How Do I Become a Lawyer?
If you’re wondering how to start on the path to becoming a lawyer, the key steps are:
- Earn a bachelor’s degree (4 years)
- Take the LSAT entrance exam
- Apply to and attend an accredited law school (3 years)
- Earn your Juris Doctor (JD) degree
- Gain legal experience through internships and clinics
- Study and pass the bar exam in your state
- Apply for admission to the state bar association
- Search for attorney roles in your desired field
Focus on getting excellent grades, developing your writing skills, gaining relevant experience, and building your professional network throughout law school.
How Do You Become a Lawyer?
Here is an overview of the process:
- Complete a 4 year bachelor’s degree
- Take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
- Get accepted to a 3 year JD program at an accredited U.S. law school
- Excel in your law school classes and activities
- Pass the bar exam after earning your JD
- Apply for your law license in your state(s) of practice
- Start your legal career as an associate, clerk, government worker, or other role
- Build skills and experience as a new lawyer under supervision
It takes 7+ years of education and passing the bar to qualify as a licensed attorney able to practice law.
How Can I Become a Lawyer?
If you’re interested in becoming a lawyer, these steps can help you reach this goal:
- Research JD programs and prepare for the LSAT exam
- Maintain a high GPA and secure strong recommendations
- Apply to multiple law schools and secure financial aid if needed
- Complete a JD program focused on your specialization
- Identify and apply for positions that provide bar exam study
- Sign up for a bar exam prep course to pass on your first try
- Submit your bar application promptly after passing the exam
- Leverage your law school resources to aid your job search
- Consider paid internships or clerkships to gain experience
With focus and determination, you can attain the education and licensing required to launch your law career.
lawyer performance, top firms, and salary ranges across the USA
| State | Top Performing Firms | Average Salary Range |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, Balch & Bingham LLP | $45,000 – $70,000 |
| Alaska | Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Lanier Law Group | $55,000 – $95,000 |
| Arizona | Snell & Wilmer L.L.P., Lewis Roca Rothgerber LLP | $50,000 – $80,000 |
| Arkansas | Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C., Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP | $45,000 – $65,000 |
| California | Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Latham & Watkins LLP | $65,000 – $155,000 |
| Colorado | Holland & Hart LLP, Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell LLP | $55,000 – $90,000 |
| Connecticut | Day Pitney LLP, Shipman & Goodwin LLP | $55,000 – $115,000 |
| Delaware | Richards, Layton & Finger, Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP | $55,000 – $90,000 |
| Florida | Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Carlton Fields, P.A. | $55,000 – $80,000 |
| Georgia | Alston & Bird LLP, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP | $50,000 – $95,000 |
| Hawaii | Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel, Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher | $55,000 – $90,000 |
| Idaho | Givens Pursley LLP, Moffatt, Thomas, Barrett, Rock & Fields, Chtd. | $45,000 – $80,000 |
| Illinois | Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Winston & Strawn LLP | $55,000 – $160,000 |
| Indiana | Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP | $45,000 – $75,000 |
| Iowa | Nyemaster Goode, P.C., Davis Brown Law Firm | $45,000 – $75,000 |
| Kansas | Stinson LLP, Lathrop GPM LLP | $45,000 – $70,000 |
| Kentucky | Stites & Harbison PLLC, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP | $45,000 – $75,000 |
| Louisiana | Adams and Reese LLP, Jones Walker LLP | $45,000 – $95,000 |
| Maine | Verrill Dana LLP, Pierce Atwood LLP | $45,000 – $75,000 |
| Maryland | DLA Piper, Gordon Feinblatt LLC | $55,000 – $115,000 |
| Massachusetts | Ropes & Gray LLP, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. | $55,000 – $165,000 |
| Michigan | Honigman LLP, Warner Norcross + Judd LLP | $55,000 – $150,000 |
| Minnesota | Robins Kaplan LLP, Dorsey & Whitney LLP | $55,000 – $100,000 |
| Mississippi | Butler Snow LLP, Watkins & Eager PLLC | $45,000 – $65,000 |
| Missouri | Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, Husch Blackwell LLP | $45,000 – $85,000 |
| Montana | Crowley Fleck PLLP, Doney Crowley P.C. | $40,000 – $75,000 |
| Nebraska | Kutak Rock LLP, Rembolt Ludtke LLP | $45,000 – $75,000 |
| Nevada | Fennemore Craig, P.C., Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP | $50,000 – $90,000 |
| New Hampshire | McLane Middleton, Rath, Young and Pignatelli, P.C. | $45,000 – $95,000 |
| New Jersey | Gibbons P.C., Sills Cummis & Gross P.C. | $55,000 – $160,000 |
| New Mexico | Modrall, Sperling, Roehl, Harris & Sisk, P.A., Rodey, Dickason, Sloan, Akin & Robb, P.A. | $45,000 – $85,000 |
| New York | Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP | $50,000 – $190,000 |
| North Carolina | Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP | $45,000 – $95,000 |
| North Dakota | Vogel Law Firm, Crowley Fleck PLLP | $45,000 – $70,000 |
| Ohio | Jones Day, Squire Patton Boggs | $45,000 – $115,000 |
| Oklahoma | Crowe & Dunlevy, GableGotwals | $45,000 – $75,000 |
| Oregon | Miller Nash LLP, Stoel Rives LLP | $45,000 – $95,000 |
| Pennsylvania | Duane Morris LLP, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP | $45,000 – $160,000 |
| Rhode Island | Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C., Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP | $50,000 – $90,000 |
| South Carolina | Nexsen Pruet, LLC, Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. | $45,000 – $80,000 |
| South Dakota | Lynn, Jackson, Shultz & Lebrun, P.C., Gunderson, Palmer, Nelson & Ashmore, LLP | $45,000 – $75,000 |
| Tennessee | Bass, Berry & Sims PLC, Butler Snow LLP | $45,000 – $85,000 |
| Texas | Vinson & Elkins LLP, Norton Rose Fulbright | $50,000 – $160,000 |
| Utah | Parsons Behle & Latimer, Durham, Jones & Pinegar, P.C. | $45,000 – $80,000 |
| Vermont | Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC, Primmer Piper Eggleston & Cramer PC | $45,000 – $75,000 |
| Virginia | McGuireWoods LLP, Williams Mullen | $50,000 – $105,000 |
| Washington | Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, K&L Gates LLP | $50,000 – $105,000 |
| West Virginia | Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, Jackson Kelly PLLC | $45,000 – $65,000 |
| Wisconsin | Foley & Lardner LLP, Godfrey & Kahn S.C. | $50,000 – $90,000 |
| Wyoming | Holland & Hart LLP, Hirst Applegate, LLP | $45,000 – $75,000 |
| Washington D.C. | Covington & Burling LLP, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP | $50,000 – $190,000 |
How Can You Become a Lawyer?
Here are tips if you’re wondering how to become a practicing lawyer:
- Get a bachelor’s degree in a major like political science or history
- Prepare thoroughly for the LSAT admissions exam
- Attend an accredited 3-year JD program
- Participate in clinics, externships and internships while in school
- Focus intently on passing the bar exam after graduation
- Research the licensing requirements in your jurisdiction
- Apply to positions focused on your legal interests and talents
- Continue growing your skills under the guidance of experienced attorneys
- Consider a niche like tax law or specializing in an industry
With concerted effort and passion for the law, you can join this challenging, meaningful profession.
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