Becoming an energy lawyer requires a passion for environmental issues and up to eight years of higher education, including pre-law studies and environmental courses. Students should also gain experience through internships and involvement in environmental groups. Law school courses will cover basic principles of law and gradually focus on specific topics related to energy law. After completing all courses and passing a regional exam, a student can become a licensed energy attorney.
The main foundation for becoming an energy advocate must be a passion for environmental issues. Education requirements can involve up to seven or eight years of higher education, followed by additional courses that inform students or staff about recent industry innovations. Energy laws are constantly changing due to the environment, which is evolving and requires continual legal revision. Some of the areas covered by energy lawyers are mining and sale of natural resources, biofuel, gas, electricity, coal and agreements, patents or arguments relating to all energy resources.
Students planning to become an energy attorney must begin their undergraduate studies in the general sciences in order to fulfill prerequisites for most environmental courses. After completing prerequisites, students must focus their courses on pre-law studies, including government policy, economics, political science, and legal administration, in addition to environmental studies. Some of the most common classes are: environmental geology, environmental history, environmental ethics, and other science courses that study earth and energy. A student must earn a bachelor’s degree in science (pre-law) or environmental studies.
The student must be ready to take the necessary exams for law school, such as the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) in the United States, at the end of the third year of the undergraduate program. The main reason to take exams early if possible is to get a head start on law school applications or to leave time to retest in case he or she fails to pass. He or she should become active in on-campus or community environmental groups, as well as pursue internships at offices dealing with energy law. There are many law schools that offer intense energy law programs which will make it easier for the student to become an energy lawyer because his experience will be reflected in the curriculum.
After he or she is accepted to law school, the curriculum will follow a general route first. Courses will cover case analysis, legal reasoning, criminal law, contracts and other basic principles of law. Gradually, courses will focus on specific topics that will help you become an energy lawyer, including components of energy law, environmental law, property, natural resources, land use regulation, and international environmental law. After completing all courses and earning a Juris Doctorate (JD) degree, a student will need to pass a regional exam, such as the bar exam, to become an energy attorney licensed to practice law.
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