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Contents of the Document

Below is an outline of the contents of this resource document!

You just graduated – what’s next?	Here’s what you should consider next after graduating high-school with a law career in mind… Guide to UK and US legal career routes
Recommended Majors	Recommended majors
Applications	Applications to law school, what is considered
Internships	Internships, why they are important, how/where to intern
Studying for the LSAT	Scoring and grading process

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Hello hello!

Legal Horizons aims to provide high-school students interested in law with a comprehensive curriculum to help them nurture their legal passion(s) to the next level. One of the many aspects of breaking into a legal career that recent high-school graduates struggle to grasp is the appropriate next step(s) they should be taking to get as far in law as possible. Legal Horizons is here to help – the purpose of this informative resource piece is to provide students with a step-by-step guide to navigating life after high-school and getting into law, including recommended majors, what is considered in applications, important information to bear in mind while doing undergraduates, the differences in UK versus USA legal studies, etcetera.

Welcome ☺

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— William Edward Gladstone (former English PM)

“Justice delayed is Justice Denied.”

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Next steps after High School

What to consider after graduating high-school, differences in UK and US legal education…

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01. Commit to a Country

Decide and commit to a country of study –

The study of law differs from nation to nation since law is a proprietary subject. Hence, it is important that you consider factors such as where you wish to settle long-time, climate, environment, university, funding, and other benefits when deciding a country to study in.

This is because each nation follows a different set of rules and a varying legal system (e.g. common law, civil law, Islamic Sharia law, etc.) so it becomes difficult to study law in one country and attempt to practice in another since the procedures often differ.

While conversion degrees, examinations, and more can be taken to enable one to practice in a country other than where they studied, it is a lengthy and expensive process, so it is often recommended by legal consultants and professionals worldwide to select the country of study bearing in mind long-term goals and settling ambitions.

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UK vs. USA Legal Education Differences

Typically, students choose to enroll in an LLB (Bachelor’s in Law) which is a three-year course if studied full-time. Students then typically chase this with an LLM (Masters in Law) is whatever specialty they choose (e.g., International Law, Energy Law, Business Law and so on)
However, another path students can take to diversify their education as much as possible would be completing their undergraduate in a relevant subject (e.g., History or Psychology) and complete a one-year law conversion/transfer degree after their bachelor’s. This gives the student more career options if they are undecided.

Employers do not regard one of these educational paths more valued than the other; whatever the student decides to do is their choice!

USA

In the US, the process of studying law is slightly different. Law is a postgraduate course in the US; a student interested in becoming a lawyer is required to complete a four-year undergraduate degree before then enrolling in a three-year Juris Doctor course (J.D.) to qualify as a trained lawyer.
Certain law degrees such as a joint JD/MBA/LLM are available allowing the student to study law alongside a masters at the same time. This would be advisable mainly if a student wishes to go into a niche field (e.g., Business Law, Corporate Law, etc.) where graduates from such a degree course are specifically preferred. Otherwise, it may just be too difficult for students to undertake a dual degree, as law school in itself is hard enough!

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02. Recommended Majors

Strong recommended majors for law school are History, Political Science, Psychology, and English Literature. These majors are recommended because of their nature (logical with a focus on reading comprehension) and because they hone skills that lawyers need. However, there are no prerequisites for law school, and they value diversity in their applicants! Hence, even STEM majors and degree holders in subjects grounded in logical reasoning will be equipped with the skills to excel on the LSAT and on their application to law school.

The UK has a direct entry into an undergraduate programme in Law (LLB) that is offered throughout the country. However, if you wish to take the nontraditional route and do another undergraduate major before transferring to Law via a one-year degree, some recommended majors are History, Politics (or PPE which covers Politics, Philosophy and Economics), Economics and English Literature.

USA

For more information, refer to our “Recommended Majors for LAw” document

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11.1%

Is the median acceptance rate of the top 15 law schools in the United States…

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Applications

What law schools consider when admitting you…

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Key Components

A strong transcript with a high cumulative GPA, alongside a rigorous workload and difficulty of the courses taken

Some applicants already in the workforce tend to adjust a lot better to law school than others. Acquiring good work and volunteer experience is a key component

A professor or supervisor’s positive outlook on a student is another key component of a strong application

The best law schools value strong standardized test scores. Studies have correlated law school grades with strong LSAT/GRE grades.

Transcript

Work/Volunteering

Recommendations

Test Scores

An applicant with tangible short and long term goals tends to be more sought after than those without

Law schools value diverse applicants that have interesting backgrounds, perspectives and varying interests! Ensure to convey that to its extent in your application

Goals

Experiences

Key components that law school admissions officers consider when admitting students!

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04�Internships

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Why are Internships Important?

Internships are a well-recognized way of gaining experience of working in the legal realm. They tend to provide students with a flavour of the world in terms of the hours they are expected to work, nature of work they will be undertaking, and the interactions they will be required to hold with people.

Understand

Understand the field you are going into much better than otherwise with solid internships!

Communication

Client counselling, oral communication and status reporting are extremely crucial skills for lawyers to have. By interning, you will develop these earlier than those who abstained from internships

Tacit

Practical legal skills are rooted in tacit knowledge – information that can only be gained by practice and not hearsay or writing and memorising. By interning, you will gain valuable skills about the legal world.

Problems

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How/Where to Intern

Most straightforward choice = law firm. The best option out there. Internship opportunities can be found via LinkedIn, cold-emailing firms, mutual connections or other platforms.

Interning at a consulting firm will equip you with communication and analysis skills that are also applicable/transferable to jobs in the legal world.

Work experience at organisations such as the UN, NATO, and other international organizations will be beneficial.

Law Firm

Consulting

Politics

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05�A Little Bit of Info on the LSAT

The LSAT, Law School Admission Test, is a standardized test for prospective law school candidates. The test is designed to assess proficiency in reading comprehension as well as logical and verbal reasoning. Scoring is done by converting a ‘raw score’ of the test into a score based on the LSAT scale. This is done to make it easier to compare scores across various LSAT administrations and to standardize the test fully. Legal Horizons advises you to think of the LSAT like the SAT for undergraduate admissions – a metric to measure proficiency for a certain course.

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Summary

Next Steps

Select a country based on both short and long term goals!

Recommended Majors

General recommended majors are Psychology, History and English Literature!

Transcript, test scores, experiences, work/volunteering, recommendation letters and goals are the most important components of an application
Internships provide students with a flavour of the world and allow them to gain valuable tacit and communicative knowledge. They are highly encouraged!
The LSAT is a standardized exam taken by prospective law students that measures their reading and verbal proficiency.

Applications, Internships, LSAT

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