Guide to Finding Worcester Lawyer

What is a Worcester Lawyer

A Worcester Lawyer is an individual that has gone through numerous steps, proved and practiced a high level of ethical standards, and is now qualified to practice law within the state of Massachusetts. Many lawyers in Massachusetts and the Worcester area have qualified to practice law in the state of Rhode Island as well, for both states exams and screening processes are very similar. Before becoming a lawyer in Massachusetts, though, a qualified person always starts off their education in a qualified undergraduate university.

A prospective lawyer usually attends a well known university from anywhere around the country and, most often, graduates with a respectable or outstanding overall GPA. The individual may major in a number of majors like business, English, political science, or pre-law. The person then applies to any number of law schools throughout the Massachusetts area and decides what school best tailors to their educational needs and financial needs. There are numerous law schools around the Worchester area and rest of the state, and they include the following:

• Boston College Law School

• Boston University School of Law

• Harvard Law School

• Massachusetts School of Law at Andover

• New England School of Law

• Northeastern University School of Law

• Suffolk University Law School

• University of Massachusetts School of Law

• Western New England College School of Law

*Note: Some lawyers may have graduated from another school if they are old enough, and the name of the school is the Southern New England School of Law

Worcester Lawyer : Massachusetts Bar Exam

Once the prospective attorney has enlisted in an accredited law school, they must go through a number of steps until they take the state Bar Exam. First, the individual usually takes a small test early in their law school career to determine if they have what it takes to become a lawyer. The test is basic and standardized, and it gives the future lawyer a stepping stone to the more intensive Bar Exam later in law school.

Another exam the law student takes is the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE). The test is usually administered three times a year around the Worchester area, and the student must score an average score of 75 to 86 in the state of Massachusetts in order to move onto the bar exam.

Before taking the Massachusetts Bar Exam, the law student must goes through a rigorous “moral screening” procedure. They must submit an application to the Committee of Bar Examiners’ Subcommittee on Moral Character, submit professional and personal references, and go through a fingerprint screening in order to perform a federal background check. The subcommittee closely investigates a candidate’s personality and level of honesty, financial standing, respect to community members around the Massachusetts area and hometown area, and professionalism in past jobs and careers.

Once the qualified law student passes the screening process, they may take the bar exam. The exam is administered in July and February, and in the state of Massachusetts, the exam takes two days to complete. During the first day, the student performs the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), and the majority of the 200 multiple choice questions on this part of the exam cover black letter law, or in other words, common law and rules of evidence. The test contains the following sections:

• Constitutional Law/31 questions (usually considered the easiest)

• Contracts/33 questions

• Criminal Law and Procedure/31 questions

• Evidence/31 questions

• Real Property/31 questions (normally the hardest)

• Torts/33 questions

• 10 of the questions are random and ungraded for analysis and use on future bar exams

On the second day of the exam, the law student takes the essay section of the Massachusetts Bar Exam. This part of the test include two, three-hour sessions that both consist of five Massachusetts state essays.

Worcester Lawyer : Board Notifications you should know about

Once the law student passes the bar exam, they may begin to practice in the state of Massachusetts. There are number of steps they must take in order to become “Board Certified,” and these steps include:

• Registration Statement- the lawyer must give the board their current residential addresses (which are always kept confidential). They also supply the board with information regarding which jurisdictions they have good and bad jurisdiction within, and they must supply reasons as to why their standing may be bad.

• IOLTA Account- the lawyer specifies the name, number, and depository of this account and the information is passed onto the Supreme Judicial Court

• Professional Liability Insurance Disclosure- the attorney around the Worcester area or rest of the state must notify the board if they are actively covered by professional liability insurance or if they’ve chosen not to receive the insurance. If the Worcester Lawyer fails to supply the board with this information or any change in this information, they may be suspended from practicing law in the state.

How do I find a Worcester Lawyer with a good standing?

One of the first things to review while looking for a lawyer in Worcester area is their level of education. Yes, all lawyers practicing around the Worcester area and rest of the state are required to pass the bar exam (except in certain situations), but the state is unique when it comes to law. Massachusetts is one of the only states that does not require that a lawyer pursue Continuing Legal Education, or CLE. The most experienced and confident lawyers around the Worcester area will still continue legal education to keep updated on changes in the kind of law they practice or study other forms of law.

There are several steps to finding an experienced and lawyer with a good standing in the Worcester area. Do your research, which may involve talking with people you know. You can also use this website to find laws specific to the Massachusetts area and ask free questions that may be answered by a lawyer in your area.

There are also a number of organizations and associations to look out for when looking for a Worcester lawyer. These associations include:

• Worcester County Bar Association

• Massachusetts Bar Association

• Bar Advocates of Worcester County

You may also want to refer to the state’s lawyer referral service if you have any questions about a particular lawyer around the Worcester area or about specific laws.