Bankruptcy Lawyers

High School

The minimum requirements to become a lawyer are a high school diploma, a college degree, and a law degree. If you want to be a lawyer, classes such as government, history, social studies, and economics will give you a solid background for entering college-level courses. Speech and English (especially writing) courses are also helpful to build strong communication skills that are necessary for the profession. Mathematics and business classes will be especially useful for bankruptcy lawyers, who must have finance and business expertise. Become an expert in computers and the Internet, because lawyers use these tools to conduct research and communicate with clients. Taking a foreign language is also a good idea, since many lawyers represent clients who do not speak English as their first language.

Postsecondary Training

Most law schools require applicants to have a bachelor’s degree. Usually a liberal arts track is most advisable, with courses in English, history, economics, social sciences, logic, and public speaking. Some students earn prelaw degrees. A college student planning on specialization in a particular area of law (such as bankruptcy), however, might also take courses significantly related to that area, such as finance, mathematics, and economics.

Most law schools require that applicants take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), on which prospective law students are tested on their critical thinking, writing, and reasoning abilities.

Approximately 200 law schools in the United States are approved by the American Bar Association; others, many of them night schools, are approved by state authorities only. Most of the approved law schools, however, do offer night sessions to accommodate part-time students. Part-time courses of study usually take four years.

Law school training consists of required courses such as legal writing and research, contracts, constitutional law, torts, and property. The second and third years may be devoted to specialized courses of interest to the student, such as bankruptcy law. The study of cases and decisions is of basic importance to the law student, who will be required to read and study thousands of these cases. A degree of juris doctor (J.D.) or bachelor of laws (LL.B.) is usually granted upon graduation. Some law students considering specialization, research, or teaching may complete further study.

Certification

Some lawyers choose to earn a Master of Laws (L.L.M.) degree, an advanced law certification that helps them advance professionally. L.L.M. programs, which typically last one year, are offered in many areas—such as business law, corporate law/corporate governance, dispute resolution, general law, and litigation/trial advocacy. A first law degree is required for admission to L.L.M. programs. Visit https://www.lsac.org/llm-other-law-program-applicants/application-process-llm-other-law-programs for more information. Visit https://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/accreditation for a list of L.L.M. specialties and the law schools that offer them.

Other Education or Training

The National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys offers a variety of continuing education opportunities at its annual convention. Past sessions included Secured Claims: Limitations and Opportunities; Profitably Combating Privacy and Discharge Violations; Advanced Taxes; Foreclosure Defense and Other Alternatives to Bankruptcy; and Practice Dos and Don’ts: Preventing Fires Before They Start. The association also offers educational seminars on topics such as law office management, effective representation of clients, and emerging practice trends. Other continuing education opportunities are provided by the American Bankruptcy Institute, American Bar Association, Association of Corporate Counsel, National Association for Law Placement, National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, and state and local bar associations. Contact these organizations for more information.

Most law firms provide in-house continuing education opportunities to their employees, and some offer mentoring programs.