Question of Law articles are written to provide general legal information concerning the covered topics. They are not meant to take the place of specific legal advice provided by an attorney in each individual situation. *Note that information in the articles is current as of the date of publication, but may have changed over time. The reader should, therefore, verify the accuracy of the information contained herein. INFO CURRENT AS OF 06/07/02
REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A LAWYER
QUESTION: What is required to become a lawyer? ANSWER: A career as a lawyer can be challenging and rewarding. In addition to the private practice of law, lawyers may pursue careers as civic and political leaders, judges, governmental officials, teachers or business executives or serve in other occupations. For example, many FBI agents are lawyers. What is required to become a lawyer? Basically, it usually involves graduation from college with the bachelor’s degree (a four-year program) and graduation from law school (three years full time or four years in a structured part time program). In most states, including New Hampshire, prospective lawyers must also pass the bar exam and undergo a “character and fitness” review, including a criminal background check and a review of any other factors that might bring into question the applicant’s fitness to be entrusted with the affairs of clients. There is no prescribed course of college study for lawyers. Lawyers come from varied academic backgrounds. Many law school students have degrees in English, history, the social sciences or business, but engineering and science students also successfully pursue careers in the law. Generally, the undergraduate should pursue a rigorous course of study that will provide excellent reading, analysis and communications skills. Undergraduate courses in substantive law (such as business law or constitutional law) will need to be taken again in law school and do not add to the student’s prospects for admission by a law school. However, such courses may provide an early indication of whether the student will find the subject matter interesting. Many law school web sites provide suggestions on undergraduate courses of study. The process of gaining admission into law school is highly competitive. For example, for the entering 2001 class at Boston College Law School, there were over 5,700 applications for only 277 openings. Just as students applying to college take standardized tests such as the SAT, applicants to most law schools must take the LSAT. This is a one-day exam that tests reading, verbal and reasoning skills. College grades and LSAT scores are key factors for many law schools. However, law schools also look for other ways to attract students who will be successful academically and provide a diverse and interesting student body. The initial focus of a law school education is on learning to reason and “think like a lawyer.” Students usually start with core courses, such as property, contracts, constitutional law, civil procedure and torts. (Tort law is the area of the law that provides a basis for many civil lawsuits, including suits for damages due to negligence, libel, misrepresentation, etc.) Students then are offered electives in widely diverse areas such as international law, environmental law, criminal law, labor law, patent law and taxation. Clinical programs in law schools may also provide students with the opportunity to gain actual courtroom experience. After law school, prospective lawyers take the bar exam, which in New Hampshire is a two-day exam offered in July and February each year. On the first day, applicants take a national multiple choice exam called the Multistate Bar Exam. The second day consists of twelve essay questions written and graded by the New Hampshire Board of Bar Examiners. Upon passing, an applicant becomes a member of the New Hampshire Bar Association and receives a license to practice law from the New Hampshire Supreme Court. The lawyer’s education does not end here, however. All new lawyers must take a practical skills course administered by the New Hampshire Bar Association. Lawyers are also provided with continuing legal education to enhance and update their knowledge of the law. The New Hampshire Supreme Court requires lawyers to accumulate at least twelve credit hours of continuing legal education annually, including at least two credit hours of ethics. The practice of law is by its nature a learning process. The learning continues every day as clients present new problems for lawyer to address. Answered by Attorney Frederick J. Coolbroth of Devine, Millimet & Branch, P.A., in Concord. Attorney Coolbroth also serves as Chair of the New Hampshire Board of Bar Examiners.
If you need a referral to an attorney, the NHBA Lawyer Referral Service is available to assist you. For more information, call (603) 229-0002 or email LRSReferral@nhbar.org. If you have a legal question, you may call 1-800-868-1212 to reach LawLine on the second Wednesday of each month from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., when volunteer lawyers are available to answer your legal questions.