Atticus Finch and Law

[Plodygon]

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Ever since I was around eleven years old, I've wanted to be barrister. I'm naturally very shy, but that hasn't deferred me from the profession in anyway. My dad lent me his old copy of 'To Kill A Mockingbird', and after reading the court scene where Tom Robinson is sentenced to death, I became firmly convinced that that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Only problem is, now I'm wondering how? Okay, it's been four years. I'm fifteen (and in year nine), and as my sister is currently going through year eleven, I wonder how I'm ever going to motivate myself to do as much work as she is. Plus - I've just been looking briefly over some of the other threads here, and it looks like I've certainly got a fair share of work ahead of me. I believe I do pretty well at school, but I am far from the best (do I need to be the best to get into law?). I'm coming second in the year in English, and whenever there is public speaking or debating competitions going on, I unwillingly throw myself into them - even though I have never really achieved anything.

So I just want to know, at this point is there anything else I should be doing to prepare myself for the future? I'd really like to end up a respectable old Atticus Finch - I just wonder how I'll get there.

Anywho, for now I think I'll pop off to bed. Cheers.

[subdued123]

what a great question.

As a person almost finishing law and starting a career, I want to get in here before the mis-informed (and often cynical) posters get a shot.

The fact is, you don't need to be the best. Whatever that means.

Doing well in the HSC helps, and if you can get a UAI (or ATAR as they call them now) that gets you straight into law, great.

But if you don't, you can enrol in another degree and then transfer into law. It's actually not too difficult to do.

Altogether different is the LPAB, of which you'll find info here - Legal Profession Admission Board - Legal Profession Admission Bd : Lawlink NSW, as well as general info on admission requirements to be a lawyer.

Basically, it's designed as a part time college to attain a legal qualification and is used by people who did not have the opportunity/means of going to university.

I also recommend doing work experience with the NSW DPP, or a local lawyer, or a barrister. You have a good role model in Atticus Finch and despite what the cynical kids say, if that is what you want to do, then do for it. We need more people like you.

So the advice in the short term is work hard, study, and do your best. But there are many ways to become a lawyer, and it is nowhere near as hard as some make it out to be. Some law students have superiority complexes, which is a tragic thing. Take all the horror stories you hear with a grain of salt.

[subdued123]

a bit further -

A barrister is a specialised lawyer who only does advocacy - court arguing. To be a barrister, you'll need a law degree/completed the LPAB Diploma.

At this stage, you'll be a solicitor.

To be a barrister, you need to take an extra series of exams - the bar exam, see here for general information: The New South Wales Bar Association Home Page.


You don't need to come first all the time. In fact, what I think is most important to the practice of law is hard work and a sense of humility. The fact you are participating in competitions and giving it all a go is promising indeed.

[twistedtigers]

Barristers are essentially contractors - solicitors refer work to them depending on areas of expertise, how easy they're to work with, etc. You will generally need to get experience as a solicitor for a few years first, so you can gain the knowledge and industry contacts.

Try and get some work experience in a law firm if you can so you can see exactly what a solicitor really does. There's a lot of paperwork and office work involved, but it is still fascinating.

I think at your stage, as long as you enjoy reading and have good English, comprehension and writing skills you're on the right track.

And remember, even if you don't get the right score to get into law at uni, you can always wait a few years (I think 19 years of age) and gain entry via mature entry tests - TISC, DULSAT, etc. A lot of good unis accept this for law degrees, so not all is lost if you don't do well in your year 12 exams.

Good luck!

[lychnobity]

My sister didn't get anything exponentially high, and if you don't mind going to UWS, then really, you don't have to be the best to get into a law degree. But the reading is an absolute atrocity, goddamned hard and convoluted.

I'll tell you something though: she says it's very hard to meet the right contacts you'll need to get into a prestigious/big firm - they're all hunting for the law graduates at UNSW and USyd.

That said, my sister transferred to Macquarie and is doing fine.

Just a word: you may aspire to Atticus Finch, just don't take it too seriously.

[Plodygon]

Thank you all for answering - you have given me much encouragement. At least I know I don't have to be some kind of mega-genious to get into law. I'll certainly talk to my parents about work experience, but I'm not sure if I'll qualify for it this year (god, do you even have to qualify? - sorry, I have no idea how this thing really works... must ask mum). But my uncle is a solicitor, so maybe I could do some work for him.

