While paralegals play an important role in legal practice, some aspire for the responsibility and higher pay of a licensed attorney. It's not an easy move, requiring extensive education and a good deal of late nights pouring over law books, but it is quite possible. The path for advancing from a paralegal to a lawyer varies according to each state.
For instance, California details 4 ways to become a licensed attorney. You can attend a law school approved by the American Bar Association, attend a non-ABA approved course that has state approval, study law for 4 years in an approved program under the guidance of a judge or lawyer, or have a law license from another state. You must then pass the California Bar Exam. Other states require similar factors, as most require a formal law education and the passage of a state bar exam. Paralegals have an advantageous head start on their law education, having already learned the basics in their current legal profession.
The real benefit to becoming a New York criminal lawyer after working as a paralegal is it's not much of a career stretch. You already have a taste for it, as you are doing most of the work of an attorney right now. You just aren't getting paid for it. Get your legal education and pass the bar, and you'll start making the money you deserve. Sound like it will be easy? Keep dreaming. It's a load of hard work, but the end result is worth it.
Back to School
Getting into law school requires some sort of undergraduate degree, ideally an appropriate field such as political science, paralegal studies or criminal justice.
In most states, it will take about 7 years to become a licensed attorney, depending on whether you go to school full time or manage another job or family responsibilities in the mean time.
Tackling the Bar
After you've graduated from law school, you've got one major hurdle in front of you - passing the bar. This is a very intense test of legal aptitude and your fitness to become a lawyer. While the examination varies from state to state, most require a 6-hour Multistate Bar Examination as part of the test. Pass this test, and congratulations, you're an attorney subject to higher pay and better privileges. Don't be afraid to get your feet wet by looking for for temporary legal staffing after you pass to pay off those college loans
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