"Law, being a vital component in the successful integration of people,

impresses me with its in-built readiness to change in accordance with society.

"The long-standing legal system in this country and the relationship between
parliament and the courts provide a dynamic professional environment within
which to work."

Although I had worked hard at my answer and showed that I knew a little
about the legal system, I had not thought carefully enough about why
I personally was intending to pursue a career in law.

Many different kinds of people succeed at the law, and the best answer really
will depend on your personality.

Consider carefully your own reasons and source of motivation. We may agree
with Aristotle that "the law is reason free from passion", yet an answer as to
why you might want a career in law is the opposite it is a rare opportunity to
show your passion, so don't be afraid to.

It will help you stand out next to someone else, and an interviewer may well
remember you by it.

This does not mean be whimsical or sentimental. Instead, be specific in your

answer about your influences and your natural enthusiasm will shine through.

Law affects every part of our lives and it is really not difficult to find examples
ot that: driving a car, buying something from a shop, getting into a fight, being
employed, renting a house There is no right answer, just a convincing one.

My own motivation came from seeing a small part of the law in action. I was
employed as a student support officer when I was asked to research and
present my findings to a board of directors on upcoming changes to visa
regulations affecting students.

By gaining a practical insight I realised two things first, the power the law
has on people's lives, and second, interpreting law effectively can mitigate loss
of income.
Incorporating this into my answer to "why law?" gave me, in the absence of
any real legal experience, the chance to show a more personal response. It also
mentioned research and presentation skills. A better attempt!

"That's all very well, but I'm 17 and never had a job
before"
Get the best qualifications you can at school, at college and, if you follow the
conventional route into law, at university. That goes without saying.

But don't underestimate the importance of practical experience at this stage. It

is not crucial to study law as an A-level subject or read a hundred textbooks.

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There are some characteristics that your interviewers, tutors and employers
will be expecting from you straight away, such as how good you might be with
clients, how much commercial awareness you have, and what characteristics
you can bring to a role.

Work experience helps prove you are competent in these areas, and leaves you
with a wealth of examples to talk about on application forms and during
interviews.

There are a whole range of options out there you should apply to chamber
sets, solicitors firms and courts, but if you struggle to get these placements
immediately, you can also get great value from work experience elsewhere,
such as in the financial sector, or in retail or charity work.

So before I leave you to mull over your answer to "why law?", here are three
useful tips to improve your chances getting work experience:

1. Write a tailored letter, targeting a specific person in a firm

2. Try requesting one to two days, not two weeks, as you are more likely to
gain shorter placements than longer ones
3. Make sure you write a thank you letter few people do this and it is a good
way for you to be remembered positively, in case you want to go back.
I love political philosophy and ethics, I enjoy debating, I want a good career and
I want to have an impact on society.

I enjoy debating, I like seeing projects through from start to finish, and the pay is
pretty good.

I enjoy ethics and studying law and I have the passion, organization and
motivation for it. I also like the job fulfillment and job variety

I want to become a lawyer because I have difficulty in math and science. Also,
my mother has told me that from a young age i would argue and argue my point
and never give up, even though I was wrong. I enjoy reading, and finding facts
that I never knew before and using those facts and putting them into my
arguments.

I always have to be right, and I have the drive and the determination to use that
work ethic for a case. Law is just so interesting to me, both my parents are in
the justice field and it's natural for me to follow in their path. Good pay as long
as you work hard, and I've always worked hard. Love to argue.

In addition I'm curious to know, what type of lawyer do you want to be and why?

I know this is going to sound rather cheesy, but I really want to help people that
don't have the ability to fight for their rights. I also really love to read, which is
necessary to be a lawyer. Also I like to argue. It's quite enjoyable.

There's something about the challenge that comes with being a lawyer that has
always attracted me. Not to mention I rather participate in heated debates than
sit on the side and watch them.

To make a difference and do something worth while.

I want to be a lawyer not only because I love to argue, but also because I like
exploring situations in depth to try and come up with solutions. More so, I enjoy
putting in time and effort to come to a agreement or to win an argument. I
believe I have the skills that are necessary to be a lawyer and due to this, I think
that it would be the ideal career choice for me.

I want to do my grandfather proud and have a career that allows me to be

financially secure enough to travel around the world. I like to wear business suits
and sexy heels. I like winning, as conceited as that may be, but who doesn't. I
don't really like to argue but I like researching about different situations that
involve people and figuring out how and why things turned out like they did. I
think after I get past all of the hard and boring stuff it'll be a lot of fun, and
constantly changing. Except the paper work....but I can deal :)

I love political philosophy and ethics, I enjoy debating, I want a good career and
I want to have an impact on society.

You should get a career in politics, not law.

Law is not about ethics, unless of course you believe defending criminals (many
of whom are dead guilty) in criminal law is "ethical". Also, you won't be using
"political philosophy" in corporate law. You'll be working at indecent hours on
Friday night trying to finish a worthless document for Monday that no one will
read until probably next Friday. Also, 99% of lawyers don't have an "impact on
society"; the people that do are called politicians, who just happen to have
acquired a JD.

Many politicians, however, do not have JDs. Harper does not have a JD. Nor did
Trudeau. The list goes on. I wanted to go law once, then I realized finance pays
more at lower and higher levels with just as much downside.

