I need a way to prepare to be an attorney...?
365735
Continue to go to high school and make the BEST GRADES POSSIBLE! The better your grades, the better chance you have at free college money. Go to a four year university, talk to your counselors when the time comes. Tell them the career you want and they will set you up with courses to prepare you for law school. It's called pre-law. After you graduate from your first 4 years (which are your undergraduate years) you apply and go to law school...this is a graduate school. After you graduate you take the bar exam for your state and start at the bottom of the totem pole at a law firm. Right now you should start thinking about what KIND of attorney you want to be. Prosecutor, defense attorney, estate/will law, corporate law...and the list goes on and on. You could follow your dream anywhere from an innercity non profit organization (meaning you dont make much but it is working for a cause) to international business mergers which would require an insane amount of work but great money. This is what you need to think about right now. "I want to be an attorney" is a lot like saying "I want to go to college" there are soooo many options.\n\nYou also need to start thinking about how you're going to pay for college. Talk to your parents. If you get a job when you're 16 rememer that there will come a time in the not so distant future when you have to be an adult and maybe pay your own way. \n\nAlso talk to some local attorneys see if you can intern there during the summers. You will only be filing and maybe answering the phones...making coffee that sort of thing but it will give you a better  idea the law and what direction you want to go.
947730
If you live in the USA:\n1. Take the LSAT exam;\n\n2. make sure you have atleast a B average GPA;\n\n3. research law schools and apply;\n\n4. graduate law school and hope you are still sane.\n\n5. take and pass the Bar exam, the worst exam on planet earth.\n\nThen you can work on criminal cases once you pass the Bar.\n\nWhat they earn depends on whether you work for a firm, or government. It ranges widely.
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.
525377
Wanna make it in law?  first learn how to swim...afterall, ALL lawyers are sharks!!
12834
Get good grades in high school and college.  Do well on the LSAT.  Be involved in college in more than just classes.  BE GOOD in college.  Know that when you go to take your Bar Exam, you actually have to find "character witnesses" (and yes, that is plural) who do not share your last name, that will vouch for your good character.  Realize that the profession you are going into has higher standards for you than most people do!
804151
Law is NOT for you.  It's 4 years of undergrad then law school then the bar exams.  After that, most of the next 5 to 10 years is doing research for your law firm or company.  If you don't have the fire, you will get burned yourself.\n\nI suggest that you take a (gasp) liberal arts track for the first two years and explore what sparks your imagination.
799387
/soapbox on\nI don't know what type of case you have, nor any of the particulars, since you failed to list any.  However, your request isn't reasonable.\n\nDo you go into a grocery store and ask them to give you free food?  Do you call a plumber and have him/her come to fix your pipes for free?  Do you expect teachers to teach you or your children without pay?\n\nFree legal advice is often worth what you pay for it: nothing.  An attorney has only his/her time, knowledge and experience to sell.  That is their "product".  When you ask an attorney for free advice, you are taking from their means of earning money.\n\n/soapbox off\n\nMany state and local bar associations offer a reduced cost consultation with an attorney for 30 minutes to an hour, and then if you want to retain the attorney, you may do so and negotiate with him/her over their fee.  I suggest you contact your local or state bar association and see if there is a program such as that available.
670143
i went to the local community college, they had lawyers who volunteer a few hours of their time a week to help answer questions, draw up documents, etc. i'd try that first, if not go to sba.org and there might be some good info on there.
188292
Pound the pavement - make a lot of calls and meet with a lot of attorneys.  Your best bet for a cheap lawyer is one fresh out of lawschool just starting his/her practice.  Generally the younger the cheaper.
301902
There are a few approaches you could take: 1) Rather than hire a lawyer as a representative instead hire him/her as law coach to do research and advise you what to do and then you do it; 2) contact Nolo ( http://www.nolo.com ) regarding appropriate inexpensive books you can buy from them that will teach what you to do, or 3) hire a lawyer who will take a negotiated percentage of what the court awards rather than bill you by the hour. Good luck.
821926
Talk with your lawyer.
58475
Law school is not always 3 years it can take up to five years. I worked for my dad that was a lawyer till his passing and now im on the road to becomming one. You have to beilive in yourself and ask yourself are you doing this for yourself or the community?; Are you doing this for money or probono.."you are a more successful lawyer if you want to help" I think to myself to know that I am doing this to help people...tells me my own answer...cons are the stressful invoronment...some people crave off of stress and some can't handle it. If you have delt with stressful situations in the past look back on that and see how you took charge...It is a lot of reading and studying to do..if you think you can do it...people will be with you along the way as long as you are happy...you can always try. More information at the following website
443993
Thats more then feasible. You can hire L.Lb - bechelors of Law and give them some law books from here for training.
