How to become a Lawyer in USA?
How to become a lawyer in the United States, many applicants are thinking. This is because a lawyer in the United States is not just a profession. In America, this is a special trend that enjoys special respect and prestige. According to statistics, it is in this country that legal professionals are the highest paid. But to work in America as a lawyer, a brilliant knowledge of theory is not enough. To work, you need a license, and without practice and a diploma of higher education in a specialty in the United States, they will not give it.
Prospects for working as a lawyer in America
how to become a lawyer in usa
The main goal of foreign law students in America is to stay and work in the United States. According to statistics, 78% of young people who have received a law degree in the United States achieve their goal. They get jobs in American companies, and after a few years they get a green card, and then become citizens of the United States of America.
The profession has gained great popularity due to good earnings:
the average income of a lawyer with 4 years of experience is about 7 thousand US dollars per month;
and for a specialist with more than 4 years of practical experience, the salary increases by 35% and reaches 10 thousand US dollars.
In most cases, students who study law in the US for at least 9 months have the opportunity to start working. But it will be temporary employment up to 1 year. You can get a permanent job only after receiving a diploma from an American law school.
How to get a law degree in America
Given that a Russian law degree in the United States is not suitable for work, ambitious students enter American law schools. This can be done immediately after graduation, as well as with a bachelor’s degree obtained at home.
The fact is that there are no undergraduate law programs in the United States. A student needs to study for a bachelor’s degree in any other specialty, the specialization obtained earlier is not important for law schools. But many schoolchildren, still thinking about how to become a lawyer in the United States, meaningfully choose the following areas:
political science;
economy;
sociology;
statistics.
The study of these areas will definitely be useful to a lawyer in his professional activities. Having a bachelor’s degree in hand, the applicant enters the Juris Doctor master’s program. This is a special program whose graduates receive an initial doctorate in law. The program is designed for a thorough study of American law, as well as for the practical development of the legislative and judicial system.
You can get a narrow specialization of legal education in the United States with a one-year Master of Laws course. It provides for the study of only specialized subjects in a specific area of jurisprudence, not including general credits. By the way, this training option attracts many foreign applicants who want to succeed in this area in their native country. Master of Laws does not focus on the study of American law.
go to university
The most prestigious US law schools
The best universities for studying are:
Yale Law School is a higher education institution located in New Haven, Connecticut. A small but prestigious university has been at the top of the US rankings for many years. Yale admits a limited number of students each year and offers a unique multi-course education to future lawmen.
Harvard University – the Faculty of Law in one of the most famous US universities needs no introduction. This oldest educational institution has the most impressive library of legal literature. Barack Obama, Bob Graham, Matthew Nimitz and other famous lawyers and politicians graduated from it.
Stanford University – Stanford Law School is one of the three most significant in the United States. According to statistics, this institution of higher education has the highest percentage of graduates who later work as federal judges.
The University of California at Berkeley – to study law in the United States at Boalt Hall (that’s what this law school was called for a long time) has always been prestigious. After graduating from this institute, 97% of graduates find high-paying jobs in elite corporations within a year.
Columbia University has been training brilliant lawyers since 1858, including US Presidents Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, 9 judges, senators, presidential advisers. Today, the law school enjoys great prestige in America for its unique teaching methods and various types of student financial assistance.
How to become a lawyer in America
Russian law degree in the USA
A Russian law degree in the US does not matter. You need to get a specialized education at an American university. Documents required for admission:
Educational document on the completion of a bachelor’s degree;
information about grades when passing the LSAT;
letters of recommendation from teachers in specialized subjects with whom the applicant studied at a university or college;
proof of good knowledge of English – TOEFL or IELTS certificate;
bank statement of financial solvency.
Submission of the application and documents to the selection committee is carried out through the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). This is a special resource where all students who plan to enroll in law schools register to submit applications.
To become a lawyer in the United States, you need to go through a difficult but interesting path. But you need to start with admission. Take the first step and we will help you.