help

[Samantha]

Dear law students,

Hi! My name is Samantha and I am a ninth grader at Kalamazoo Central High School. For one of my classes I have to write a report on any job i want to do. Obviously, I decided to pick law. I was wondering if anyone could  tell me what types of classes you are required to take and the classes that would be good to take if you are planing on becoming a lawyer. Oh, and anything else that you might find helpful! Thank you!~Samantha

[Jeit]

Take a wide range of history and philosophy.

[jeffjoe]

Just my opinion, but I think it is too early to worry about.  Take general courses.  If you are still interested in the law when you get to college, there will still be plenty of time to consider which courses will help the most.

[Boxergirl]

Hey...y'all didn't read her question clearly...she is writing a report about the career choice...(you guys are telling her not to worry about it yet!)...Anyway...

Samantha,

basically, no matter what law school one attends, the first year curriculum is essentially the same (there can be slight variations).  One can almost always expect that they will be required to take: Contracts, Property, Torts, Criminal Law OR Criminal Procedure, Legal Research & Writing, Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure....and then they may be able to take an elective or something else.  Also, unlike what many people think, one does not need to (and most often doesn't) graduate from law school with a specialized area.  However, most schools will offer special certifications for different areas or they will be schools that have excellent programs in certain areas. 

As for classes to take in preparation for law school...yes, i agree with the above that philosophy and history would be great...Philosophy is great to get the analytical part of your brain some practice.  It doesn't really matter that much what your major is in college...what matters is how well you do.  However, there are certain areas of law that most often require a strong background (even a graduate degree) in certain areas.  For example, someone who is interested in intellectual property law would have a much better advantage if they have a background in engineering.  Someone that is interested in medical malpractice would have an advantage having some kind of medical background. 

Law school is 3 years, or if one opts for the part-time evening program that many schools offer, it can be 4 years. 

I hope I answered some questions...please feel free to post more questions..i'd love to help you out!

[BennyQ]

Yikes.  I hope she has got an extension for that report.  No responses for the better part of 3 years.