Should I become a lawyer?
I agree with the third poster that you'll be 40 years old in 15 years, regardless of what you do with your career path. A few questions to consider. How many units do you need to finish college? Can you finish these at a junior college / community college (cheaper) and then transfer to a university and go to school at night (or can the hours you work in your current career be changed to accommodate school in the morning). Buy used books if possible. You can go to school part-time at night (yes, even ABA law schools have this option) but it will take 4 years. This way, you won't have to take as many loans. Also, take the LSAT. If you do well enough in college and with the LSAT, you may be able to get a full (or partial) scholarship / fellowship at law school - apply for many scholarships, local, national, etc. When you're at law school, make sure you buy used books. What type of lawyer do you want to be? Most lawyers do not make the $125K starting salary that's touted (those are the ones who are "required" to work 12-15 hours per day) - they typically earn 40-50K, especially without experience (these are the ones who work only 8-9 hours per day unless one is preparing for trial). If you can save up enough money so that you don't have to work while going to school (or at least only work part-time), that is ideal. Plus, you can be a law clerk after your first year so you can learn more about the law. Yes, people can go to law school later in life. Many have chosen it as their second career (I know someone who graduated college, worked for 10 years, then went back to law school). P.S. A higher starting salary usually means that more is expected of the first year associate - no life outside of work. A lower starting salary - especially in smaller cities - usually means that they expect you to have a life and the attorneys in the smaller cities are more laid back.
How old do you have to be to become a lawyer?
In the U.S., there is no minimum age. As a practical matter, it takes most people until they are at least 25 before they become qualified to practice law. You would have to:Finish high school;Graduate from college with a bachelor’s degree; andGraduate from law school.Most people are 17–18 years old when they graduate from high school.If you go straight through college without a break and finish your bachelor’s degree in four years, you can expect to be 21–22 years old when you graduate from college.If you go straight through law school without a break and finish your law degree in three years, you can expect to be 24–25 years old when you graduate from law school.After you graduate from law school, you take the bar examination in July. In most states, you can expect to get your bar examination results some time between September - November, depending on the state. By then, you will almost certainly be at least 25 years old.Of course, that’s if you go straight through school and finish everything on schedule. Most people these days do not finish college in four years. An average law school graduate is 27 years old.
How many years did it take for one to become a lawyer in the 1800s?
All one had to do was pass the relevant Bar exam,and for anybody fully literate who was reasonably intelligent and reasonably articulate,a couple of weeks cramming on existing laws would see them through. As for soldiers,the 1800s saw armies grow in size due to the ongoing population increase of the 18th century that resulted from the agricultural revolution.Almost anyone could enlist and be trained relatively quickly to be considered able enough to available for combat - in the 18th century,when armies were much smaller,recruits took 3 years training to be considered ready for the battlefield. Royal families did not have personal bodyguards.There guard regiments, detachments of which would be on hand when a royal family was out and about on public duties,and detachments of which guarded royal residences.
How long does it take to become a criminal lawyer?
Captain and Slinky are very uninformed on this. You DO NOT become a police officer before becoming a lawyer. Also, if you do everything on time it should take you a total of 7 years. 1. You will need to earn a bachelors degree in any major. A bachelors degree takes about 4 years full time. You will also need to take the LSAT during college, most people take it the summer between their junior and senior years of college. Law school admissions are largely based on college GPA and LSAT score. 2. Law school will take 3 years, going full time, to complete. You do not specialize in law school, you specialize by getting a job in the area you want to practice after you are a lawyer. Also note that you will have to take all required courses, most of which have nothing to do with criminal law (for example, torts, contracts, property, constitutional law, corporations etc.) 3. After completing law school (which earns you a Juris Doctor or JD for short) you may sit for the bar. So long as you go to an ABA approved law school (most are ABA approved) you will be eligible to sit for the bar in all 50 states (regardless of which state you go to law school). The bar exam is offered twice a year, July and February and is a grueling test. As for pay, the legal job market is BAD right now. The only criminal work you will get straight out of law school is court appointed which basically pays in peanuts. You will likely be broke and saddled with over $100,000 in student loan debt from law school (even the cheapest law schools in the country are at least $30,000 per year for tuition alone). If I were you I would reconsider this career field right now, it is ultra competitive, you end up with a lot of debt, and there are no good paying jobs. Furthermore, there have been no indications that the legal job market will see growth anytime soon, actually the data suggests that it will continue its downward spiral. Ultimately it is up to you, just go into it with open eyes.