrying about freshman/sophmore year because usually your schedule is so filled with require courses like math, english, history, science, ect. so there's no time to take special classes, but as you venture on into junior and senior year, your high school should have classes that are electives like business law, you and the law, student senate, stuff like that, also if it's not required for you to take speech at some point(not debate) i'd definately say you should, it was required for me but i learned a ton from it, my public speaking is so much better and working on public speaking can only help you in the long run. alot of high schools have special career pathways that you can take, if you're really interested in becoming a lawyer, you should just talk to your counselor and tell him/her of your goals, you should read up on law, figure out what type of law you want to do, but really as a freshman, all i'd really tell you to do now is just read an overview of what law is really about, talk to anybody you know that's a lawyer, and talk to your counselor to see what classes you could take that could help you in the long run!

usually law school is about 3 years to complete, depending on what kind of lawyer you want to be and if you go to a real law school or a night program or an online program.  

lawyers get paid different amounts depending on what kind of lawyer you are, how many clients you get, how good you are, ect. i can't give you a number because it's just based on things that i couldn't possibly know about the future.

if you like arguing and you like defending people and you like things to be explained and you like to explain, lawyer is the right career for you! but if you don't like to argue i'd definately tell you right now that this is not the right area for you to be interested in.  

Answer 2

Becoming a lawyer takes hard work - first and foremost.  You might want to look for classes that are related to the law, such as constitutional law, government classes, and so forth.  Check to see whether your school has a speech and/or debate team and join both.  You will learn how to research and frame an argument with supporting research, which is valuable.  The high schools in my area also have a "teen court" program where students volunteer to act as prosecutors and defense attorneys for minor misdemeanor crimes involving fellow students.  The more practical experience that is close to the law is the best.  Perhaps law firms in your area or the district attorney's office hire interns - check all the possibilities.

Most people get a Bachelor's Degree and then go to law school, which typically takes 6-7 years after high school.  The pay for an attorney varies widely, depending on the type of law that you want to practice.  Many lawyers make large salaries, but work very hard and for very long hours earning it.  Other lawyers, such as myself, own a small practice, handling different types of cases (which keeps from getting boring), and helping the indigent as much as possible.  The pay is lower, but a sole practictioner can make all the decisions about which cases to take and to reject, and has more flexibility with work scheduling.  Most of this, though, is YEARS down the line.  Many people, even during the last months of law school, think that they will practice something entirely different from what they end up doing.  For now, explore the arena of law, get your feet wet as much as possible, and talk to lawyers in your community.  Best of luck!

Answer 3

You need to have very good logic skills to be a lawyer, so taking logic and/or philosophy classes will help you with those skills.  You will need to get a 4 year degree first, and then apply and get accepted into a law school which will take another 3 years.  Once you have graduated, you need to pass the bar exam of the state where you wish to practice.  Lawyers can make a great deal of money, particularly if you get into corporate or tax law.

Good Luck to you