At the law firm of Tolbert Beadle, LLC, we have a team of experienced and educated personal injury lawyers waiting to help you with your case. From auto accidents to slip and fall accidents, a good personal injury lawyer is able to adapt and pull from a deep well of knowledge.
But, have you ever wondered just how much work goes into becoming a personal injury lawyer? In this blog, Tolbert Beadle, LLC gives a brief overview of just how much education is required to represent you in your case.
Your Bachelor’s Degree
As with most professional careers, becoming a personal injury lawyer requires completing a Bachelor’s degree to give yourself a foundation to begin from. Typically, most law schools do not require a BA in a specific subject, but rather in a broader, related subject such as English or History.
The reason for this is that a potential lawyer should be able to demonstrate requisite skills in critical thinking, communication, in depth research and effective self-management and organization. Many BA degrees in a wide variety of seemingly unrelated subjects will help to hone and sharpen these skills.
Your Law Degree
After attaining a Bachelor’s degree, injury lawyers apply to law school to complete a three-year law degree. Typically, a degree from a law school will start with a broader study of the law, including topics such as constitutional law, legal writing, contracts, and so on.
This first year is intended to give law students a wider and more general understanding of the law before they elect specific subjects. The subsequent years of their degree will allow students to specialize in areas of interest, or areas that relate to what they wish to practice in the future.
Taking The Bar Exam
In order to be a qualified personal injury lawyer, you will need to pass the bar exam, which is a single type of exam that covers all lawyers, whatever their specialized field. This exam essentially gives a lawyer the American Bar Association (ABA) stamp of approval, but it is important to remember that this exam is state-specific. This means that, when taking the exam, it will need to be taken within the state in which you will practice. There is also the option of taking the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE).
These days, many states actually have this second exam as a requirement, as it makes sure that legal professionals are aware of the law as it pertains to them — focusing on professional conduct and possible contempt. Having both the ABA qualification and passing the MPRE means that you are not only educated in the law, but in the professional conduct expected of you as a lawyer.
Further Education and Ongoing Experience
This might seem like a lot of difficult, not to mention expensive, studying — but it is not the end of a professional lawyer’s education.
Once again, most states now require continuing education for lawyers to keep their ABA status. Law schools and the ABA itself offer courses in continued learning, but a soon-to-be or brand new injury lawyer will also need to gain real experience.
This will mean hands-on work in courtrooms and junior positions in law firms. The more cases you are involved in, and the more clients you work with, the better you will be at handling claims. The key to being a good lawyer is to always be learning. Both experience and education are vital, and new experience and education is just as important as what you already know.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer Today
As you can see, becoming a personal injury lawyer requires dedication and in-depth understanding of the law. Not only that, but being a good lawyer requires focus, an open mind, and compassion. If you are looking for a lawyer to represent you in your case that has all these qualities and more, contact Tolbert Beadle, LLC today. Our team of legal representatives have the education and experience to fight in your corner, and show that you really mean business.
