Most areas require a person to attend law school and pass the bar exam before becoming a wrongful termination attorney. In addition to those basic steps, taking labor and employment law classes during law school may be beneficial to someone who wants to become a wrongful termination attorney. Although working during law school is not required, it may be easier to find work if a student has worked as a law clerk or legal intern for a firm that represents either terminated employees or employers.
To become a wrongful termination lawyer, the first step is to apply for and be accepted to law school. In the United States, it is common to include several letters of recommendation from professors or other professionals who have worked closely with the student, as well as a college diploma and a high grade point average. Furthermore, most law schools in the United States require students to take the law school admissions test (LSAT) before applying; depending on the quality of the law school, a variety of LSAT scores may be acceptable. In Europe, there are no such admissions tests, and many schools combine law school with an undergraduate program.
After being accepted into a law school, a student is usually required to take some basic law classes, such as criminal law, civil law, and property law. It may be beneficial to take wrongful termination-related classes, such as employment law, labor law, or worker’s compensation, in order to become a wrongful termination attorney. Participating in a mock trial competition can also give a student an advantage when it comes to working as a wrongful termination lawyer.
The next step in becoming a wrongful termination attorney is to pass the bar exam in the jurisdiction where the student wishes to practice law. This is especially true in the United States, but it is also true in many other countries, including the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Hungary. After passing the bar exam, the student is only allowed to practice law in that jurisdiction or area.
Finding work in a law firm that specializes in wrongful termination is one of the best ways to become a successful wrongful termination attorney. To gain a complete understanding of what a wrongful termination case entails, it is best to work on both sides of the issue. When working for a law firm that represents employees, for example, you can learn how to prove the employer fired you unfairly. It’s also possible to figure out how employees and their lawyers might try to game the system to their advantage. Working for a law firm that represents employers, on the other hand, allows you to observe how the employer handles various situations that lead to employment termination, whether justified or not.