Become an Environmental Lawyer

Becoming a lawyer is a long but rewarding path. If you have an interest in environmental law, it's helpful to start preparing for that career as early as possible, so you can plan the road ahead. It'll take time and dedication to get there, but once you know what you have to do, you can set your sights on a career in environmental law and do what it takes to make it happen.

Steps

Preparing for College

1. Graduate from high school. Work with your school counselor and your teachers to do your best in your high school classes.
2. Work towards your college goals. You have a couple of options available to you, depending on whether you want to go straight to a 4-year undergraduate program or attend a community college first (which can save you money). Your options are to:
   • Attend a community college for 2 years and transfer to a university for an additional 2 years. This will allow you to bypass GPA and testing requirements for admission into a university and will save you a significant amount of money. There will be a risk, however, that unless you plan carefully and work with your advisor, some of your courses may not transfer to a university.
   • Attend a university immediately after graduation from high school. This method is significantly more expensive and requires that you have a higher GPA and, often, that you complete admission tests, but it ensures that your coursework will be accepted and applied toward your degree.
3. Apply for community college if desired. If you plan to attend a community college (2-year school) after you graduate, begin applying to community colleges about 4 months before you will graduate from high school.
   • Work with your high school counselor to complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for grants, work study, and loans to help pay for college.
   • Complete any placement tests (ASSET, COMPASS...) required by the community college you plan to attend
   • Meet with an advisor from the community college and discuss your career goals.
   • Register for classes with the assistance of an advisor.
   • As you approach completion of your community college program, locate and apply to universities as a transfer student.
4. Jump straight to a 4-year college if you prefer. If you plan to apply to a university (4-year college) after you graduate:
   • Take advanced coursework (IB, AP, Honors) as it becomes available to you to make yourself a more appealing candidate for university admission.
   • Become involved in school-based groups and activities to make yourself a more appealing candidate for university admission.
   • Become involved in your community through volunteer service to make yourself a more appealing candidate for university admission.
   • Create a short list of colleges which appeal to you. Include things like admission requirements and application deadlines.
   • Register for and take either the ACT or SAT when you have completed about 60-70% of the credits required for graduation from high school.
   • Submit applications to universities before the deadlines. You will usually begin this at the end of 11th grade or the beginning of 12th grade.
   • Work with your high school counselor to locate and apply for scholarships.
   • Work with your high school counselor to complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for grants, work study, and student loans.

Attending College

1. Select a program of study. At the undergraduate level, there are no real requirements for admission into law school other than coursework in English. There are, however, recommended courses such as Ethics, Logic, Speech, Debate, Political Science, and Philosophy. These courses will help to prime your mind for your training in law school.
   • If you plan to become an environmental lawyer, you will want to have a solid background in the sciences. Take survey courses in each of the major fields of natural science (geology, biology, chemistry, physics) and additional coursework in environmental science and/or natural resources as the opportunity presents.
2. Complete the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). By the end of your 3rd year (junior year) of your bachelor degree, you should register to take the LSAT.
   • The LSAT is required for admission into nearly every law school in the nation.
3. Create your Account with the Law School Admission Council (LSAC).
   • Go to your favorite search engine.
   • Enter "Create LSAC account".
   • Select the LSAC account creation page from the results.
   • Click "Create account".
   • Enter the requested demographic information.
   • Click "Submit.".

Applying to a Law School

1. Create and maintain a short list of law schools to which you would like to apply. Be sure your list includes:
   • Admission requirements (GPA, LSAT scores, specific courses).
   • Application deadline.
   • Application fee.
   • Priority deadline for financial aid.
2. Select at least 3 law schools to which you will apply:
   • A school where you exceed the admission criteria by a great deal.
   • A school where you meet or almost meet the admission criteria.
   • One additional school.
3. Submit your application using the LSAC service and its embedded features.
4. Receive your offer for admission.
   • Review offers of admission and weigh important components such as housing arrangements, cost of attendance, and student support services.
   • Review the faculty on staff and determine if any have an interest or expertise in environmental law. Consider this heavily when deciding whether to accept or decline an offer.
   • Review the available elective courses in L2 and L3 to see if any coursework in environmental law is available.

Excelling in Law School

1. Attend law school and do your absolute best in your courses.
   • Dedicate adequate time to your studies.
   • Attend all live lectures.
   • Participate in study groups with fellow students.
   • Advocate for yourself with professors and school administration.
2. Pick your electives carefully. In the second and third years of law school (L2 and L3) you will have the opportunity to select certain elective courses.
   • Take courses which align with your interests (environmental law).
   • Take courses which focus on substantive law to help you have a broader understanding of the legal environment and its complexities.
   • Take courses which are designed to help you pass the bar exam; you will not be able to practice law until you pass, anyway.
   • Take courses that address very broad areas of the law and have universal applicability - for example, contract law or administrative law.
   • Take clinical courses whenever possible to gain the hands-on experience of practicing the law under the supervision of a seasoned professional.

Obtaining Licensure to Practice Law in your State

1. Prepare for the bar. In every state, you are required to complete the bar exam for admission to the practice of law.
   • The requirements for admission to the bar vary from state to state.
   • The application procedure and fees for the bar exam varies from state to state.
   • Some states may have additional exams which are required.
2. Review your state bar association website to obtain information on how to apply for the exam.
   • Review qualifications to sit for the exam.
   • The cost of sitting for the exam.
   • Exam dates and locations.
   • Registration requirements.
   • The application process.
3. Apply for the exam. When you are confident you meet the qualifications to sit for the bar exam, submit your application to the State Bar Association.
4. Attend your examination appointment and do your absolute best on the bar exam.
   • If you do not pass the first time, do not get discouraged, try again.
   • The national pass rate in 2015 for the bar exam was 64% for people who graduated from ABA approved schools and 19% for people who graduated from non-ABA approved school.
   • In 2015, 70% of students who took the bar exam passed it on their first time, 33% passed in on a repeat attempt.

Getting Advanced Training in Environmental Law

1. Prepare yourself for a little further training. Although admission to the bar in your state authorizes you to practice in any field of law you choose, specializing in environmental law and obtaining employment in the field may be a challenge without additional education in the specialty.
2. Consider participating in an advanced certificate in environmental law offered by one of the many law colleges.
3. Obtain admission to an environmental law certificate program.
   • Most of these programs are housed in schools of law.
   • Most of these programs only require a JD (law degree) for admission.
4. Complete the required curriculum for the certificate in environmental law.
   • Program requirements vary from school to school.
   • Programs usually require 5-6 courses with two required courses in public or administrative law and an introductory environmental law course and the remaining courses being electives.

Tips

• At the community college level, be sure that you work with your advisor to confirm that the classes you take will transfer to a local university.
• Some colleges or universities prefer either the ACT or the SAT, but some do not care which you take. Be sure to check the admission requirements of your preferred school.
• Remember that you can take the ACT and SAT more than one time. It is important that you allow adequate time before graduation for you to take the test again if you need to.
• When working on your undergraduate degree, remember, there is no required or expected major among law school applicants; it's more about developing skills in communication, critical thinking, and logic.

Warnings

• Although it may be easier to obtain admission into a program which is not ABA approved, bar passing rates for non-ABA approved programs are less than 30% of the pass rate for ABA approved programs.

References

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