How Do I Become a Guardianship Lawyer?

To become a guardianship lawyer, you will need to meet the requirements for admittance to the bar in your jurisdiction and develop solid knowledge of and gain practical experience in guardianship law. You may also wish to pursue additional education in an area pertinent to guardianship issues. If you are unable to become a guardianship lawyer soon after you get your law license, you may want to do pro bono work for organizations that serve the elderly or children.

In many countries, becoming a lawyer requires the completion of a bachelor's degree at minimum. In other countries, such as the United States, you must graduate from a postgraduate law program. Once you have completed the required education and training, you can then apply to be licensed as a lawyer. During your training, you may be offered the opportunity to work in a law firm. If you want to become a guardianship lawyer, you may wish to try and get an internship or job with a law firm that specializes in guardianship cases.

After you gain your law license, look for jobs in firms that handle a lot of guardianship cases or go to work for a government office or social service agency that works primarily with populations who need guardianship services. Such agencies and organizations may include those that work with children, the elderly, and the disabled. Even if you don't get a chance to handle guardianship cases right away, you will become familiar with guardianship law, which will help you in your quest to become a lawyer in this field. If you are unable to get a job working for an agency or law firm that deals a lot with guardianship cases, you may wish to volunteer your services for a legal aid office or other pro bono clinic so you can actually get some experience working in the area of guardianship.

You may also want to consider pursuing additional education. For example, you may be able to complete an additional postgraduate degree in which you can specialize in guardianship issues. Alternatively, you can choose to study guardianship-related issues outside of law, perhaps by taking classes in social policy. You may also want to become involved with committees and caucuses that focus on guardianship issues within your area's bar association or other legal groups. Be sure to take advantage of educational opportunities offered at legal conferences and through continuing education courses. Reading about specific cases and theories of guardianship law can also help you become a guardianship lawyer, as you will become more familiar with the issues of legal guardianship.