Advice

[Koruptified]

First, I would like to say I have been browsing here on and off and I think this forum and website is a great resource.

Second, how hard would it be for someone to pursue a career in law if said person holds a GED? Could a great GPA in undergraduate studies outweigh what happened in high school?

Third, what should someone get their undergraduate major in?

Next, I have a few general questions.

Divorce law... what is that lifestyle like? I've already come to the conclusion that I wouldn't want to be a criminal lawyer because I could not find a way to justify defending someone who is truly guilty.

What are the normal hours of an attorney? If it depends on the field, would you provide a few different fields and the normal hours for each?

My ultimate goal is to become a Judge. I doubt I would further a career into politics, but you never know. What are the normal working hours of a Judge?

I would like to thank those of you who answer me in advance.

 

[NYClex]

First of all, there are a lot more careers in law then most people think of. That is one of the great appeals of the law.
Second: What you did in the past is not really important, as long as you can deliver in the future.

That said, one must realize this: Law School can be very tough. The bar exam can be even tougher. Competition after the bar exam is sometimes murderous. What you really need to do is to evaluate yourself. Do you like to "think", play with problems, use language to describe complicated situations, solve riddles, wonder about logic. These are things a lawyer has to like, because that is what law school is all about. And tons of stuff one has to memorize though it is written in ridiculously complicated English. You surely should be a "talker", a person who feels comfortable using language skills. Not everyone is that type. There is this stereotype that a lawyer will use a speech of 10 minutes to say what a "normal person" will need two sentences for. There is a lot of truth to it, to say it in other words: you at least need to be able to make a 10 min speech of any two sentences.

You got to be willing to learn a lot. Really a lot. You must like to learn. Even after the bar, you never can cease learning. There is MCLE. Even without that, you need to be up to date on the law. Every case you take will make you learn something new. That is the fun of law. If you like to learn. And to be frank: if you struggled in High School because of that, then law school is probably not the place for you. But if you like the challenge, then sure it is worth trying.

That said, there are so many different types of "law" that you really have a lot of choice what to do after law school. Only very few lawyers actually make a life career in what most people think lawyers do all the time: litigate in court. Many lawyers start their careers doing this for a few years, usually as an ADA, but then they leave and never ever return to a court room. They never face a jury, many don't even ever face a judge again. They draft contracts, review tons of documents, advise CEOs, and so on.

Family Law is one area of law. I personally do not like divorce cases, divorce and especially child custody disputes tend to confront you with the worst in people. On the other hand, some lawyers love it.

Criminal defense is another field where many young attorneys have problems with, because of the same feeling you express: I cannot defend people when I personally think they should be thrown into the dungeon and the key should be thrown away. Very true. If you want to make a career in criminal defense you will be confronted with a quite a few of these clients. But you also will have those who are innocent, who are in danger of being railroaded in a very lopsided system. Those who desperately need your help, need a voice who speaks for them when nobody else will. Just this week I met a couple of jurors again who told me pretty clearly, that for them the case was decided the moment they entered the court room. "The cops arrested the guy, so of course he did it." Yep: there are still a lot of these kind of jurors around. (Of course, there also are opposite opinions).

And so on. The good thing is, you don't really need to decide early. You can go through law school and look at all the different kinds of law and still wait with the final decision.

How about the hours: Usually attorneys work a lot. Many work more than is good for them. I just met a guy, who is so good and so well known that he can afford to charge $ 700 an hour. And still works 60 hours or more per week. Others would say, they can have a great lifestyle if they only work 30 hours a week if they can charge those fees.
Of course, you don't start charging $ 700/hr. You start with a college loan to pay back. So yes, be prepared to work more than 40 hrs a week. But it is not necessary to work 80 hours, as some crazy people do. That will earn you a heart attack before you are 50.

Judges tend to work less. But, to become a judge you need either to be super-connected or to have a good reputation as an attorney. And that you get only by hard work. And a good judge will spend a lot of time on his work. It is not a job to slack. A life depends on your work, even in civil cases. Your decisions can ruin lives. You want to be sure you make the right decisions.

Now, what to do as an undergraduate? This is a tricky question: I personally believe it is good for an attorney and for the justice system as a whole when attorneys have some insight into totally foreign aspects of life. I think it is great when I know that an attorney has read some other books in his life but law books. An attorney who knows about biology, good literature, how to build a car, etc. "Life experience" is worth a lot, you can relate to clients, to jurors etc if you know a little of their world.

On the other hand, you can use college to prepare for law school. Some take criminal justice courses. Or paralegalism, something I value very much, too, because here future attorneys learn important skills they will not learn in law school, for example how to organize a law practice. Finance is always helpful, and if you only use your knowledge later to be able to keep the books of your law firm in order. If you want to be a personal injury litigator later, knowledge of medical or technical issues can be very helpful. If you can explain to a jury how this car skidded on the street because of the law of physics it might be more worth than two expert witnesses who know that, too, but have no clue how to explain it to a jury.

So you see, even there you have a choice. You will probably find everything you could do as an undergraduate somewhat helpful later, when you are an attorney. I know someone who was a minister before becoming an attorney. Here you got someone who knew how to preach to people, to convince them by using speech. No wonder, he became a good litigator later.

One thing I would say: Do what you "like" to do. Not what is only convenient or supposed to be good for the career. We only can become outstanding, if we really like what we are doing.

One last word to alternative careers: There are great career possibilities in law without being an attorney. Take a paralegal: many lawyers would be stranded without them. A good paralegal often can be as valuable as a good associate. And if the attorney is good, he will let the paralegal feel that he is valued. It can be a great career.

If you are more into technical stuff, more into science: forensic nurses are a hot commodity nowadays. A very interesting career. Criminalists are the backbone of modern crime investigations. Another great career.

Have a look if your county or city offers internships. Here in NYC for example the district attorney's office offers internships of 2 or 3 weeks for people interested in a career in law. They can go and see what district attorneys actually do all day. May be your county or city has a similar program. Or look for volunteer opportunities. Here we have lots of legal aid organizations who employ volunteers for office help. Working in those offices they can see what the attorneys and paralegals do and get an idea how life in a law firm can be.

Whatever you chose: good luck