If your dream is to be a lawyer, yet you don’t have the financial means to pursue your goals, you can convince your employer to pay for your law school studies. Read on and know how to do it.
Ask your HR about the firm’s scholarship programs
In some firms, especially large companies, financial assistance is given to qualified employees. You have to go to the HR and inquire if your company has that program. Firms that offer scholarship grants and financial aid often require a bond. The bond will tie you to the company for a year or more. This bond will ensure that you will not leave the company right after you obtain your degree and that the company can benefit from your training.
Things to inquire about if you apply for your firm’s scholarship program
One of the things you have to know are the requirements. What are the qualifications to be eligible for a certain scholarship? How many years should you be serving the company before you can be granted the scholarship? Aside from this, you also have to inquire about the bond and the repayment option. Make sure that the firm’s terms are realistic and do not put you at a disadvantage. Ask about the duration of the bond. You also have to ask the coverage of the scholarship programs and about the possible penalty once you fail to honor the bond.
If you work in a law firm as a paralegal staff, you can ask the HR if the firm can pay for your law studies. Many firms actually offer scholarship programs for employees because they can also benefit from it. You can actually apply the things you learned from law school on your paralegal work. Aside from this, the company may also considering having an additional lawyer in the future.
The career and placement departments in many law schools have linkages and connections with various law firms to help their students find careers when they graduate. Especially for top law firms, the competition for internship and employment can get quite fierce. And though these law firms are the ones doing the chasing to get knowledgeable lawyers, they too are well aware that many are clamoring to secure employment with them. This is why many law firms stand firm in their standards and requirements for hiring lawyers.
Notable academic performance
Grades and academic achievements are among the prime criteria that law firms have for selecting and hiring applicants. Because grades deal with figures and numbers, these are the easiest ways to gauge an applicant’s abilities and intellectual prowess. Some law firms explicitly state that they will only entertain applicants who are in the top percentile of their class, while some state minimum required GPA figures that applicants must meet.
If you don’t belong to the top percentile of your class and your grades aren’t that impressive, don’t worry. The selection process of most law firms look beyond grades and figures and into the skills necessary for lawyers to succeed.
Communication and negotiation skills
Lawyers are notorious for their impeccable elocution and persuasive arguments. Needless to say, lawyers are expected to have excellent communication and negotiation skills because bulk of their work often revolve around litigation and negotiation. Written communication skills are also essential because lawyers are also often tasked with preparing memos, briefs, contracts, and other legal documents.
Strength of character and staying power
The dog-eat-dog world of law and legal procedures require someone who has strength of character to stay in the firm. While a sense of humanity and client sensitivity are admirable traits, lawyers have to constantly keep their personal emotions at bay to be able to deal with cases objectively and logically.
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