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  • I want to go to Law School; Now what?

    I want to go to Law School; Now what?

    A post-secondary education can take you down many roads; in fact, many students choose to pursue higher education post-grad. For all of you competitive, ambitious individuals who love paperwork as much as you love debate, going to law school has probably at least crossed your mind.

    To get into almost any law school in Canada, you need three things: at least 2-3 years of university experience (though the vast majority of students attend law school after completing their undergraduate studies), a great score on the Law School Admission Test (the LSAT), and a stellar personal statement or application (giving the selection board insight into why you are right for their school).

    University Experience

    When it comes to law school, the undergraduate major that you choose really doesn’t matter as long as you have the required university experience. Popular “pre-law majors” include social sciences (political science, criminology, sociology) and humanities (English, history, philosophy). However, individuals in programs from life sciences to commerce to music have done very well in law school, too.

    It’s smart to study what you love: not only will you enjoy your undergraduate studies; you will likely achieve the high marks you need to get into the law school of your choice. Many law students also use their undergraduate experience as a supplement for a future career—for example, a future environmental lawyer would benefit from an ecology degree.

    The LSAT

    The LSAT is a demanding multiple-choice test that requires a lot of preparation. There are three graded sections to the test. Firstly, you will be required to complete “games”, essentially logic puzzles involving a variety of situations. Secondly, you will have to analyze arguments for their premises, conclusions, and weaknesses. Finally, you will complete a reading comprehension exercise. (The LSAT also has an essay portion that is not graded, but that admissions boards can look at when evaluating your application).

    To prepare for this test, you need to make studying a top priority. Many students attend classes and hire tutors, and it is strongly recommended that you complete practice exercises and mock tests. Though the test is difficult, if you study hard, you will do well, and (like the SATs in the U.S.) you can always take it again if you are unhappy with your score, time permitting.

    Personal Statement or Application

    Essentially, the personal statement is an opportunity for you to showcase your skills and explain why you would make a good addition to the school. Many students describe their long-term aspirations as a lawyer, and the things they hope to learn from their time at their school of choice. When writing your statement, it’s smart to keep in mind the profile of the schools to which you’re applying, as well as what you plan to get out of your law degree.

    Law school is not for the faint of heart, but if you set your mind to it, you will succeed. If you think a career is right for you, get cracking on your applications!

  • Career Profile: Family Lawyer

    Career Profile: Family Lawyer

    When you think “lawyer,” you might think of high-profile cases against notorious lawbreakers. It seems glamorous and exciting. But, just as there are many aspects of the law itself, so there are many types of lawyers to practice different kinds of law.

    Each type of law practice comes with its own job description. Family lawyers, for instance, represent clients in divorce cases, child custody disputes, and ensuring that other family members fulfill their legal obligations. They also handle matters such as wills and estates, setting up trust funds, and working with adoptions, among other matters. Family lawyers prefer to work efficiently. Court battles are time-consuming and costly. Family lawyers strive to settle disputes out of court by mediation, arbitration, or other forms of problem-solving. They will meet frequently with clients to discuss their options, advising them on the best course of action. But that is not all- attorneys have responsibilities within their own firm as well. Often, a newly-graduated lawyer will supervise office staff. These include paralegals, legal secretaries, office assistants, and interns. But getting into a law firm in the first place takes a lot of schooling.

    Before you even attend law school, you must complete two to four years of schooling in other areas. Some law schools prefer that you have an undergraduate degree before they accept you. Once this prerequisite schooling is complete, the aspiring law student will study for and pass their LSATs- Law School Admission Tests. Then, at law school, they acquire their Bachelor of Laws. This qualifies them for their first year of training, called articling. While many students take their articling year in a law firm, some choose to work as a clerk for a judge.

    Once this term of articling is complete, the next step is to take a bar admission course and the accompanying exams. This qualifies you for practicing law in the province where the exams were taken. If you want to practice law in other provinces, you may have to meet other requirements.

    Once all of these requirements have been met, you are eligible to practice any type of law you desire. Family lawyers often specialize even further: some do only estates and wills, caring for the property of a large variety of clients. Others may do pro bono work, offering their services for free to those in desperate need of representation but who cannot hope to afford it. Some may choose only to work custody cases, support arrangements, and adoptions.

    Client confidentiality is of utmost importance to all lawyers, but especially to family lawyers. Because of the often turbulent nature of cases involving family disputes, sometimes it is required that each party have a separate lawyer to avoid a conflict of interest. This means that often, a husband and wife seeking divorce would not have the same lawyer, nor would the mother and father each seeking custody of their children. This means that if a case is to be settled quickly, family lawyers must have a good working relationship with lawyers in other firms.

