The balance of the judicial system entails the positioning of clients, attorneys and judges to present a case in the courtroom, which acts as the arena while argument, rhetoric and the law are the weapons. Yet, to be a part of this system especially a lawyer, an individual must attend law school.
The journey of law school entails students to study for three years to earn a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree.
“I think when people make a decision to go to grad school, it’s usually an economic decision and what I mean by that is that they are promised or expected a greater opportunity to get a job in the future,” said Anthony Osei, a second year law school student at Seton Hall Law. “So, you have those who pursue it for the economic aspects and then you have those who, since they were born know what they want to do and pursue it which I think are usually ones who go straight from undergrad to law school.”
“The first year is tough, mentally and spiritually because they will change the way you think. I always describe first year like the initiation process of fraternities and sororities as it molds you and it’s also challenging,” Osei added.
The path of law school starts with the first year as being the most difficult for students as professors change and mold students’ way of thinking to prepare them to tackle problems and cases especially while being a practicing attorney.
“For me, I think that the biggest thing I really learned from law school is ‘how to learn’ in a relatively, fairly, deep-sense. I learned how to be able to approach figuring something out, having the tools to figure something out, and finding the concentration within myself to apply those skills,” said Ivan Saperstein, professor of media law and an attorney.
Saperstein said law school provides an education in which he was able to learn how to think critically, approach problems, to think logically, and learn how to really write.
While law school is challenging and allows students to think differently, prior to becoming an attorney, law school students must take and pass the bar exam, specific to the state in which they want to practice.
However, not all students who attend law school choose to become an attorney.
“There are jobs other than being a lawyer that you can obtain with the degree, Michael Ambrosio, professor at SHU Law, said. “People who come to law school, like before or after being a policeman can advance more readily if they have a law degree. There are government jobs where a law degree can give you an advantage. Then there are people who go to law school who can go into teaching while some practice and teach.”
The path of law school can lead students to pursue a career in the areas of law, compliance, education, and government.
Nisha Desai can be reached at nisha.desai@student.shu.edu.
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