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Law School/becoming a district attorney
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Question
im 15 years old and i know that after college i want to do something in the criminal justice field, and i was thinking about setting my goals at DA. do i have to go to law school or is it enough to just major in criminal justice? and do you know of any good law schools in the ohio area?
Hi Scott,
To become a district attorney or “DA,” you must graduate from law school and pass your state’s bar examination. The most important thing you can do at this point is earn the highest grades possible and get accepted to a high quality undergraduate institution. Majoring in criminal justice is not necessary to become a DA. Law schools accept students with a diverse range of backgrounds and majors. However, earning top grades and scoring well on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) will help you get accepted to the law school of your choice.
To locate the best law schools in the Ohio area, you might want to purchase (or subscribe online) to U.S. News & World Report’s law school rankings (http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/law/b...).
To learn more about careers in the law, visit my legal careers website at About.com (http://legalcareers.about.com/).
Good luck!
Sally
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Sally A. Kane
Expertise
As a recent law school graduate who excelled in law school, I can answer questions regarding the law school experience including preparing for and applying to law school, excelling in law school, law review, legal writing tips, the law school curriculum, exam success, financing law school, balancing work and school, clerkships and externships, job interviewing and more. I do not answer homework questions.
Experience
I have thirteen years’ experience in the legal field, ten as a litigation paralegal and three as a corporate attorney. During law school, I juggled many priorities including a full time job, law school and a newborn baby. In law school I served as a law review editor, wrote for student publications and completed two externships, one with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and one with the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Publications
I have published law and career related articles in a variety of publications including Legal Assistant Today, The Legal Intelligencer, Juris and The Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting.
Education/Credentials
I possess a B.A. in Writing from Edinboro University, a Paralegal Certificate from Duquesne University and a J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law.
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