@Rachel10751 wrote
I know this is going to sound rather cheesy, but I really want to help people that
don't have the ability to fight for their rights. I also really love to read, which is
necessary to be a lawyer. Also I like to argue. It's quite enjoyable. :batman:

Same here! I would actually like to work for LegalAid Ontario or something like
that in other provinces and help reform the system.

well i like to argue and i do it pretty well. furthermore i have dipped my toes in
the workings of a criminal laywer by competing in my school district's mock bail
and mock trial competition and i really enjoyed it. Like alot of people here, i
want to do some sort of service for the community and through law there are a
few options but on that note i probably would not do commercial law, simply
because money is not my main motive. Also a career in politics isn't out of the
question :P I think i'm more interested in prosecution rather than defense, but ill
see where the ball takes me when its time to get that specific.

In most countries, wars are no longer fought on battlefields but in courtrooms,

with prosecuters who fight for the well being of society, and defence attorneys
who defend the innocence and integrity of their clients. I hope to join them one
day.

I LOVE to debate, talk and am extremely social. I've always been a mediator and
solved conflicts, can listen to somebody, and I work well with facts and
information, and people. The pay is good, and the so is the job security. Being a
lawyer is something I can see myself doing for the rest of my life :)

Guys, hate to break it to you, but the majority of lawyers do not go to court as
often as many of you seem to think. They do a lot a reading, they do a lot of
writing. In many ways they are a lot like secretaries who get paid a lot because
they (the good lawyers, at least) don't make mistakes and are expected to know
a lot.

Not really sure where all these fantasies of debating and "making people cry"
are coming from. Also, I'm not really sure how politics and philosophy play a
more significant role in law than in other disciplines.
Sigh, some of the people here must be trolls; "I love debates", and "I am
passionate about ethics"... Stop kidding yourselves and look beyond the films
people.

The irony is of course that so many great lawyers will be snapped up by

multinationals to help them find ways to dodge tax, avoid legitimate law suits
and exploit the many loopholes in corporate law, let's see how your love of
ethics and morals hold up when presented with your first pay cheque. Anyone
who was really passionate about these things should go into legal aid (or
US/Canadian equivalent if there is one).

Reading the previous posts in this thread I can see that a lot of people believe that because they like
arguing they should become a lawyer. I too enjoy arguing or trying to prove a point but I think that
all of us have to understand that if we do ever succeed in our pursuit to becoming lawyers, the
environments they "argue" in are very controlled. I'm not trying to be negative to anyone but in all
honesty maybe your knack for arguing should not be the only reason on why you want to become a
lawyer. Personally, I enjoy researching and finding ways in which I can swing cases in my way. I also
like finding cases that benefit me and using them to set a precedent just so I know I am correct. The
whole helping the world thing isn't really for me seeing as if I were to become a lawyer I would be
looking into defending criminals or possibly corporations. Don't hate me please =).

"Don't worry about coming having the "correct answer"--focus on the answer that works for
you."

I think this is where you need to start. Going to law school is ultimately about learning to
structure your arguments in the best light to make them successful. There is rarely a
"correct" answer to any question in law school. In fact, the professors in law school do
everything they can to make any questions they ask contain gray areas. They want your
structured thoughts, your arguments, your intellect. They do not want a canned, correct
response.

Ask yourself why you want to be a lawyer?

If you have a reason, take that reason and break it down into smaller and smaller parts.
Take those parts and expand upon each and every one. Try to give the interviewers a
glimpse of WHO YOU ARE by talking about these small aspects to a larger answer to the
question of why you want to be a lawyer.

Remember, there are no wrong answers, there are no right answers, there is only YOUR
answer. Show yourself to the interviewers. Show them why they should pick YOU. Because
of the many things that make YOU unique and draw YOU to the law.

Is there a theme here? Absolutely. Never forget during this interview that YOU are the true
subject of the interview, and as such, if you try to give some BS response you got on
Quora...they will see through it and if you do not give them a chance to see YOU...then they
will never pick you.
29.8k Views View Upvotes Answer requested by 1 person

Will Wray, a lawyer who sometimes takes cases for a cause.

Written May 9, 2014
Who is your audience? Lawyers or just random academics?

I'd say your mannerisms in the interview will communicate whether you are lawyer material
rather more than anything you'd say. Listen carefully and speak clearly while engaging with
your interviewer. Sit back in your chair, avoid nervous tics and touching your face. Have a
polished appearance.

Substantively, I wouldn't say anything about how you love to spend time with people
because you won't be doing that too much. Most of law involves a lot of reading and writing,
though there are different specialties. Do you have a passion for court work? For policy and
government related law? For corporate law? Communicate the passion and the activities
you've done that feed into that.
18.3k Views View Upvotes

Kevin Keller, I worked as a summer associate for Brobeck in NYC in 1998 w/offer I turned
down
Written May 12, 2014
First, if you're in the US, don't...just don't get a bachelors in law. Get a useful bachelors
degree you could use independent of a JD. If elsewhere, where a bachelors is the entry ticket
to the local bar, don't, unless...unless you are able to have that interview in your own head,
be honest with yourself, and convince yourself that the practice of law is what you really
want to do with your limited time on the earth.
13.3k Views View Upvotes Answer requested by 1 person

Jennifer Ellis, Legal Ethics Attorney in PA, USA (I am not your lawyer. Not legal advice.)
Written May 10, 2014
The best answer is the truth. If the truth is that you don't know, it is best to give it some
thought and figure out what attracted you to the law. If the answer to that is you don't know
what else to do, best figure it out before you go to law school.