The technology startup industry at large has seen a massive increase globally. In fact, according to Get2growth, roughly 305 million startups are created each year.
That’s a massive figure. But could get bad if you fail to leverage the fast moving system.
From a research made by U.S. CB, the startups in the US alone created over 2 million jobs in the country in just a year- a big pie from the percentages of Jobs created yearly.
The good news is that the growing industry can’t cease to do without Lawyers, as the need for legal advice and compliance arises. In other words, an increase in the startup industry is a corresponding increase to employment opportunities for lawyers.
This all boils down to one thing – the new field, “startup Lawyer” is a gold mine that is still underserved.
This article covers everything you need to know about becoming a startup lawyer in africa.
Contents
What is a Startup Lawyer?
A startup lawyer, similar to business lawyer, functions as a general counsel for startups that foresee legal issues and also advise them on how to run their growing business without legal issues.
Startup lawyers are similar to traditional lawyers – for a fact, you have to become a lawyer before branching out to the field of startup lawyers. Undermining that, Startup lawyers are required to know a little more about business and how startup works to be successful.
While there are no law degrees, nor specifications where lawyers study a niche called Startup lawyer, the best resource of being a startup lawyer is by outsourcing books, internet and meeting people who are already into the startup fields, you plan on venturing.
How Much Does it Cost to Become a Startup Lawyer in Africa?
Considering the low cost of living, it should cost between $2,000 to $5,000 on average, to become a fully fledged startup lawyer in Africa.
In some African countries with very low cost of living, like Nigeria, Tunisia, Egypt,and Algeria, you can expect the average cost of becoming a lawyer to be at the lower end.
However, studying African countries like South Africa, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia can be relatively expensive as usual.
How to Become a Startup Lawyer in Africa
Generally, to become a startup lawyer in Africa, you’ll need to earn a bachelor degree, pass the LSAT, graduate from a law school, earn a juris degree and actively work in a law firm for a few years.
In as much as becoming a startup lawyer can be way more wanting, the procedures are almost similar to becoming a traditional lawyer. No startup would want to get a lawyer who lacks the required documents, certificates or experience to work in a law firm.
In summary, here’s what to do to become a startup lawyer in africa;
- Earn a Bachelor’s degree
- Pass through the Law School Admission Test
- Apply to a Globally approved Law School
- Earn a Juris Degree
- Pass the Bar Exam in your Country
- Learn about Startups and meet with Professionals
Earn a Bachelor’s degree
The first step to becoming a startup lawyer is by earning a bachelor’s degree. Unlike some other courses like Medicine or Engineering that are usually strict to a particular bachelor’s degree, there are a wide range of law-eligible degrees to pick from.
However, your best bet should be entering a University or college that offers law as a course. As in most cases, these schools usually sponsor the best of law eligible degrees, which is also beneficial to you – a win-win.
Whichever way, you follow, here are some of the best law eligible degrees for Law school;
- Business
- History
- English
- Philosophy
- Political Science
However, since it’s vital for most Startup lawyers to have a bit of knowledge about business and how startup works, your best bet to being a startup lawyer is to go for a bachelor’s degree in business.
Pass through the Law School Admission Test
After getting a bachelor’s degree in hand, your next step to becoming a startup lawyer is to pass through LSAT, an integral examination before gaining admission into law school..
Law School Admission Test, also known as LSAT, is a test developed to give a test on law aspirant competency in primary activities such as reading comprehension, writing, as well as legal related questions.
Apply to a Globally approved Law School
If you’re able to meet up with a decent LSAT score, you can move over to the next phase of becoming a startup lawyer – entering a law school.
You’ll want to apply to a well recognised law school in your country. Most people do apply to a number of law schools at once, so they don’t stand a chance to lose their opportunity. This can be quite good if you’re desperate, however, do take your to vet on good law schools so you don’t hand into hoodlums in desperation.
For any law school you apply to, you need to provide official transcripts, letters of recommendation and some additional information, amongst a list of other requirements. But In all, keep in mind that you’ll need your LSAT result.
Some popular law schools in Africa include;
- Cairo University Faculty of Law – A south African based university
- Kenya School of Law – Keyan’s only bar and premium law school
- Chiekh Anta Diop University – Senegalese based University
- University of Ibadan – A leading traditional university in Nigeria
Earn a Juris Degree
Upon graduating from law school, you’ll earn a Juris Degree, one of the most sought after degrees to become a qualified lawyer.
It’s actually the first step to becoming an attorney. In the course of your journey to getting the Juris Degree, you’ll be faced with the option niche down into some special topics in law.
- Intellectual Properties
- Legal procedures
- Taxation
- Torts
- Administrative Laws, etc.
Examine the electives that are offered to you that are relevant to your area of emphasis, such as startup transactions, contracts, and antitrust law. Attend career fairs that your college sponsors while you are a student. You’ll have the chance to speak with attorneys from various businesses and law firms about your professional goals and the knowledge you’ve already gained in school. You might ask these experts if you can arrange an off-campus informational meeting with them to find out more about their business.
Pass the Bar Exam in your Country
After finishing Law school, you still need to be called to the bar before you would be seen as an active lawyer. This can be achieved by passing through the bar exam in your country.
Topics in this exams includes and are not limited to Real property, Evidence,Criminal law and procedure, Torts, Constitutional law and Contracts and sales
The bar exam is just a way to test how knowledgeable you are in handling and approaching basic legal matters you encounter in your journey as a lawyer. The exams may vary from states or countries to countries.
Upon passing the bar exam, you’ll also be given the opportunity to get a license in your country. This is essential for any aspiring startup lawyer.
Learn about Startups and meet with Professionals
If you’ve taken the time to get in touch with contemporary experts in the industry, you might have better luck looking for work as a startup lawyer. Investigate the various professional networks that are at your disposal to gain access to networking opportunities, business news, and training that can advance your understanding of startup law or business law.
People you meet can provide you advice on finding a job, insight into the business, and suggestions for continuing education programs to enroll in or employers to consider when applying for jobs.
Conclusion
Being a startup lawyer can be wanting, since It requires just more than what a traditional lawyer should acquire. Albeit, your best should be to earn a bachelor’s degree, preferably a business degree, then follow up by graduating through a law school, pass the Bar exam and be called to bar.
