From the course: Negotiate Like a Lawyer

How does one become a lawyer?

From the course: Negotiate Like a Lawyer

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How does one become a lawyer?

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- How does one become a lawyer? In the US, lawyers go to law school after they've graduated from undergraduate with a bachelor's degree. Law school is a three-year program that results in a Juris Doctor, or a JD. Those who obtain a JD from an ABA-accredited school are eligible to take the bar exam. Law schools teach contracts, property, torts, criminal law, constitutional law, evidence, civil procedure, and other elective areas of study. In most law schools, there's only one elective on negotiation. For those who plan to become trial attorneys, there are additional courses in advocacy and practical exercises like moot court and mock trial. Law classes teach from case books, a textbook that uses court cases to teach how past court cases have shaped legal issues. The law we study in law school is rarely applicable to daily practice. Most law school coursework is abstract, intended to teach the outlines of the area of law and to teach students how to think and analyze and apply legal principles to factual situations. Law students quickly learn that there is rarely a black and white answer to any legal question. They learn that there are rarely positions that are right or wrong. They learn to make arguments to support their side of a case and to present their arguments in the best way. This, more than most aspects of law school, begins to shape our ability to approach problems differently. We learn that there is rarely a straightforward answer and that how we position our arguments around the facts can achieve different outcomes. You don't need to go to law school to understand that. You just need to hear me when I say that there are rarely situations where the answer is yes or no. There are good arguments on both sides of the negotiating table. A great negotiator understands that there are many possible outcomes in any situation and legitimate positions other than their own. They plan their negotiation around those possibilities to achieve an optimal outcome.

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