First of alll, don t let people discourage you or tell you it s too hard. I graduated from law school and will be taking the Bar exam next Feb. Law schools except ALL majors. They want interesting, bright people. And you have an amazing background! To have a BA in music and working towards your MA in Opera you must be very disciplined, creative, outgoing and a great performer and oralist--all characteristics that a law school would value. You may even want to practice Entertainment Law. I play the piano, and with music being so mathematical you will have a great edge on developing the skills of being a good law student. Anyhow, to prepare... Study for the LSAT. Take a Kaplan prep course or whichever one you prefer. Take tons on real previously administered exams for practice. Also you can buy prep books at a bookstore like Crown or Barnes and Noble. Next you need a couple of letters of recommendation. You will also need to do the application, including the personal statement. With such an interesting background I m sure you have something interesting to say. Finally, I recommed visitng the school to shmooze up to the admissions representative at the school. Just stop by to ask questions or better yet make an appointment. They may have a student give you a tour. But often you can meet with the actual person who will be reading and making a decison on the application. How do I know this? I used to work in the admissions office at my law school. I gave some of those tours too. And I always gave feedback to our Dean and Director of Admissions. Just have a list of questions ready in advance. And treat it like an interview. Attend a law school forum in your area if you cannot visit the school. All the deans of admissions will be in attendance there. Trust me if you don t believe me. People will tell you it s all not possible or that you can t do it or that it is sooo hard. But in reality, if you make up you rmind to do it, you will accomplish the goal. Check out the ABA website (American Bar Association) and also the LSAC website (Law School Admissions Council). Also check out the CLEO Scholars website. Good luck to you! And dont let the naysayers get to you. I actually applied to law school in secret because no one supported me except for my sister and my friend (who is now my husband). Of course everyone jumped on the bandwagon later. But that s another story. Everyone told me to quot;justquot; be a teacher or quot;justquot; do this or that. Now they all go around bragging about how they know a lawyer. GOod luck to you! Also, watch my two favorite movies for inspiratopn: quot;Rudyquot; and quot;Legally Blondequot; -- I really related to the Elle character p.s. Law school is not quot;hard.quot; It s just time-consuming.
The arts translate beautifully into law concepts. The most valuable class I ever took was logic (a branch of philosophy). I apply it to all my law classes. Make sure you are enjoying learning law. Those who go only for the cash get a rude awakening later on. A person born an A hole who goes through law school come out an even bigger A hole. Others quit half way. There are enough aspects of law where passion CAN be a great driving force. It has the potential to be a very noble and history making field. GOOD LUCK
In the u.s., there are no specific required courses before law school. However, anything involving writing or logic would serve you well. Get the info from any law school and you will see no specific requirements beyond a BA degree. Still, meeting the minimum requirements doesn t mean that you will be admitted.
my husband has been a practicing attorney 30 years. Take the LSAT.
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