To become an age discrimination lawyer, you must first become an attorney within the state or geographic area that you want to practice. You must then gain experience with legislation related to age discrimination, such as the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) in the US. Finally, you must establish yourself within the community or your firm as an age discrimination lawyer and begin attracting clients.
The first step to become an age discrimination lawyer is to become an attorney. The method of becoming an attorney varies depending upon where you live. Every jurisdiction requires a minimum of a college education or its equivalent, as well as additional coursework or apprentice work in which you learn the law.
In the United States, you must obtain a bachelor's degree and then a law degree to become an age discrimination lawyer. This means you must first attend a four-year university, although you can major in any number of areas before applying to law school. To apply to law school, you must take your Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). Law schools in the US look at your LSAT score and your GPA to determine whether you should be admitted to their programs. Law school admission in the US is traditionally very competitive.
In the US, law school is a three year process. During this time, you will take a number of foundational courses. There is no specialized major in age discrimination in law school, but you will generally want to take employment law courses and courses that allow you to practice your courtroom skills, such as moot court courses.
In other countries, the process to become an age discrimination lawyer is similar to the US. You generally need a college degree or its equivalent. For example, in England you must have a University Degree and/or apply to the Solicitors Regulation Authority for a Certificate of Academic Standing, and you must then complete a law school course.
Upon graduating form law school, you will usually need to complete additional testing to demonstrate your knowledge of basic legal concepts. The exact type of testing and rules and requirements differ by state. For example, in the US, this means taking the Bar Exam, an exam administered on a state by state basis by the American Bar Association (ABA), while in England, the Law Society administers the testing.
After being certified to practice law, you will need to work for a law firm that handles age discrimination cases. In the US, the primary law governing age discrimination is the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). Other countries may have their own protections for age discrimination. By learning these laws and working for a law firm that handles age discrimination, you can become an age discrimination lawyer.
You will also want to establish yourself within the community to begin getting clients. Give lectures or speeches on age discrimination issues, if possible. You can also try to write articles on the issue that will be published in law journals to help attract clients to you and/or your firm.
