Will I not be able to get a great paying job with my law degree if I go to an average law school?
155364
Yes, you can if you intern at a prestigous company and if you show initiative and in response to the previous answer actually, girls actually get paid less than guys, just because their female
875146
you would have to contact a local university and find out what classes from your previous law degree are still valid here and what others you would have to take.i'm guessing you might have to retake the basic classes such as government,english and history.and then of course take the bar exam to be able to practice law here.best option would be to discuss that with a local college counselor.best of luck to you.
745433
In order of importance, law schools care most about your LSAT scores, then your college GPA. Being a minority does not factor in - honestly, it's just a numbers game.\n\nTop tier law schools probably won't consider you unless you get your GPA above a 3.5 and have a GREAT LSAT score.\n\nLuckily, you have plenty of time to improve your grades, but take your junior and senior year very seriously because law schools really care about your grades.
192362
Guess what... you're gonna be suffering for more money for a few years... it's called lack of experiece.  The degree is all well and good, but it's just gonna take time.  \n\n"No one ever got rich working for someone else..."
189995
What and where you study in undergrad is not as important in getting into law school as you may think.  Go to a good university that you like and do your best.  When you apply, they do look at your GPA relative to the school (for example, a lower GPA at UCLA will be just as acceptable as a higher GPA at Cal State LA).  And if you do well at a higher ranked undergrad, it looks great.  Just make sure you are happy with your undergraduate school and major, because in four years you may not even want to go to law school.\n\nBasically, find a school in CO that you like and has a good reputation, where you think you will be happy.  Then do your best and enjoy yourself.  Don't worry too much about that law school admission committee for at least 2 more years.
533162
You need to take the LSAT get accepted to a Law School.  Three years later if you graduate you can take the bar exam for your state if it has a bar exam and then you can make just enough to pay off your loans for the next five years.  "Law General" is what most states have but some do offer a legal "specialization".  The best type of law is the type that you are best at or enjoy the most.  My wife does Real Estate because she enjoys it and is good at it.  I do Civil Rights because I enjoy it and am good at it.  It is a personal choice for you to make.\n\nIn Liberty,\nEric H. Smith
1014713
They probably aren't answering because it is easy for you to find out on your own.  Go to some Law School web sites to find all of this information.  Check out US News & World Reports for a list of Law Schools and their rankings.\n\n1.  law school takes three years (in the US)\n\n2.  Yes, you can get in with a 3.0 gpa (though probably not to the very best schools).  I imagine you can get into a good one if your LSATs are high and you went to a decent undergraduate school.\n\n3.  Costs vary -- State schools are less expensive if you are a resident.  The top schools are probably over $30K per year.  Visit the school's web site to find out more.\n\n4.  At most schools you probably do not have to know a foreign language.
54364
I am a lawyer.  The pros are that there are many areas of law (environmental, criminal, litigation, banking, etc.) and that the law degree opens many doors.  If you like to write, most lawyers write all day long and read lengthy legal documents.  You will earn a good salary.  But, it is a hard life.\n\nBefore I became a lawyer and even through law school, it was unclear as to what the actual practice is like.  I would suggest sitting in on a lawyer's typical day and asking yourself whether you would enjoy it.  \n\nMy typical day involves huge files of documents containing various court motions (motions to dismiss, motion for summary judgment, motion for extension of time, etc.).  Often, my job is to write a response or initiate a new legal argument.  You have to perform extensive research on old cases (precedent) and law so that you have a basis upon which to argue.  I sit at my desk for long hours, typing at a computer.  I have to bill each task I perform --  documented in 6 minute increments!  The pressure is intense, multiple cases must be handled deadlines monitored, and you have to keep a mental focus on material that is very dull.  Many days involve using various procedural rules and civil procedure.\n\nFollow up response:\n\nActually, being a lawyer will not really give you an ego boost.  Law school, in itself, deflates your self assessment of intelligence when you are publically slammed by an aggressive law professor.  Moreover, when writing legal documents, the intellect often is drowned in pure boilerplate and lack of innovation.  The part that makes me feel intelligent is working to create a new argument that is not typically proffered to a court but is, nonetheless, successful.
631446
I am a law student, so when I get my JD and pass the bar exam, I expect to be successful and eventually make loads of money. Well, at least enough to pay off the massive amount of loans! lol I would not go through law school otherwise: it sucks 90% of the time! :o) My fellow law school students and attorneys know what I mean.
30566
Not at all, I am in law school right now and there is a wide variety of majors.  If I had been able to start all over, I would have studied Economics, History, Government, and Philosophy.  However, a business or engineering degree wouldn't be that bad either.\n\nThere is actually somebody in my section with a degree in opera, and I go to a top 16 law school!
