To become a legal aid attorney, one must first complete an undergraduate degree and then attend law school for three years. Courses in criminal and civil law, legal writing, and family law are recommended for those interested in this field.
A person who wants to become a legal aid attorney and work for clients who do not have the means to pay the usual level of legal fees must begin their training by fulfilling the requirements for an undergraduate degree. The next step in the process is for the prospective attorney to be accepted and complete a law degree. If he or she knows early on that he or she is interested in doing legal aid work, the law student will want to choose courses that will best prepare him or her for that subfield.
Completion of a four-year undergraduate degree is a requirement to be accepted to law school. Some US universities offer prelaw as a core program, but students can be accepted into the law school of either a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science program. Canadian universities also consider students from any degree program for law school programs.
Once the person who wants to become a legal aid lawyer has completed his degree course, the next step is to go to law school. This part of the training is a three year program. During the first year of law school, most universities offer several core courses to students.
The courses that a person who wants to become a legal aid attorney will take instruction in criminal procedure, contract law, civil procedure and real estate. Constitutional law and offenses will also be covered. Law school also includes courses in legal writing, since part of a lawyer’s job involves preparing written communication, including correspondence, legal memos, and written arguments that are presented to a judge.
During the second and third year of study, students take more specialized courses. A person who wants to become a legal aid attorney will likely make it a point to take family law courses as part of their studies, as a number of legal aid attorneys work with clients who are in the midst of a separation or divorce. Another area that someone looking to become a legal aid lawyer will want to focus their studies on is in the field of criminal law. A person who has been accused of a crime may not have the wherewithal to hire a private lawyer, and this does not mean that they are not entitled to adequate representation by a qualified lawyer.
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