Do I Want To Be a Lawyer?

This is a difficult question to answer. Some people claim that they knew they wanted
to be a lawyer since they were quite young, but most struggled with this decision up
until the time they appli d to law school. In fact, many law students and even recent
graduates are still unsure of the answer to this question.
While it is impossible to know for certain the answer to the question "Do I Want To
Be A Lawyer?" before entering law school, there is some value in talking with
practicing lawyers, attending criminal and civil trials, attending law school classes or
even working as a messenger at a law firm. The value of these activities is in gaining
some insight into what a lawyer does; however, it will be somewhat of a superficial
view of the legal profession, highlighting the excitement and overlooking the real
complexity, difficulty and demands of the job. Television shows dealing with lawyers
have perfected this superficial view of the legal pr fession.
One's decision-making process can also be skewed by the difficulty of defining what a
lawyer does on a day-to-day basis. There is no "typical lawyer." The legal profession
today has embraced specialization to a significant extent. There are ifferences in
workload, client contact, work environment, compensation and overall quality of life,
depending upon whether one specializes in criminal law, family law, personal injury
or defective product litigation, trust and estate law, business transac ions and
litigation, tax law, employment or labor law, environmental law, patent and trademark
law, civil rights litigation, or in other specialized areas. There are many "professions"
within the profession of law.
The only meaningful way of determi ing whether you may want to be a lawyer is to
look at the type of skills that a person must develop and ultimately become proficient
at in order to be a competent lawyer in any area. Even though there are significant
differences in the various practice ar as of law, the essential skills required of any
lawyer are very much the same.
Ask yourself the following questions:
1.Do I enjoy working closely with people regarding significant events or issues
affecting their lives?
Lawyers invariably are involved in galvanizing events in the lives of people. This
involvement may occur in a face-to-face setting or through less intimate contacts
involving legal documents. You will need to be comfortable and secure with the
realization that your advice, counsel and actions will have a significant impact on the
lives of your clients.
2.Can I empathize with a client's situation, yet have the ability to objectively analyze
the issues and their consequences in light of the existing law?
The main task of a lawyer is to solve a client's problem. People come to a lawyer for
help in solving their problems. A lawyer must be able to empathize in order to
properly understand the needs and concerns of his or her client, but a lawyer must
develop objective, analytical skills to identify the potential legal issues that must be
addressed and then to formulate a plan to reach a result that is consistent with the
desires of the client as well as the requirements of the law.
3.Do I enjoy educating or teaching a person about a subject about which he or she
may be ignorant or have significant misconceptions?
We live in a very complex society which has required the development of very far-
reaching, technical laws. Understandably, most clients are either wholly uninformed
about the existing law or have signifi ant misunderstandings of what the law prohibits
or requires. A lawyer must be able to educate competently his or her clients. This
teaching task is complicated by the fact that the "student" has a direct interest in the
subject area. The degree of compre ension will be affected by the client's vested
interest, an unwillingness to hear the bad news, a strong disagreement about the goals
of the law, etc. The need to educate is critical, though, so that a client can make an
informed choice about how to proced. Tact is required in telling a prospective client
that his or her view of the applicable rules is wrong.
4.Am I able to articulate in a clear and concise manner my analysis of a problem to
others, whether it be verbally or in writing?
Two vital skills of a lawyer are the ability to speak and write in a clear, articulate
manner. Since a lawyer's job is to solve problems, the key to success is the ability to
convince others of the correctness of one's analysis of the factual problem, the
requirements of the law, and the best result that can be reached for all concerned
parties. A lawyer must be able to educate and convince his or her clients, other
lawyers, juries, judges or mediators. He or she must have the ability to perform this
task equally w ll by speaking or writing. One may be a genius, but it will be to no
avail if others can not understand what he or she is saying. The skill and art of verbal
communication is an important key to success of becoming a competent lawyer.
5.Do I enjoy being an advocate? Can I argue both sides of the question with
enthusiasm?
A lawyer's personal satisfaction must come from helping others achieve a desired
result or avoid or ameliorate the consequences of a difficult situation. A lawyer must
provide th client with sufficient information concerning all possible alternatives to
allow the client to make an informed decision. Ultimately, the client must decide what
is best for himself or herself. The lawyer must be able to accept and advance the
client's decision, even if he or she would not have personally chosen the particular
course of action, so long as the attorney stays within the ethical parameters of the
Code of Professional Responsibility. Whether one is writing a will, negotiating a
contract, litagating a lawsuit, or settling a divorce, a lawyer is advocating the personal
needs, desires, and goals of the client. One need not be flamboyant or overreaching to
be an excellent lawyer, only capable of persuasively articulating concrete positions.
6.Do I like detail work? Do I enjoy searching for the facts of a situation?
The practice of law is a jungle filled with pockets of quicksand for the sloppy, lazy
lawyer. The law has made great strides in eliminating unnecessary requirements of
form to allow cases to be resolved on the merits rather than by one's ability or failure
to follow rules of procedure. However, rules of form, practice and procedure are
necessary for the orderly conduct of business within the law. A lawyer must pay strict
att ntion to facts and detail, for detail work is a significant aspect of the practice of
law.
7.Do I like to read and study?
A lawyer never stops reading the law. From the day one enters law school until the
last day before retirement, a lawyer must keep abreast of the ever-changing law.
Whether it be statutes, agency rules and regulations, or court decisions, a lawyer may
never assume the law remains static. Each and every competent lawyer must dedicate
a significant number of hours on a regular bas s to educating himself or herself. This
study time may be added on top of the many hours spent in the law library completing
legal research on very specific issues of law pertaining to particular cases.
Conclusion
How many questions did you answer yes? Did you enthusiastically say yes or were
you thinking, "If I have to do it, I will?" To be a competent lawyer, it is not necessary
that you have all of these skills now nor that you have presently developed them to a
high degree. You will have plenty of time to do that. Utilizing these types of skills on
a weekly, daily or hourly basis is, however, the "life" of a lawyer.
Television dramas portraying attorneys are correct on one point. The practice of law is
exciting, meaningful, and rewarding. You will have the ability to beneficially and
significantly affect the lives of many people throughout your career. You will be
exposed to a variety of people, events, and areas of knowledge that you might not
otherwise have experienced wit in the confines of your own personal life. The practice
of law is a broadening and educational experience. However, the practice of law is not
for the lethargic, the lazy or the clock watcher. It is an ongoing, never-ending,
demanding life experience. As is true in any area of life, whether you are in medicine,
science, education or in law, your attitude towards life and your work is all important.
In simple words, you should be one who truly enjoys learning and who strives to do
all that you can with your work.

