Law School

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Law School

Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of the practice of law is learning to be a lawyer. Virtually every new lawyer today is a graduate of law school, a much dreaded, but fulfilling journey to practicing law. Modern law schools differ greatly from their earlier counterpart, in that many more requirements and responsibilities exist. In colonial times, students pursuing a career in law would enter institutions for instruction of the law, and would automatically become qualified to practice law in the courts after a few years of study. Today, however, becoming a lawyer takes much more training, rigorous work and effort, and many years of studying in order to take a bar exam of which passage represents qualification. There is much more consideration concerning who is admitted, what kind of curriculums are taught, how exams are offered, what kinds affiliation exist, how much law schools differ from one another, and what it ultimately takes to be fully competent as a practicing attorney.

What does it take to get into law school? Requirements for admission to any law school, whether Ivy League or otherwise, are extensive and seemingly difficult to obtain. Almost all law schools in the United States require a four-year college degree. Ivy League schools especially prefer college graduates from prestigious universities. Nonetheless, any law school will be more interested in applicants who rank in the top percentile of their class and present an outstanding grade-point average. Another major aspect considered of law school applicants is their score on the Law School Aptitude Test -- "a half-day standardized test designed to measure the ability to understand and reason with a variety of verbal and quantitativ...

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...hat law school requires tremendous effort and time, no matter what law school into which they are accepted. The aspects of the practice of law have changed significantly from that which was considered in colonial times, where students of law, perhaps unqualified, could easily be licensed to practice. This transformation of the legal system has strengthened our trust in American law, and continues to challenge honest, qualified lawyers around the nation.

Bibliography:

Works Cited

Neubauer, David W. Judicial Process: Law, Courts, and Politics in the United States. University of New Orleans: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1997.

Turow, Scott. One L. New York, NY: Warner Books, 1977.

http://www.lsat-center.com/lsat-page1.html

http://lawschool.stanford.edu/admissions/admiss.shtml

http://allsands.com/College/firstyearlaw_rlh_gn.htm

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