Traditionally, according to the American Bar Association (ABA), many pre-law students have studied English, history or political science, but others enter law school with degrees in the hard sciences, business, art or music. Rather than emphasizing a particular course of study, the ABA outlines general knowledge that any student should possess before he enters law school, as well as a set of skills that will help ensure that he prospers there.
General Knowledge
The ABA says that the successful law student must have a broad knowledge of history, particularly of U.S. history. She must understand how the political system in the United States works and be aware of the current political scene.
She needs basic math skills at the pre-calculus level and sufficient financial savvy to analyze financial data. She must have a fundamental understanding of human behavior and social interactions.
Finally, she has to understand the diversity of U.S. society and of the world at large, and possess an awareness and appreciation of world events and trends.
Analyzing Information and Solving Problems
Besides these base levels of knowledge, the aspiring law student needs certain skills to ensure his success. Fortunately, all are abilities that most students learn in the course of acquiring their bachelor's degrees.
A successful lawyer must be able to analyze arguments, to come up with reasonable ways to bolster her own arguments, and to refute the positions of the opposing counsel. She has to be able to find the information she needs to represent her clients well.
The ABA recommends you take classes that will develop your ability to think critically about issues and that will challenge you to examine the soundness and foundations of your own opinions. Besides underpinning much of the work you'll do as a lawyer, this learning process, the ABA says, will help "improve your tolerance for uncertainty," which is a trait all successful lawyers must possess.
Reading and Writing
You should enter law school able to read materials carefully, and to analyze the content and the implications of that content. You'll spend most of law school reading, and a lot of what you'll read will be detailed, arcane and even tedious, so hone your critical reading skills well before you start.
Besides spending hours in the law library, lawyers write---all the time. They write memorandums, briefs, petitions, wills and trusts; they spend hours writing documents that have to stand the scrutiny of other lawyers, judges and their clients. Learning to write well before you enter law school will give you a huge leg up.
Listening and Talking
Of course lawyers talk, but they also have to be able to listen, first to their clients, and then to the opposing counsel, witnesses and judges. To be successful, you'll need to be able to verbalize your case persuasively, to analyze any attacks on that case, and to respond to those challenges eloquently and well.
Researching
Though the ABA assures prospective lawyers that research techniques specific to the study of law are taught in law school, it also stresses that general experience in thoroughly researching a subject will prove invaluable. Undergraduate classes that require you to write substantial research papers can help you acquire these skills.
Managing Your Tasks and Your Time
To be successful at practicing law, you have be able to break down huge tasks into manageable pieces, determine accomplish each segment and then get them all done, draw conclusions and prepare those conclusions for presentation, and do it all within specified time limits. Taking undergraduate courses that oblige you to produce significant work, whether pure research, writing or a combination, on deadlines will be excellent preparation.
Serving the Public and Promoting Justice
The ABA encourages aspiring law students to participate in some kind of public service before entering law school, so they will have some understanding of the underpinnings of the fabric of society that the honorable practice of law both enforces and challenges.
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