Becoming a lawyer can be an enormous undertaking that requires time, effort, dedication, and money. The bar exams and law school can be challenging obstacles. On the flip side, a career in law can be gratifying, lively, and come with financial security. Knowing more about this career and the road you take to get there may help you decide whether or not this field is for you.

For example, did you know there is more than one type of lawyer? Sports lawyers, family lawyers, financial lawyers, environmental lawyers, and more make up some of the many sub-categories of this field.

This blog post will delve further into becoming a lawyer, including some of the benefits and qualifications that can come with the profession and the online educational programs you can take to help give you the edge when applying for post-secondary law school.

Courses To Prepare for a Future Career in Law

OES offers a wide range of online high school courses for adults and teens, many of which are beneficial when pursuing a career in law.

Canadian and International Law (CLN4U)

A variety of current legal issues are examined by CLN4U online, along with how Canadian and international law approaches them. Students in CLN4U online will investigate these issues in both Canadian and international contexts while applying the ideas of legal thinking and the legal inquiry process. When investigating rights and freedoms in the context of subjects including religion, security, cyberspace, immigration, crimes against humanity, and environmental protection, students will expand their grasp of Canadian and international law fundamentals. They will also develop their legal reasoning abilities and learn how to resolve disputes in international law.

In this course, various current legal topics are examined, together with how Canadian and international law treat them. Students will gain knowledge of the fundamentals of Canadian and international law and concerns pertaining to freedoms and human rights, resolving conflicts, and criminal, environmental, and employment laws both domestically and abroad.

When researching these and other topics in domestic and international contexts, students will practice the principles of legal thinking and the legal studies inquiry method and hone their legal reasoning abilities.

The main points that will be covered throughout the curriculum are as follows:

• The Inquiry Process and Skill Development in Legal Studies
• Legal Foundations
• Rights and Freedoms
• Foundations of International Law and Dispute Resolution
• International Legal Issues

This course will explore legal issues in both Canadian and global contexts to develop an understanding of Canadian and international legal systems. We will examine the antecedents of modern law as well as how national and international organizations contribute to legislation, the administration of justice, and conflict resolution. We will have the chance to form knowledgeable opinions on legal matters and bolster them with legal knowledge in a variety of formats. Support them with legal knowledge in various mediums.

World Issues (CGW4U)

The goal of the law is to maintain order in the world. You must comprehend the rationale behind our legal system if you intend to practise law. Future legal professionals are advised to take social studies courses that encompass social issues, global history, government, and criminal law.

With an emphasis on current events that highlight these concerns, this CGW4U course explores the worldwide difficulties in achieving a sustainable and fair future. Students will look at a variety of subjects, such as relationships between cultures, economies, and regions, regional differences in the capacity to meet essential human needs, and preservation of the environment. Students in CGW4U will use technologies, geographic inquiry, and analysis abilities to develop and present fair viewpoints on the complex issues facing Canada and an interconnected, dynamic world.

This course is broken down into five basic units:

UNIT 1 Global Population: Students will start examining current demographic patterns in the world.

Students will gain knowledge of population theories, population pyramid interpretation and construction, demographic transition model analysis, country responses to population concerns, and migration-related issues.

UNIT 2 Global Disparities: Students will look into how disparities are measured at the global and regional levels, what trends there are currently in terms of disparities, how international organizations are attempting to address these disparities, and what can be done to lessen economic, health, and gender gaps.

UNIT 3 – Health and Disease: Students will research current trends in global disease, including how to measure global sickness patterns and how diseases are spread.

Additionally, the causes, effects, and remedies of examples of both communicable and non-communicable diseases will be studied by the students. Finally, the pupils will examine the importance of water and sanitation for human health.

UNIT 4 – Geopolitics: Students will research current and past geopolitical patterns, looking at international and local examples of genocide. Students will look into various sources, effects, and solutions to current international conflicts.

UNIT 5 – Resource Consumption: Students will gain knowledge of the risks to energy security, supply and demand trends, current global trends in energy security, the use of new energy resources by various nations to meet their energy needs, and sustainable energy policies.

English Classes (ENG4U and ENG4C)

The foundation of law is critical thinking. To succeed in your legal career, you must be able to interpret both the spirit and the letter of the law.

Writing and reading comprehension are only two topics covered in English education. When you are forced to read a precedent-setting ancient legal document, learning how to read it properly can make life easier. We also offer AP courses that include both classic and contemporary literature.

The emphasis of the ENG4U and ENG4C Grade 12 English course is on the development of the literacy, communication, and critical and creative thinking abilities required for success in school and daily life.

Students in ENG4U or ENG4C will analyze a number of difficult literary texts from different eras, nations, and cultures; understand and assess informational and visual texts; and produce oral, writing, and media texts in a range of formats.

Using academic language logically and confidently, choosing the reading techniques most suited to specific texts and specific reading purposes, and improving writing control will all receive significant attention. The goal of the ENG4U and ENG4C courses is to get students ready for college, the workplace, or university.

