Becoming a Lawyer
...mething about engineering, chemistry, physics, and similar subjects. Those who practice tax law usually have some experience or training in accounting. Some serve first as employees of a government tax department. Lawyers who practice in the trial courts may start by entering the public service to work under a district attorney, county attorney, or corporation counsel. They may begin by working in private practice under a trial lawyer which is also a specialized skill. Their broad and varied training helps many lawyers enter other careers. Many lawyers go into public service and become civil service employees, devoting their time to government service. Some enter the field of politics and run for public office or accept appointments in the executive branch of the government. Of the 39 presidents of the United States, 26 were licensed to practice as lawyers. In the Congress of the United States, the number of lawyers is very large. To become a judge also requires law experience. Lawyers often leave private practices to pursue more extravagant dreams. Perhaps just a private practice of their own or to become an executive of a company. They no longer act as legal advisers but they use their law skills to help them make better decisions. Most lawyers in the United States today are college-trained women and men who have completed courses in law schools. Each state has its own rules about training and licensing lawyers. The legal profession is called the bar, and being admitted to the bar means being licensed to practice law. In some states, people may substitute a long period of training in a law office, where they learn what others learn in a law school. This method was common years ago when there were not many educational facilities around. The body of law was small and there was at least one president Abraham Lincoln who got his license to practice law by learning in an office. In law school, students learn how to analyze and present problems for decision. They study the Constitution, treaties, and statutes. They also study prior rulings and precedents. The reason that they do this is because English and American law is based on the doctrine of Stare Decisis (reliance on precedent.) By studying past court cases it allows lawyers to better determine how a judge will rule on a case, thus giving lawyers an upper hand if they find a familiar case from the past. Throughout college a law student takes classes dealing wit...