1061447
Know? Lots and lots. Most of the required knowledge is covered through the professional degree of Juris Doctor (JD). To earn the JD, in the US you need to get into, attend, and pass law school. Most states require an ABA-accredited school, which is a 3-year program (some do it in as little as 2.5, some 4+).\n\nThen, after graduating, you need to study for and pass the bar exam (one per state that you intend to be licensed in). This is a 2-3 day substantive test that makes sure you know how to think like a lawyer. The specific subjects vary by state, but most of them (though not all) will be subjects you have taken in law school. Most people (including me) spend 2-3 months full time after graduation just studying for the bar. \n\nMost states also require you pass a Professional Responsibility (ethics) test, which separately tests your knowledge of the ethical duties of being an attorney. Most states also require a moral character determination, where you have to convince the state you are ethical, and that your friends think you are ethical.\n\nAs far as general knowledge, public speaking is necessary for litigators and those who want to practice in a court or to teach. Writing and research are essential, and school only covers the rough edges of this. One of the reasons I spend so much time on Yahoo Answers (while studying for the California Bar in July) is to practice my writing abilities. Any practice helps.\n\nBut most importantly, to be a good lawyer (not to pass the bar, but to actually succeed), you need to be able to separate your emotional reactions from your logic. You need to be able to look at issues from many different perspectives, including those you may be personally opposed to. This gives you the ability to prepare not only your side, but to prepare against the other side.\n\nThe same skill applies when representing a client whose views you may not agree with. This is less of an issue in the corporate world, but even there you need to be able to explain to friends and co-workers that your represent the company, not them, and that anything they tell you can be disclosed to the company.\n\nLawyers operate under strict ethical requirements, including absolute loyalty to your clients, candor (truthfulness) to the court and in all business proceedings, and constant studying. Violation of these requirements is grounds for being disbarred, which means potentially never practicing law again. Sadly, many of these ethical constraints get muddied bent and often broken as attorneys practice, largely because that's what other lawyers do and following the rules with integrity puts you at a tactical disadvantage.\n\nIt's a difficult profession, and a long road. Many who graduate from law school use their degree for something else, like politics or corporate compliance, or undergraduate teaching. But the law is like the sea -- some people may hate it, but for others it gets into your blood. Even those of us who hate litigation find other ways to practice, such as being a corporate attorney. It's not for everyone, but at its core it is a noble profession.\n\nGood luck.
475395
WANT TO BE A SUPER STAR, go defense, that is where the money is.  You want to run for office become a prosecutor. Either way you will learn that wining is the only goal.  Justice seems to fade away in the back ground.  Sorry to give you a cold look at it, but I have had to deal with way to many lawyers. The less heart breaking area is corporate law. Unless you work with a company like Enron.
181534
In the U.S., most law schools will tell you that you need a four-year degree from an accredited college or university, then most states require a juris doctor from an accredited law school before taking the bar exam. Law School is usually three years, but there are four year part-time programs as well. Each state's requirements are different.\n\nGo to college and get a degree in an field that interests you. Don't do Poli-Sci or Criminal Justice just because you want to be a lawyer, unless that is what you are really interested in. Then decide where you want to practice and determine what the requirements are for that area. Go to a law school that meets the requirements for the area, but choose the school that meets your needs. Harvard will get you a great paying job when you graduate, but most of us couldn't get in, state schools are generally pretty good, will get you average jobs and won't cost a fortune.\n\nCheck out the source link, it is the best source of info on law school.\n\nGood luck!
388151
Law school teaches you more than just "the law," it teaches you how to think like a lawyer.  Legal professions approach problems systematically, and in a way that many people are not used to thinking.  The legal reasoning begins with a rule, then an application to the facts that leads to a conclusion, while people who are not lawyers tend to come to a conclusion, then find facts that support it.\n\nEven though the law changes constantly, you must learn how to research and understand the law.  This is only done through guidance and practice.  Although one can tell what a law is from a statute, a lawyer can find case law to see how the court interpreted it, and find history that may shed light on how it may be applied in the future.  And it takes skills learned over a period of time to learn how to extract the law from a case, or to even find a relevant case.\n\nYou learn research skills, crtitical thinking skills, and ethical standards at law school, along with the fundamentals of major topic areas.  You learn black letter law that will be tested on the bar exam.  You need to attend law school to learn the techniques needed to research law for your client, learn how to write in a legal form, and how to practice ethically.  None of these things can be gained from merely memorizing the law.\n\nIf you are planning to practice law as a career, these are the skills you will need.  For more info on law schools and how to apply, visit http://www.LSAC.org .