Business Leadership (BOH4M)

Business lawyers can be engaged as in-house counsel in a wide range of business kinds or at law firms. Additionally, some lawyers prefer to operate as their own business without the backing of a larger firm, leading to understanding business leadership all the more important. High school students who want to become business lawyers should take business education coursework.

The development of leadership abilities necessary for running a successful business is the main goal of this BOH4M course. The role of a leader in business will be examined by students in BOH4M, with an emphasis on decision-making, managing group dynamics, managing workplace stress and conflict, motivating people, and planning. Ethics, social responsibility, and effective business communication are also highlighted.

• Unit 1: Foundations of Management
• Unit 2: Planning and Controlling
• Unit 3: Organizing
• Unit 4: Leading
• Unit 5: Management Challenges
• Unit 5: Project Culminating Task

What Do You Need to Become a Lawyer?

To become a lawyer in Canada, there are a few basic “must have” components a person much reach.

• Complete an undergraduate degree programme for at least three years.
• Take the test for admission to law school (LSAT).
• Apply to Canadian law schools and earn a law degree.
• Either finish the Law Practice Program or article with a legal firm.
• Pass the bar admission tests for the jurisdiction you intend to practise.

Besides these qualifications, there are also a few soft skills that are helpful when seeking a career in law, such as:

Talents in Communication

Above all, practical communication skills are essential for being a good lawyer. Lawyers must talk clearly and with assurance. They must pay careful attention in the courtroom or speaking to clients. Additionally, they must write with clarity and persuasion.

Dedicated Research Abilities

Law necessitates much research. Lawyers are skilled at finding reliable evidence to support their claims.

Because they help people find information and develop an outline for their writing project, whether, for academic or creative purposes, research skills are essential to the writing process. You can become knowledgeable in any subject area you need to write about by learning how to conduct organized and efficient research.

Critical Analysis and Thinking

This entails exercising sound judgement when assessing sources and relying on proof to develop coherent arguments.

Strong People Skills and Empathy

Lawyers often work as a team, whether it’s with their clients or alongside their firm. Besides this, regardless of what area of law you practise, you will probably encounter clients struggling with challenging emotions that will require you to be understanding and compassionate yet able to maintain professionalism.

The Benefits of Becoming a Lawyer

While challenging, there are many perks to becoming a lawyer, including the following:

Financial Security

Lawyers are among the highest-paid professions in the legal sector, and most make wages significantly higher than the national average. The average lawyer salary in Canada is $99,984 per year or $51.27 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $77,969 annually, while most experienced workers make up to $137,000 annually.

But remember, not all lawyers earn a lot of money. The company’s size, level, and location are all potential determining factors. The highest salaries are typically earned by attorneys working in large legal firms, populated cities, and in-demand specialties. Not so much for those who work in the public sector, such as in legal aid programmes.

Rewarding

Lawyers are uniquely positioned to assist people, organizations, and groups with their legal issues and promote the general welfare. Public interest attorneys fight for legal causes that benefit society and aid those in need of legal representation who might not otherwise be able to afford counsel.

Pro bono work is frequently done by lawyers in private practice to assist low-income people and underprivileged groups of the population, such as the elderly, victims of domestic violence, and children. Many bar groups demand that lawyers spend a particular amount of pro bono time yearly.

The Challenge

One of the cognitively fulfilling careers there is practising law. Lawyers are analysts, problem solvers, and creative thinkers whose intellect is essential to job success, whether developing a trial strategy, helping to patent a trade secret, or creating a multimillion-dollar merger.

Transferrable Skills

If you decide not to pursue a career in law, a J.D. can open doors to new options and act as a stepping stone. The abilities you’ll gain in law school and as an attorney can help you succeed in various professions, including management, writing, mediation, and academics.

Various Practice Fields

A wide range of legal sector sub-specialties has emerged due to increased industrial segmentation and specialization. Lawyers can specialize in one or more specialized fields, from general practice areas like employment law, foreclosure law, and civil litigation to specialized fields like intellectual property law or green law.

Why OES?

As an Ontario-accredited online high school, we create our courses in compliance with the guidelines established by the Ministry of Education of Ontario. We break down our lessons into manageable bits of knowledge. This is partly due to the need in order to maintain consistency among all students in our courses and to provide you with a comfortable and effective learning environment.

If you’re an international student wanting to raise your GPA or are looking for an adult high school in Ontario, OES offers a wide range of courses, such as MHF4U online. OES’s top-notch academics are ready to help you reach your objectives wherever you are in the world.

The Ontario eSecondary School has been reviewed and accredited by the Ontario Ministry of Education. Why is this important? Since we are a virtual school, all of our courses can be used to satisfy the OUAC application requirements because they are all recognized by the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). OES is a great partner for upgrading Ontario high school credits online as a result. Additionally, it is perfect for international students and adults seeking post-secondary education credits.