How to Become Real Estate Law Attorney
Becoming a lawyer requires an extensive education. In addition to a bachelor's degree, nearly all lawyers pursue a three-year degree at a law school. After school, most lawyers will enter a particular specialty that they will gain expertise in. One popular specialty is real estate law, which is related to the ownership, use and sale of land and residential and commercial structures. Real estate lawyers cover many issues, including mortgages, transfer of property and renting. Those planning a career in the field can take many steps early on to get a head start.
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Instructions
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Receive a bachelor's degree. Law school students come from a number of different educational backgrounds, but most choose a major with direct relevance on their future career, such as economics, English or history. If your college offers courses in real estate, take them.
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Intern at a real estate company. To get an experience of the kinds of legal issues that a real estate company faces, get a summer internship with one. This should give you plenty of hands-on experience to apply to your studies.
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Attend law school. Students generally apply to a number of law schools and choose from the ones to which they are admitted. Make sure that the law school you attend has one or more professors with deep experience in real estate law.
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Intern at a law firm that performs real estate law. Some firms specialize specifically in real estate law. During your internship, you will likely be charged with doing a large amount of research, as well as some writing, both of which will expand your knowledge of the field.
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Choose real estate law as your specialty. During your second or third year of law school, you will have the opportunity to choose a specialty on which to focus. Those wishing to enter real estate law should pick either real estate law or contracts.
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Pass the bar. Before being able to legally practice law, all prospective lawyers must pass an exam administered by the American Bar Association. The exam varies between states, but generally includes both multiple choice and essay questions. Passing a bar exam licenses a lawyer to practice law in that state only.
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Join a firm. Of the firms that are hiring, consider what kind of cases the firms specialize in and the size of their real estate division, if it exists. Only some firms will have a real estate law section. If you cannot be hired by a firm that specializes in real estate, take one with a strong property law division.
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