How to Become a Child Advocate Lawyer
Children all over the world face issues relating to their families, protection and care, child abuse, sexual abuse, maltreatment and many others. In order to address these issues, there are many lawyers working and are called as child advocate lawyers. They are working with many non-profit organisations and charity homes in order to ensure they assist the children in solving their issues.
They represent the children in a court of law and work as their guardians. Child advocate lawyers are also working to raise public awareness about the issues children face ranging from neglect, adoption and their rights.
It is a rewarding job if you are looking to become a child advocate lawyers and are good at understanding the law and its complexities. In this article, we will explain how you can become a child advocate lawyer.
Instructions
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1
Advocacy, non-profit work
It is very important that you have done some kind of non-profit work related to child protection issues before joining the law school. Experiences with practical procedures, social issues, the problems faced by poor children and your approach to solving those issues can come in really handy if you are looking to make a career in handling child issues. -
2
Choose right subjects in your bachelor’s degree
Although getting admission into a law school does not require you to have done majors in any specific subject, yet you may want to choose subjects which help you in understanding child issues better. Subjects such as psychology, sociology, public administration and the like will give you an insight into how to approach issues related to children. -
3
Secure admission in law school
The most important step in becoming a child advocate is to secure admission in a law school. You will be required to take Law School Advocacy Test (LSAT) in order to be granted admission. If you have good grades in your bachelor’s degree and have managed a good LSAT score, chances are you will land yourself into a top law school. -
4
Pass degree with Juris Doctorate
Passing your law degree with Juris Doctorate will also give you help in becoming a child lawyer. It is important to choose subjects like administrative law, criminal law, family law and the like since they will help you in understanding child issues better. -
5
Take bar exam, get license
After you obtain your degree, you will be required to take the bar exam and get a license so that you can start practicing. Your character will be thoroughly checked through references along with your background. -
6
Identify organisations needing your help
Once you get the license, then you can look for child protection bureaus and non-profit organisations dealing with child issues. In the beginning, you may want to offer your services pro bono in order to build contacts and identify the areas where you can have a lot of work. Gradually, you can work your way up and start making money out of it as well.
