The path to become a personal bankruptcy lawyer is a long and challenging one that involves six to eight years of education, including law school, and the passing of a certification exam or bar exam. This position pays very well, and if you become a personal bankruptcy lawyer, you can expect to earn a rather large annual salary soon after graduating. Attorneys who work for a firm, instead of opening a private practice, might make less initially.
To become a personal bankruptcy lawyer, you must first earn a bachelor's degree from an accredited university. Ideally, you'll earn a bachelor's degree in pre-law, which is the best bet if you plan to continue on to law school. A bachelor's degree in another field might still qualify you, but you can expect to take some extra courses to fill in the gaps.
Admission to law school is the next step to become a personal bankruptcy lawyer. The law school admissions process can be challenging because you'll have to pass an admissions test prior to applying for admission. A law school will consider your test score, your undergraduate major and your grades in previous courses when deciding whether to admit you.
Completing law school will result in you earning your Juris Doctorate (JD) degree. If you want to become a personal bankruptcy lawyer, make sure your area of concentration in law school is bankruptcy. Expect law school to take two to four years to complete. Many law schools offer night classes for students who work during the day. While in law school, consider applying for an internship with a local lawyer or firm, because this will help you learn the basics and will look impressive as you look for work after graduation.
After you have earned your JD, you'll need to take and pass the required exam where you live, such as a bar exam. This will give you the ability to practice law in the particular place and will put you one step closer in your quest to become a personal bankruptcy lawyer. These examinations are notoriously difficult. In addition, these tests usually are very long and take place over two or three days.
A little more than half of first-time testers pass the examination the first time, so don't be discouraged if you don't. In most areas, you can re-take the examination as many times as is necessary for you to pass it. After you pass the examination, you'll be ready to either find a job with a firm or start your own private practice.
