Do you really want to be a lawyer?

Legal careers are most appropriate for enthusiastic debaters who enjoy participating in arguments and who are not easily offended by alternative viewpoints, Wolfe says. He adds that a "thick skin" is typically necessary for success, as well as a skeptical and intellectual mindset.

Abid Qureshi, partner at the global law firm Latham & Watkins and chair of the firm's recruiting committee, says that individuals who come up with clever solutions to difficult problems often excel as students and eventually become accomplished lawyers. "This is especially true for those who can do so while remaining faithful to core principles: equality, impartiality and accountability," Qureshi wrote in an email. "I would encourage anyone interested in solving complex problems, regardless of their background, to consider a legal career."

Jory Lange, a food safety attorney with The Lange Law Firm, PLLC who regularly files national lawsuits against big food corporations on behalf of consumers, says law school hopefuls should know that excelling in the legal profession involves risk-taking. He notes that the lawyers who win big verdicts are the ones with the courage to take hard cases knowing they might lose. "There's some learning through failure that happens if you want to be a great lawyer. You have to be willing to risk failing to get really, really good at this," he says.

Lange suggests that people who are contemplating law school get some law-related work experience, such as a summer job working at a law firm or a district attorney's office so they can assess whether they would be content as an attorney. If obtaining a law-related job is not feasible, then prospective law students should go to a courthouse to watch trials so they can gain clarity about whether learning and practicing law is something they'd enjoy, he suggests. (Read more: Do You Really Want To Be a Lawyer? https://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/articles/2019-08-01/should-you-go-to-law-school-how-to-decide)