While this is a valid question, the answer is purely subjective. There are specific difficulties in any type of career in any field. But anyone who enjoys what they do and is passionate about the things they are doing may say that all the hardship was worth it.
The best way to answer this question is to evaluate how you react to the things you need to go through before becoming a certified immigration lawyer. The things we will list are based on academics and real-life experiences so that you may have a sneak peek into what it is like when you become a full-fledged lawyer for immigrants.
Immigration Lawyer Characteristics
This vocation starts with what you’re interested in. An immigration lawyer has a keen interest in human rights issues and may even have a personal experience regarding immigration. They will also be attracted to dealing with criminal law, civil rights, education law, and even business law.
Anyone who feels like they are at home discussing these things at length will very well become a good immigrant lawyer. Understanding how these and other factors add up to affect a person’s life is what an immigrant lawyer does daily.
You should also have strong interpersonal skills because you will have to meet different people from all walks of life. An immigration attorney will need to work with people who may have gone through traumatic life experiences. So, having good communication skills is crucial.
Educational Requirements
To become a lawyer, you can take up a different bachelor’s degree. But it would do you well if you take up philosophy, social science, political science, linguistics, and the like so that you have a good background in dealing with the fields immigration law covers.
Getting Experiences
Besides learning theories in schools and universities, understanding the real-world scenario and its plays out is also a critical undertaking if you plan to become an immigration lawyer.
This is why you should expose yourself in the immigration field, like attending clinics, getting legal internships with offices that primarily deal with immigration cases. You can also take up pro bono activities to get a feel of a real immigration case. This in turn can help you build an interesting resume that can attract law firms during recruitment. You can also take the help of law career consultants like Alex Gotch who can suggest areas where you can take experience from. Experts like them can also help you in the hiring process by listing your profile on their lawyer recruitment portals.
You can also gain experience by joining outreach organizations, businesses that rely on immigrant employees, or a government office that deal with immigration cases. These are great places to understand the actual situation of immigrants in your locale.
Networking
Joining the AILA or the American Immigration Lawyers Association will also help get you a solid network of lawyers of the same field. Talking to lawyers and listening to their cases will provide you with insights and a different perspective when dealing with an especially tricky case.
Reading Books and Journals
As a lawyer, you will need to read and consume pages on end. This is an essential aspect of learning and seeing different scenarios that can help your practice in the future.
Conclusion
Reading through this list, if you feel like you can do all these days, then you probably know the answer to the question. Immigration law may be complex, but the reward is always more significant than the effort because of the impact you have had on your clients’ lives. For more information, ask an immigration lawyer in Houston or anywhere near you.