In most countries, wars are no longer fought on battlefields but in courtrooms, with prosecuters who fight for the
well being of society, and defence attorneys who defend the innocence and integrity of their clients. I hope to
join them one day.
You want to be a lawyer because you want to fight for justice and uphold the law which
binds the fabric of soceity. You want to be a lawyer so you can be strong for those that are
weak and show fairness to all human kind so that judgement may be pure and untainted.
There are lawyers in it for the money and there are lawyers who sincerely want to help
others with legal issues. It can be a noble profession or just a means for a lucrative income.
That is up to the individual person. Most lawyers I've known are honest and want to better
the communities they live in.
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How do you start writing it?

Put your conclusion in the first sentence. Don't make the reader dig for it. Say something
like: "I believe Option A is the best course of action for an individual presented with
scenario X." Scenario X might be choosing a teacher to hire for a school district or choosing
one of two marketing plans for a corporation. Then make a statement about the scenario in
your own words to show you have a clear understanding of the situation. End your
introduction by demonstrating how Option B is worse than Option A for a person in this
scenario.

But that's only a few sentences! How do I fill the page?

Begin a second paragraph by weighing the benefits of each option. Show you recognize each
one's redeeming qualities. Proceed by arguing that the pros of your choice significantly
outweigh the pros of the other. You can also argue that the inferior option's cons far
outweigh its benefits.

How do I conclude the Writing Sample?

Rephrase your original sentence (the conclusion of your argument) and demonstrate why
it's better when taking the organization's larger objectives into account.

What should I actually do to prepare for this between now and test day?