How do I know if law school is for me?

How do I know if a law career is right for me?

Take advantage of every opportunity to learn about legal careers and the experience of law school. Come to HPPLA’s events for prelaw students. Make sure to attend IU’s Law Day, when over 100 law schools will be here on the IU campus to meet with IU students. Visit law schools and sit in on a law school class meeting. Speak with and shadow attorneys, visit your local courts when trials are in session, participate in policy and lawmaking in your community. Meet with a prelaw advisor to discuss your interests, values and motivations, and create a personalized plan for success.

Wordsmiths

Lawyers are wordsmiths. They translate legal language into lay language, and translate lay language into legal language. Strong verbal skills are important for success in law.

Problem solving

Lawyers must think strategically about how to resolve problems. Being able to objectively analyze a situation and identify possible solutions will serve you well in this career.

Justice advocates

Lawyers advocate for justice and fairness for their clients. If you take great satisfaction in seeing that equitable and impartial decisions are made, you may enjoy working in the legal field.

Areas of Practice in Law

A law degree can allow you to work in many different fields.

The Law School Admissions Council also provides great resources, including brief descriptions of numerous areas of legal practice. Law school officials will not expect you to know what specialty you will take up in law school, though, nor what kind of legal practice you'd like to pursue.

The IU Library's Career Reference Collection (3rd Floor, Wells Library West Tower) also has robust resources for exploring legal fields.

Information for Prelaw Students

Current undergraduate students can find resources for getting started, preparing for your career, suggested coursework, and how to apply to graduate school in our HPPLA Guidebook. You can find prelaw information in the Law section, or if you're just starting out, visit the new students section first for general new student resources and first steps for new students interested in law.