Suggestions on combining a print jour/poly sci ba w/a law degree?

Question

(I wish to be a political journalist) I also want to attend law school, and am unsure as to how I would utilize a law degree, (specifically what type of law to even study) that would help with a journalism degree..also wanted suggestions on schools (im from the bay area but im currently attending the univ. of houston)

Answer 1

If you're not sure what kind of law to study, just take a broad spectrum...heavy on the courses which are subjects on your state's bar exam.

Other than first year courses you will definitely want:

evidence (hard to learn on your own and on most bars)

trusts and estates (again, hard to learn on your own and on many bars)

advanced legal research and writing (you want to be a journalist, after all)

pretrial and trial (this is the way to actually learn what you were supposed to learn in civil procedure)

corporations

as many policy and country-building courses as you can find (what good is commentary if you don't know what to comment on)

a clinic...you never know, you might find that you actually LIKE law and want to practice.

a law journal: you want to be a writer, see if you can work your way up to editior of a law journal and really earn your chops.

What good is the JD?  Well, it will teach you how to "think like a lawyer". It will also teach you how to read the law and the legislative history and truly understand what drives policy decisions....statutes often don't say what even the politicians who drafted and/or voted on them think they say and certainly not what the general public thinks they say.  More than anything, law school teaches you what questions to ask and where to find the answers...something any good journalist needs.

There's also the whole prestige angle...but that's a bit weak.  If your opinions and writing won't hold up without a JD, they won't hold up with one, either.