I really want to get into law at USyd, but I know with the competition out there that may not be possible - so I wouldn't mind going elsewhere. As long as I manage to get there in the end, doesn't really matter I guess.

So yeah. Thanks again for all of your lovely advice!

[occer]

You seem to be on the right track.

TKAM is a good book, we studied it in Year 9.

[Ginny11]

Hey i only got a UAI of like 67 and im doing law/arts at UNE. So if you want it bad enough you'll probably get it and always rememeber there's more than one way to skin a cat.

[twistedtigers]

Work experience in your uncle's firm would be excellent. Use every family contact you have! And don't get disheartened if your work experience only involves shadowing the junior secretary/outside clerk. It's all relevant and will still give you a good feel for how the office works.

[cannibal.horse]

Originally Posted by Plodygon

Thank you all for answering - you have given me much encouragement. At least I know I don't have to be some kind of mega-genious to get into law. I'll certainly talk to my parents about work experience, but I'm not sure if I'll qualify for it this year (god, do you even have to qualify? - sorry, I have no idea how this thing really works... must ask mum). But my uncle is a solicitor, so maybe I could do some work for him.

I really want to get into law at USyd, but I know with the competition out there that may not be possible - so I wouldn't mind going elsewhere. As long as I manage to get there in the end, doesn't really matter I guess.

So yeah. Thanks again for all of your lovely advice!

Work with the uncle is a great idea, keep that up in your degree too.

USyd is a long shot for over 99% of people - remember that all the other unis out there are as good, they just lack the pretty sandstone

[Lara1986]

Whilst everyone always seems to say "hey if you don't do well, it's all good cause you can go to UWS" - keep in mind that it is not the case that all unis require very high UAIs except UWS.

It is not an exclusive club that UWS belongs to There are other unis that offer law degrees that don't tend to require 99+ UAIs - eg UNE (UAI cut offs have been in the 80s), University of Canberra, ANU, Griffith Uni, Macquarie (around the 95s from memory), Southern Cross Uni, Newcastle Uni, UTS (usually around the 97s which is a big difference from the 99s), Wollongong.

In reality, there are only 2 out of all unis offering law that are out of reach for students who don't achieve 99+ UAIs, which leaves a very broad range of choice for you.

Each uni has it's own advantages/disadvantages.

Yes, some may require a change of location, but if that is within your financial means, and if you are as intent on becomining a legal practitioner as you seem, it is worth considering.



As far as your concern as to the workload and marks required - you don't need to be achieving 1st place ranking in order to achieve a high enough UAI. I was certainly no where near 1st place ranking overall, probably somewhere around 40th out of 180 students at my high school, but I attained a 98+ UAI.

Although it does depend on your school and the subjects you do, it is definitely possible to gain a high enough UAI to enter law without being the top student. And apart from anything else - you still have a couple of years to go so there's every chance that you will improve between now and HSC time.


EDIT: Also, keep in mind, if finances are a concern for you - whilst you may have the marks to gain entry to Usyd, UNSW, UTS or one of the higher UAI entry courses, your chances of gaining a scholarship to a uni with a lower UAI entry are generally much higher. I really don't think attending a uni different to the one i chose would have made all that much difference to my learning and marks and employment options. Yes it may have benefited a little, but not so much to make the travel and lack of flexibility in timetabling etc worthwhile. BUT i definitely believe that receiving over $50k in scholarships over the duration of my course made it A LOT easier to do well which in turn made my choice of uni a much more beneficial one for me personally. If you are in a position of NEEDING to work to have money, gaining a scholarship can ease that pressure significantly and allow you more time to concentrate on uni. My scholarships main conditions were that I achieve above a credit average so in reality, its nothing major as you should really aim to do well just for the sake of doing well anyway

[MichaelJackson2]

I believe that most defence lawyers have the dirty job (though an important one) of defending grubby scrumbag yobs or rich bastards who think they're above the law. You'll likely be spending most of your early years trying to get these criminals off but perhaps once in a while you'll have the honour of securing the freedom of an innocent person and I think that would make it all worthwhile.

[spriinkles]

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