For an excellent overview of the legal system including information on what lawyers and judges do, I highly recommend Lawrence Baum's American Courts: Process and Policy.
Information on character and fitness and bar admissions, see the National Council of Bar Examiners site. http://www.ncbex.org/ Keep in mind that some states require you to register while still in law school in order to have enough time to conduct background checks. For potential law school students with past or present legal issues, it may be advisable to consult with an attorney regarding questions how to comply with disclosure requirements.
For a chilling look at the bimodal distribution of starting salaries, see this post from the Empirical Legal Studies blog.
For all other questions related to legal careers, refer to:
Incredible law career site, the NALP Directory.
The Vault's law hub (career information).
Legal careers and salaries at Findlaw.
Back to pre-law FAQ index.
