A law career is perceived as one of the most lucrative careers in Georgia. There are many benefits that come with being a lawyer; you will enjoy financial stability, there are multitudes of career option, and you will gain respect and prestige.
However, the journey to becoming a lawyer is quite challenging. If you talk to any estate planning lawyer in Atlanta, they will tell you that this path is not an easy one. It requires logical thinking and reasoning. There are also different areas of law that you can choose to pursue. You can decide to pursue estate law, criminal law, or personal injury law. If you want to become a lawyer be it a medical malpractice lawyer or family lawyer in Georgia, here are some of the steps you have to undertake to become a member of the state bar in Georgia.
- Get your Georgia Undergraduate Pre-Law Major
The Office of Bar Admissions of Georgia states that a person must have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution before getting admission to a law school. Your Undergraduate institution must be accredited by a national or regional accreditation agency. There is no single path for pre-legal undergraduate education. However, your pre-legal education should cover the following ideas, skills, and knowledge to prepare you adequately for law school to pursue your area of choice.
- Analytical skills
- Problem- solving skills
- Communication skills [orally and in writing]
- Listening skills
- Research skills
- Knowledge of the following field:
- Politics/political theory
- Philosophy
- History
- Social behavior
- Take the LSAT [Law School Admission Test]
Before you get admission into any ABA– approved law school, you must pass law school admission test [LSAT]. The test is offered four times per year at international examination stations. The Law School Admission Council [LSAC], which sponsors the LSAT, provides students with free materials to help them take the LSAT. The exam content includes:
- Reading comprehension
You must read 500-word passages and answer questions that require you to comprehend information, make inferences, and grab the tone of the text. The passages focus on topics such as natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and legal issues.
- Analytical reasoning
The students will be presented with four sets of problems about grouping items or testing their knowledge of their relationship. The students must answer questions based on logic and analysis.
- Logical thinking
The students must read the questions and identify the argument presented in each question and any reasoning errors or myths.
You can apply online to take the LSAT. The exam fee is $190, which you pay by credit card. The LSAT results arrive by mail three weeks after the test. The lowest score attainable is 120, while the highest is 180.
- Go to Law School in Georgia
Now that you have passed the LSAT, you can move to the next step in your mission to become a Georgia lawyer. The Office of Bar Admissions of Georgia states that you must graduate from a law school certified by the Georgian Board of Bar Examiners and accredited by the American Bar Association [ABA]. The ABA-approved school needs not to be in Georgia- as long as it is ABA-approved; it can be in any state. The Georgia Board of Bar Examiners specifies that you must have a Juris Doctor degree to sit for the bar exam.
- Take the Georgia State Bar Exam
After obtaining your J.D. degree at an ABA-approved law school, you can apply for the Georgia Bar Exam. Before you apply, you must receive Certification of Fitness to Practice Law by the Determine Fitness of Bar Applicants. You can complete the Certification of Fitness Application online. You should answer all the questions honestly and accurate.