    Working as a family lawyer takes a lot of preparation. Schooling alone takes a commitment of six to eight years, but making a difference in other people’s lives makes all that hard work worth it.

  • Career Profile: Lawyer

    Career Profile: Lawyer

    Lawyers are often the most important people for maintaining justice and making sure that the rules of society are followed. These rules that determine how business is conducted between individuals and organizations are the walls and the structure that ensure people are safe, happy, and able to lead fulfilling lives. Lawyers are the people that defend justice and they help to advance society in a logical and well reasoned fashion.

    Becoming a lawyer involves a lot of hard work, and being a lawyer involves a lot more hard work. To become a lawyer, one must complete high school with good enough grades to get into an undergraduate degree in university. When choosing an undergraduate degree, one may want to select something that is of interest such as science, arts or engineering, or one may wish to select something very particular to law like history, politics, environmental studies, ethics or law. The most important thing is to get grades that will allow you to enter law school – once you pass the LSAT exam. You will want to be in the high 70’s and up in order to get into a school. For the more competitive schools, you will want to score in the high 80’s and up. It is also important to be aware of what the requirements are for the particular school you are aiming for.

    The LSAT is an exam composed of tests evaluating reading comprehension and logical and verbal reasoning proficiencies. The average score on an LSAT is 150, with a low of 120 and a high of 180. It costs around $160 US dollars to undertake. Different schools accept different scores, and, once again, knowing what score is expected from the school you want to get into is the best way to determine how prepared you need to be. Once you gain acceptance into law school, you have four years of rigorous studying of laws and many tests to pass to ensure your successful completion of your program. It is also important to always be prepared for class, as you will often be called upon to answer questions.

    As a lawyer, there are many benefits and perks in addition to the hard work that you will have to do. The benefits include having a highly respected social status – being a lawyer puts you in a position of responsibility where others will look at you as an authority on the law. As a lawyer you will be working independently as well as on a team. You will be working on a team made up of judges who ultimately determine what is right and what is wrong, as well as officers of the law, more commonly known as police officers – the people who act on the ground to ensure that the law is put in effect. Finally, you will also enjoy being well paid, making $90,000 to start and then moving into the upwards range of $200,000 (source: ivyglobal.ca).

  • Law school applications continue to rise

    Law school applications continue to rise

    As if law school wasn’t hard enough — applying to law school is harder than ever. Universities across Canada are experiencing record-breaking application rates as a weak economy continues pushing graduates back to school.

    “Every year [law school] is in high demand,” Catherine Legault, admissions coordinator at the University of Ottawa, said. She added the law program increased the number of spots from 280 to 300 this year. In previous years, the program only had 230 spots.

    Western has also felt added demand for spots in law school.

    “We received about 2,500 applications last year for 175 positions,” said Michael Lynk, associate dean of law at Western. “We increased our intake by 12 to 15 students over the last two years, but our LSAT scores have actually gone up.”

    Eleven years ago, Lynk arrived at Western’s law school when LSAT averages were around 155. Now he says they’ve jumped to 161, making the program “quite competitive.”*

    Lynk pointed to a weak economy as the culprit for a higher number of qualified applicants.

    “It’s a bad economy, so more people are staying in school after their undergrad rather than going out and working.”

    The competitive nature of law programs doesn’t stop after acceptance, according to Casey Marvin, first-year law student.

    “Avenues that are normally available to all are also a competitive arena, which sucks,” she said.

    While students are encouraged to enroll in first-year clinics, she said some had to turn students down.

    “People were shocked to not get into a clinic that usually lets in everyone,” she said.

    Marvin noted her classmates seemed to be in a league of their own in terms of the calibre of student admitted.

    “A higher proportion of people are mature students and have very impressive backgrounds. Some people are certified accountants or have done mergers and acquisitions, especially people in the economic and business sector that got laid off,” Marvin said.

    Like Lynk, Marvin suspected the depressed economy is the driving force behind increased applicant rates.

    “LSAT scores were significantly higher this year because of the recession. Lots of people have decided to go back to school. They can’t find jobs.”

    A highly qualified applicant pool means younger students will have to compete with mature students — who might be more qualified — when entering the job market after graduation.

    “We want to find jobs for our students, but now that law schools are letting in more students, we are running into a problem of slack economy,” Lynk said. While Ontario sees 1,300 to 1,400 law students graduate every year, Lynk said seven to 10 percent have a problem finding articling positions.

    “There doesn’t seem to be that many jobs for them.”

    Tyler Goettl, fourth-year economics student, has filled out his application but remains uneasy about getting accepted.

    “About one in nine or 10 applicants are admitted. Knowing your chances generally aren’t that great is frightening,” he said. “I’m confident but at the same time there’s a lot of confident people that don’t make it in.”