787990
To attend an ABA-accredited (American Bar Association) law school, you seem to have the numbers.  Your current university may not garner the fame of Harvard but should be more than enough to ensure that your undergraduate education wasn't spent at a questionable school.\n\nA high LSAT score would be a big boost and will probably factor more than your GPA.  While your GPA will meet the minimum requirements, the top law schools will usually want at least a 3.5 and really no lower than a 3.3.\n\nWrite a really good essay and focus on how you've improved and mature during your undergraduate years (you've made mistakes but you've found successful ways to fix them).  Get a couple of really close professors (those who've seen your improvement, particularly) to write some awesome recommendation letters.\n\nAnd, yes, being a minority helps (female and/or anything but Caucasian for law schools).\n\nIt's going to be hard to hide the fact that your freshman year was rough so don't try it.  Focus on how you've improved and turn it into a positive experience which you learned from with elaborations of the specifics you provided here.  You don't have a guaranteed ride at any law schools but you won't find any doors locked either.\n\nBest of luck.
509552
You should get a little life experience in your chosen profession before running off to law school. Too many people become lawyers simply because they have sufficient reasoning ability, but their lack of life experience makes them a disaster for their clients, because they have never faced any real world problems in their own life, so as to bring that experience to bear in solving the problems of others.\n\nYou are undoubtedly intelligent enough to get into law school, and any decent ABA school will be sufficent for you to obtain employment. But, don't do it just because you think medical law is interesting. Do it because you want to help people.\n\nFood for thought for an early Sunday morning. Good luck.
423240
I haven't heard anything about that particular school, it would be best to get the opinions of attorneys and judges in the area.\n\nHowever, I would not recommend that you go to a non-ABA approved school.  You will not be able to practice outside of your home state, you will make less money, and it will be much harder to get a job.  If you are going to spend 3 years in law school, you want to be able to do something with your degree once you get out.  Think carefully about what you want to do as a lawyer - make sure that a degree from that school is going to get you where you want.\n\n*edit*\nI looked up the school - it is an online school?  Let me tell you, as a law student from a reputable school in LA (Loyola Law - Johnny Cochran was an alumn), if you get your degree from there, it won't be seen with any respect.  When you go to law school, you learn to think like a lawyer, and your in class experience is what teaches you how to approach the law.  If you take courses online, it will be much harder for you to pass the bar (if you are even allowed to sit for it) and it will be basically a waste of time.  If you want to go into a legal career, and traditional law school isn't an option for you, think about becoming a paralegal - you can probably find a program near you at a university.  With an online legal degree, you aren't going to be able to get a job that pays much more than if you were a paralegal.\n\nHowever, if law school is your dream, you should work hard and apply - there is a wide range of ABA approved schools across the country that take many levels of students.  Take a look at my other answers in my profile - I have answered many questions about the law school application process.  Try to go the traditional way... you will probably be wasting time and money with an online degree.
369335
Yes, law school is expensive and the loans do build up.  I know lots of people who are paying off these loans and feel they can't quit a job in law until they pay everything back.\n\nSalaries for first year associates in many firms in LA and NY just rose to $145k.  If you are just going to work for a large law firm, most top 100 firms pay about the same during the first few years.  Later on, the pay scales start to vary.  If you reach partner status, the amount equity partners can obtain differs greatly among firms.\n\nIt's hard to say what the most lucrative areas of law are.  There are a lot of variables, such as what kind of firm you would be working for.  Whether the firm you end up at pays bonuses based on hours billed, etc.  In that case, litigators bill tons of time.  I do transactional work and we typically bill less than litigators.  However, do you really want to be billing over 2400 hours a year?  That's basically living in the office.
204065
I am not a law student, lawyer, or anything to do with the legal profession.  I will approach this answer with my own life experience.\n\nFOLLOW YOUR DREAM.\n\nRegardless of what it is, doing what you most dream of doing will give you the greatest incentive, the greatest drive, the ability to get up each day eager to go to work.  You will work 12-15 hours a day and still hunger for more.  This is where your financial success will come from.  But more than that, your soul will be fed as you do the things you feel you were born to do.\n\nI worked for 26 years in a place that made me ill thinking of it.  I hated it.  I didn't like what I did, the people I associated with. \n\nFinally, I quit and went back to school to pursue my dream - music.  I may never be a world-famous soprano, but because of what and who I am, I will never tire of the field.  I wlll always be able to teach, and there will always be opportunities for me to perform.  My willingness to tackle a new challenge in my field will always keep me fresh and envigorated - and young.\n\nDo what your heart tells you to do.  Don't let others talk you out of it, and DON'T make money your primary goal.  The money will come as you do what you like, and you will enjoy life so very much more.
172482
It is worth it if it is something you know you really, really want to do. I do not have a lot of money so i am funding my law school entirely through loans. Once you've made such a huge financial committment there really is no turning back. TO be honest, i am not that fond of law school. It is difficult, competitive, and sometimes very dry. However, i still want to be a lawyer and so i am sticking with it. Its not always fun, but if you really want to practice law it is worth the time and effort and even the money. good luck!
781027
You can get any degree and still go to law school, however I think a business degree would probably help you because you would understand how contracts work, and how businesses are run.