Nobody likes oppression, and without civil rights lawyers, the experience will always be terrible. If you have ever suffered discrimination as a woman or man, you need a civil rights lawyer. A civil rights lawyer is duty bound to protect the people who suffer an infringement of rights or discrimination. Their main concern is to help people resolve problems that concern human rights, discrimination, and equality.
A civil rights lawyer will carry out the necessary research and negotiate for settlements. Also, they will compile relevant legal documents and represent their clients in court. It is also their passion to teach the general public on how they can stop discrimination. However, if you wish to become a civil rights lawyer, you need to develop your educational background. One of the processes is to go through law school. Finally, you need to show commitment to a specific cause or group and get the required experience.
Steps to Become a Civil Rights Lawyer:
-
Get your Undergraduate Degree
If you want to apply for law school, it is compulsory to earn a bachelor’s degree. However, students who are applying for law school need to take courses in government, history, public speaking, and economics. A bachelor’s degree in human rights or the government will give you a broad understanding of the field.
-
Take the Law School Admissions Test
To get an admission in a law school, get your LSAT scores and submit your transcripts. This exam is necessary since it will be testing your reading skills, critical, and analytical thinking. If you want to succeed, you need to prepare very well for this exam. However, it is taken during the junior year in your undergraduate studies. If you prepare well and your scores are high, you will get admission into a prestigious law school.
Complete your Law School and Graduate
Make sure that you complete the three years course and graduate your Juris Doctor program. The first year courses for this program usually centers on subjects related to basic law. Such subjects are constitutional law, contracts, torts, and property law respectively. Then in the second year of the program, the students have to take elective courses like internship and clinics. Most law schools allow their students to focus on civil rights law as their elective not minding what the students prefer. The elective courses are constitutional law, local government law, immigration and nationality law, disability law, race and law. This is because if you complete them, you will obtain knowledge of the field. Also, if you volunteer to work in civil rights clinic, you will have the necessary experience.
-
Pass your Bar Exam
Since you have to gain admission to your state’s bar association before practicing law, you must pass your bar exam. The state’s bar exam is different from state to state, but it takes two days of tests. The test for the first day of the exam consists of the Multistate Bar Examination. This exam focuses on torts and constitutional laws. On the second day of the examination, the students will face the exams which the state will administer. Make sure you prepare very well for these exams. Your readiness will ensure success in the field because if you fail, you cannot practice law.
-
Practice Civil Rights Law
When you pass your bar exams and get called to the Bar, make sure that you work as a civil rights lawyer. You can choose private law firms, non-profit organizations, or the government agencies. These are groups that usually need civil rights lawyers.
-
Aim higher and Get your Advanced Degree
Lawyers do not need more degree after the Juris Doctor. However, going further to gain more will increase specialty in civil rights law. Many law schools offer LLM degrees {Master of Laws}. Here, they focus on international human rights or human rights. The courses mostly cover a particular part of the law that is beneficial to lawyers in many ways.
Conclusion
After going through this content, you now know what it will take you to become a civil rights lawyer. In summary, you have to get your first bachelor’s degree, take the Law School Admissions Test. Afterwards, graduate from Law School, and pass the State’s Bar exam also. You can then apply to firms that specialize in civil rights.
Leave a Reply