I understand that this is a common interview/application question. It's probably useful to address it a bit. I'm not saying this is the whole answer.
I guess the first thing to say is that I want to be a lawyer. I spoke to a lawyer once whose first bit of advice to me was, 'Don't go to law school if you don't want to be a lawyer.' I think it's good advice. A lot of people treat law school as a general degree. It's versatile, useful, trains you to use important skills. But I don't have the money or the time to get a degree that might come in handy some day. I want to be a lawyer, specifically a prosecutor.
Why am I interested in criminal law? I wrote my master's dissertation on prosecuting international crimes. This naturally lead me to the more realistic goal of domestic prosecutions. I think it has the right mix of what I like about the law: it enforces laws; it pursues justice (ostensibly); it has real goals which are achievable; each case has a distinct beginning and end point.
This is only a partial answer. More to follow.
Friday 14 August 2009
US Admissions
I was speaking to a friend who graduated from a top 20 law school in the States a few years ago. He said a few things that were really encouraging:
--I have always read that American law schools either won't accept two LSAT scores, or will average the scores in their admissions process. My friend said that in fact nowadays they are more likely to choose the higher score because then they can report the higher score in their admissions statistics. Good to know. I have taken the LSAT once and scored sub 160. I would like to take it again and score a bit higher.
--He said not to worry about taking a courseload geared toward any particular area. Rather, he said, just take classes that are interesting to you. I sometimes look through course offerings at various universities I'm considering applying to and there is never a shortage of interesting classes.
--I have always read that American law schools either won't accept two LSAT scores, or will average the scores in their admissions process. My friend said that in fact nowadays they are more likely to choose the higher score because then they can report the higher score in their admissions statistics. Good to know. I have taken the LSAT once and scored sub 160. I would like to take it again and score a bit higher.
--He said not to worry about taking a courseload geared toward any particular area. Rather, he said, just take classes that are interesting to you. I sometimes look through course offerings at various universities I'm considering applying to and there is never a shortage of interesting classes.
The Game Set-up
This is the post in which I explain the situation.
As you probably know, I'm an American who has lived in Britain for the last three year. It is time for me to go to law school. Now I have to decide where to apply.
In the UK, law is an undergraduate subject. You can study law for three years from the age of 18 and poof you're a lawyer! Well, okay, it's not quite that simple. You also have to train to be either a solicitor or a barrister. Yes, you have to choose between being a solicitor or barrister. If I understand correctly, solicitors do all the work. Barristers do all the talking and paid more. (I think it may simply be a way for the law profession to make more money, but more on that later.) But would I be able to practice in the US?
If you have already done an undergraduate degree, as I have done, then you can apply to go back to the undergraduate law programme, or you can apply for something called a conversion course. It's a programme for people who already have a bachelor's degree in a different subject and want a law qualification. A conversion course is 2 years after which you are fully qualified to be a lawyer. But would I be able to practice in the US?
The other option for me is to go back to the US and do a 3 year juris doctor degree. This would make me fully qualified (except for passing the bar) to work in the States. But would I be able to practice in the UK?
Questions, questions.
As you probably know, I'm an American who has lived in Britain for the last three year. It is time for me to go to law school. Now I have to decide where to apply.
In the UK, law is an undergraduate subject. You can study law for three years from the age of 18 and poof you're a lawyer! Well, okay, it's not quite that simple. You also have to train to be either a solicitor or a barrister. Yes, you have to choose between being a solicitor or barrister. If I understand correctly, solicitors do all the work. Barristers do all the talking and paid more. (I think it may simply be a way for the law profession to make more money, but more on that later.) But would I be able to practice in the US?
If you have already done an undergraduate degree, as I have done, then you can apply to go back to the undergraduate law programme, or you can apply for something called a conversion course. It's a programme for people who already have a bachelor's degree in a different subject and want a law qualification. A conversion course is 2 years after which you are fully qualified to be a lawyer. But would I be able to practice in the US?
The other option for me is to go back to the US and do a 3 year juris doctor degree. This would make me fully qualified (except for passing the bar) to work in the States. But would I be able to practice in the UK?
Questions, questions.
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