Need ideas please!

[Linda Barlow]

Hi all. I have thought myself into a corner, and am needing some good ideas to get out of it! Any input will be welcome!

My 14 yr. old son is addicted to 'Phoenix Wright' games, and has now told me he wants to be an attorney. This would mean following the formal schooling route, as he would have to gain entry into university. Does anyone have any ideas as to how we can explore this avenue without going that way? I must add that we live in a rural area, so visiting courts and so on will be really difficult! Nothing of that sort nearby!

What other games/TV shows would be good? And what other ways are there to show him that being an attorney is not all dramatic, as it seems in the game. I need him to see the reality here!

Please post any bright ideas you may have. I'm stumped.

[Sandra Dodd]

He's 14.  Let him do what he's doing.  He can still go to the university later if he wants to.

 

Something to consider halfway there is looking into being a paralegal.  But don't discourage him by thinking "I need him to see the reality here!"  

 

-=-And what other ways are there to show him that being an attorney is not all dramatic, as it seems in the game.-=-

Why?  Why show him something discouraging?

 

-=-Does anyone have any ideas as to how we can explore this avenue ...?-=-

 

He might just want to play those games, and not explore other things, but there are some movies with good courtroom scenes he might enjoy.  

I found lots of lists, using google.  Here's a quote from one of the compilers:

 

|"As a practicing lawyer, I can tell you that going to court usually isn’t very exciting.  There’s very little arguing, everyone seems to get along just fine, the judge is rarely intimidating, and the courtroom itself is hardly a spectacle to behold.  The events that take place in courtrooms as shown in movies are largely inaccurate, exaggerated, and sensationalized -- but that’s a good thing, because if accurate, those scenes would be terribly boring.  In the movies, courtroom scenes are usually heated, intense, and sometimes hysterical.  I’d like my second job a lot more if going to court meant a morning of screaming and wooing a jury.  Instead, it’s waiting around for your adversary to arrive before you swap discovery demands and discuss last night’s basketball game.  Sigh.  Here are 11 awesome courtroom scenes from movies that present aspiring lawyers the illusion that they’re off to embark on a colorful, exciting career in the law."

 

A friend of mine is an assistant district attorney in charge of violent crimes.   He's a very calm man, and a good guy.  He enjoys his work.

11 Awesome Courtroom Scenes in Movies

 

Top 10 Movie Courtroom Scenes

http://www.takepart.com/news/2009/08/10/top-10-movie-courtroom-scenes

 

videos from courtroom scenes:

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=movies+...

 

 

 

[Meredith]

There's plenty of time for him to go to community college for a bit and Then to a university. Is he interested in studying law Right Now? There may be ways for him to get his feet wet in that regard without taking formal classes - heck, if nothing else ask if he'd like to learn some Latin and get an online program to play with that.

 

Does he want to go watch courts? Living rurally shouldn't be something you use as an excuse. If anything, small town county-seats might have more options in that regard. If he's interested in the criminal side of law, would he like to get to know the sherrif? Would he like to be walked through basic arrest and booking proceedures? Would he like to play gofer for a local lawyer?

 

But maybe he doesn't want to do any of those things right now - maybe he's content to do what he's doing and think about the wonderful possibilites. That's Okay - and maybe those possibilities will grow into a reality You can't envision, but they're much less likely to if you shoot them down with doomful talk of reality.  

[Alex Polikowsky]

As someone who went to Law School I say you do not have to prepare him for it.

He can get into Law School by the rout of going to a community college. Anyone can get into Community College.

I decided to go to Law School in my early 20's after I went to a few classes in a Law School.

 There is no need to prepare him at 14.

 There are many shows on TV and great books ( I love JOhn Grisham) if he likes courtroom drama and I agree with Sandra that

those are not accurate at all but still fun to watch!

  He is 14!
I know several people that went to Law School as grwon up adults and did much better than most and are sucessful lawyers now!

 

[Linda Barlow]

Thank you all for your responses- I relise I had thought myself into a silly trap where I wasn't seeing all the options- thank you for helping me to get out of it!

[Marina Gale]

How about looking at open university and seeing if they do any relevant courses for beginners?

[Linda Barlow]

Thanks for the idea Marina, I will see what we can do from a distance! (We live in South Africa.) And thank you for bringing me back to these pages- I have been neglecting them lately!