What would be good subjects to focus on to prepare

[Luanne]

to possibly become a lawyer?

[Tina in Ouray]

to possibly become a lawyer?

. . . and classical rhetoric.

[percytruffle]

...and history, and government.

[elizabeth]

Funny you should ask-I have been waiting for this query for years! John Locke, de Toqueville, John Rawls, John Stuart Mill , Immanuel Kant are great philosophers to begin with . Read their writing not summaries or surveys-the original work only. If you can read these abstract, demanding texts and take notes essentially making the concepts elucidated clear, you can easily practice law. I was a philosophy major , went to grad school then law school and worked full time during law school which was a breeze after reading Hegel etc. I do not think political science courses are helpful at all. This is often what non lawyers think will be useful for those wishing to attend law school . Read , read and read some more. If the young person masters the best writers in the liberal arts and can digest complex ideas with ease then they are well prepared. In my class those with English degrees were downright dangerous and threw the curve only surpassed by ...the philosophy majors. Seriously, it is all about reading well and being able to teach yourself due to the use of the Socratic method as the main instruction mode. If you dare to answer a query the prof will only snort , smile and clean the floor with your ego. It works generally. I hope this helps.

[strider]

Writing, definitely. Also logic, history, government.

One other idea:

Two jobs that are in the legal profession but more quickly attainable would be court stenographer and paralegal. A court stenographer takes records of court transactions. A paralegal is like a lawyer's assistant--they do a lot of research and back-up work for cases. I have friends in both professions who like the work. Paralegal is closer to the work that "real" lawyers do--good paralegals make a pretty good living, too.

[Cathy]

The student learns to reason, think "on his feet" and relate arguments in a winsome way. A big benefit is research skills!

Cathy in KY

[Closeacademy]

English.

The ability to write well, research and analyze are all skills that a good attorney needs. They also need to be able to speak, debate, have good manners and dressing skills.

I worked as a legal secretary before kids. And basically, there was a lot of listening, composition, research and picking apart of statements that was done. I know that the attorneys who were not dressed appropriately for court would get yelled at by the judge (yes, there was a local woman attorney who showed up regularly in sweats).

I do have to say that to do this job you need to be strong morally and be willing to put your beliefs and heart away in a box while you do your work. It is not easy dealing with divorces, custody cases, and defending people who broke the law. You can get attatched to the people and lose faith that there is good in the world. It is a sad job. It is an angry job. But it is sometimes rewarding when good happens and people actually get the help they need.

If she decides to do it then I would look at real estate and estate law rather than get involved in the justice system. But good luck.:)

[Gwen in VA]

You might poke around on law school websites. I did this a few years ago and was surprised at how explicit many of them were about what kind of background they want an applicant to have.

I poked around on a huge range -- from Harvard and Yale and Stanford to UVA and William & Mary (we're in Virginia) to George Mason and Regents and even Suffolk (in Boston). It took several hours but it gave me much more of a feel as to how I can better provide guidance counseling for ds1!

[FloridaLisa]

To do well in law school, the student needs very disciplined study habits, writing and analysis skills. Law students have one test at the end of each semester class and the entire grade is based on that one exam. If the student cannot write and analyze, s/he will not do well on the exam.

To do well as a lawyer can be a bit different. Truly, I know many who have done well financially as attorneys who were so-so students. On the whole, though, I would choose a major that would carryover to later law practice. So, for instance, majoring in business or accounting can help with tax or transactional law. I agree with the poster that said political science or history are not great pre-law majors (though they're certainly popular).

HTH,
Lisa, J.D. 1989!

[Lorna]

Philosophy.

The lawyers I know also have a great fondness for drama. I would join a drama group.

A love of reading is also important. There is so much paperwork to wade through in the years at college.

[Faithr]

Well, as someone who went to law school and is married to a lawyer (and also is the daughter of a judge) I would say it really doesn't matter what you major in! I knew an excellent lawyer who was an Art History major in undergrad. I knew people who had majored in biology, economics, English, etc.

There are so many different types of law. If you are going to be a court room lawyer, either criminal or civil you need to be able to think on your feet and speak well in public. So a flair for debate or drama would be an asset there. My dh majored in economics and works in regulatory law, so his background in economics is constantly used. I know people who became tax lawyers because they always enjoyed math.

You do lots of writing as a lawyer and you have deadlines to meet all the time, so both good writing skills and discipline are necessary, so the poster who pointed that out, is right on target.

[Michelle in MO]

Well, as someone who went to law school and is married to a lawyer (and also is the daughter of a judge) I would say it really doesn't matter what you major in! I knew an excellent lawyer who was an Art History major in undergrad. I knew people who had majored in biology, economics, English, etc.

He majored in economics, worked for six years for an insurance company, and finally decided, "Hey, I can do this!" So he studied quite a bit for the LSAT and was accepted to every law school he applied to, but went to the University of Missouri-Columbia, partly because he also loves sports and wanted to go to a big sports school. He does very well as a lawyer, but was in the middle of his law school class. (BTW, he doesn't work for an insurance company!)

However, everyone has had excellent suggestions as far as coursework that would prepare them for law: logic, history, English, good writing skills, philosophy, speech, debate, and I would add---Latin. A lawyer will encounter numerous Latin-based terms, but mostly Latin develops good thinking skills, which are necessary for being a good lawyer.

My husband was also actually rather quiet before entering law school, but he has no trouble speaking in front of people now! He also highly recommends that studying diligently for the LSAT will help tremendously with your score and future admissions.

[Michelle in MO]

You probably already know this, so don't misunderstand my intent, but becoming a good lawyer is also dependent upon good social skills---the ability to network, build good personal relationships with other lawyers, judges, and clients. My husband has excellent people skills, and of course these are developed over time as a person continues in the practice of law.

After working for 5 years for a workers' compensation firm in St. Louis, he opened his own law practice in our small town. It was very difficult at first, but I would honestly say that the success of his practice was due to the fact that he's very, very good with clients.

Anyway---this is just a personal observation, and I'm not trying to imply that your dc doesn't have good people skills, but I'm just noting that it's more than just good academics or book work.

HTH!