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Former Head of Pre-Law Office, Northeastern University, & Admissions Officer, Brown University
Reviewed: 03/10/23
If you have aspirations of a career in law, we’ve got you covered! Keep reading for a list of classes to take in high school to become a lawyer.
Becoming a lawyer is no easy task. There is the LSAT, then getting accepted into a law school, then passing your bar exam.
The journey to becoming a lawyer might sound overwhelming. However, you’re already getting a good head start by reading this article and thinking about preparing for your future!
The first step in your future success as a lawyer is getting ready as soon as possible. Taking classes in highschool that will give you foundational knowledge and skills necessary for law school and beyond will make your path to becoming a lawyer much smoother.
Continue reading for a list of classes to take in high school to become a lawyer and other helpful tips.
There are many classes that aren’t necessarily directly related to law that will provide you with the tools to become a great lawyer.
Political Science classes give students the chance to hone in their analytical skills and be aware of past and current social and political contexts. Politics are extremely important to the law and lawyers.
Political Science classes will also teach you foundational definitions and concepts, such as government, power, authority, democracy, and autonomy, that are equally important in law.
To be a great lawyer, you need to understand how and why society functions the way it does. Sociology courses will teach you about human behavior, participation in society, and even how laws are formed in societies.
Additionally, sociology will allow you to work on strengthening your research and writing skills, both of which are extremely important to practicing law.
History is another essential course to take to prepare for law school and becoming a lawyer. Like Sociology, History also gives students crucial research, writing, and communication skills that are key to being a successful lawyer. History and Law are two subjects that closely connect to each other.
Psych seeks to understand human behavior and understand why people respond to certain situations the way they do. This is extremely useful for lawyers because law is meant to regulate human behavior.
Psychology studies childhood, health care, education, and other prominent structures in our lives that often are brought up and used in court cases (such as sharing the accused’s childhood experiences to try to explain their actions).
If your high school offers a writing course, take it! Writing and communication skills are perhaps the most important, yet overlooked, skills to have as a lawyer. You will need to start developing your written and oral communication skills, and a creative nonfiction or academic writing course is a great way to hone in those skills.
Writing classes can often help with your public speaking skills, which is another key skill to have as a lawyer.
Now, you probably weren’t expecting math to be listed here. However, lawyers work with numbers a lot. They often deal with statistics, money, and other numerical data for their clients.
These are some of the classes you should take in high school if you want to become a lawyer. While these disciplines and subjects are all separate from law, they all overlap and intersect with law in many ways, making them super useful in providing core abilities to successfully practice law.
If you’re extra keen on getting ahead and preparing, there are other things you can do outside of classes to strengthen your college application and prepare for law school.
There are many extracurricular activities to prepare for law school while you are in high school. Some relevant extracurricular activities that will look impressive on your resume include:
While most extracurricular activities that you dedicate time to and demonstrate a commitment to will look good on your resume and application, these are some of the most relevant extracurricular activities you can do to prepare yourself for law school.
Not to mention, participating in extracurricular activities can increase your chances of getting law school scholarships!
If you are able to, get a job that will impress law school admissions committees. Jobs that require a lot of responsibility, leadership skills, and time commitment will look good to admissions committees because it demonstrates your work ethic and maturity.
Some high school jobs that will prepare you for law school include:
You have a ton of options to choose from for high school jobs that can prepare you for law school. Pick the one that most interests you!
Still have questions about classes to take in high school to become a lawyer? We answer some frequently asked questions about preparing to become a lawyer in high school below!
What are the best classes to take in high school? While there are many helpful classes you can take, English, History, and Political Science offer interdisciplinary skills and foundational knowledge that is most relevant to law school and becoming a lawyer.
Classes in the humanities and social sciences are always some of the most useful classes to take for aspiring lawyers. Additionally, humanities or social sciences majors make great undergrad degrees on law school applications.
You can take relevant courses we listed above, participate in extracurricular activities that demonstrate your leadership and organizational skills, and look for internships and/or research opportunities for high school students.
No, you cannot. In the U.S., you need a four-year undergraduate degree to get into a law school. Most U.S. law schools also require you to take the LSAT before you apply, although there are some law schools that do not require the LSAT.
Getting into law school can be at once both very stressful, but rewarding. We are here to help alleviate some of the stress by supporting you through the entire process. Juris Education offers end-to-end application support to maximize your chances of getting accepted into your dream school.
What exactly do we mean by end-to-end application support? It means we will be there with you through every step of the process. Juris Education will provide you with pre-application support, writing and editing your application, and interview help with consultants from top law schools.
Don’t struggle with picking the right schools and filling out applications on your own. Book a free consultation with one of our experts to find out how you can improve your chances of admission.
