Pre-Law

Deciding To Be a Lawyer

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Many people have written about this, and ultimately the decision is quite obviously up to you. Michigan Tech grads have found rewarding careers in a wide variety of legal fields. There are Tech grads specializing in areas such as Securities litigation, Patent Law, Criminal law, Construction law, Workers Compensation, Family Law, Corporate Law, Business, Estate Planning, Licensing, Employment and Labor, and Copyright to name just a few. However, no matter what you want to specialize in, law school involves a significant commitment of effort, time, and money, so you will want to be sure your decision is a good one for you.

To get as much information as you can will be important. A good starting point is “So You Want to Be a Lawyer: A Practical Guide to Law as a Career,” published by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). This book provides a useful overview of the subject and has many suggestions for further reading. The LSAC web site also has helpful information on getting started.

In deciding if law is the right choice for you, there is no substitute for talking with people who have direct experience in the area. It is likely that you know someone (or know someone who knows someone) who is in law school or works as an attorney. If you do not, ask the pre-law advisors in the Department of Social Sciences to help you find someone to talk to. Your advisors can help you find someone who will be happy to discuss their experiences as an attorney and be of help as you contemplate taking a similar path.

Some students are continually weighing whether to go to law school, work or graduate study. Law Schools do appreciate people with diverse experience, so you will not be penalized for taking an interesting job or doing graduate work. However, the word of caution here is that it can be hard to take on the expense and rigors of life as a student once you have let them go. No matter what you decide to do after you graduate, if you have your sights set on law school in the near future, be aware and do something productive with your time so that you can account for it and even highlight it in the application process.

Finally, a note of caution, not everyone finds a legal career rewarding. Indeed, there are some disturbing statistics out there about large numbers of attorneys who are dissatisfied with the legal profession. So go in with your eyes open to be sure it is right for you.