A government contract lawyer is responsible for facilitating the bidding process of jobs offered by a country's government at the federal, state, or local level. To become a government contract lawyer, you will need to get the both a bachelor's degree and a Juris Doctorate (JD) degree from accredited institutions. You will then be required to study and sit for the bar exam in your area in order to become a practicing attorney. A law student who seeks to become a government contract lawyer should try to get a prestigious clerkship with a federal or state judge in order to learn more about claims and contract law.
Aspiring government contract attorneys take the same path that most other lawyers take. A bachelor's degree in a discipline which relates to law should be obtained. Such disciplines include language studies, philosophy, history, and other liberal arts subjects. Due to the fact that contract law often involves an understanding of fiscal or monetary policy, majoring in economics could be useful to you as you become a government contract lawyer. Make sure that you get good grades in all of your classes in order to remain competitive for law school admission.
Upon graduating from university with a bachelor's degree, you should already have plans to enter an accredited law school. In law school, you will learn the foundations of legal theory in your country. During the last two years of law school, you can concentrate your courses in topics that pertain directly to government contract law, such as contracts law, claims law, and labor and wage law. The bulk of your contract law training will come from law school, so it is important that you absorb as much information as possible during this critical time in your studies.
Internships are a huge part of a legal education. As someone who wishes to become a government contract lawyer, you can use your university's resources to locate suitable positions in a government contract law firm. Internship opportunities may also be available in a government position itself.
After obtaining the JD degree, you will take the bar exam. Most locales require that JD degree holders pass the bar exam in order to practice law. Studying for the bar can be stressful, but it is a crucial step in becoming a certified government contract lawyer.
The first job after law school for most would-be government contract lawyers will be a clerkship position with a prominent judge. Clerkships are known to be highly competitive and prestigious because they offer the best on the job training. These jobs also offer high quality connections that can lead to more lucrative positions within government contract law firms in the future.
