Attorneys/Lawyers represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and
other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, and manage or advise clients
on legal transactions. Much of their work involves
researching precedents, which are earlier interpretations of laws and the
history of judicial decisions based on that law.
Lawyers use precedents to
support their cases in court. Lawyers are also called or divided into various
branches; attorneys, advocates, solicitors, counselors and legal advisers.
Attorney: is the
person with whom you first make contact when you seek legal advice or if you
require representation. Therefore, an attorney needs to be readily available to
everyone, and the service they provide needs to be broad enough to cover a wide
field of legal problems.
Advocates or solicitor: they speak for their clients in court by presenting
supportive evidence. Advocates, on the other hand, have specialized
expertise in various areas of the law - especially in the presentation of cases in court.
To obtain the services of an advocate, the client approaches the attorney who
then engages the advocate on his behalf to represent the client in court or to give
the client the necessary advice.
Legal advisers or counselor: they counsel their clients on their legal rights and
obligations by suggesting courses of action in personal and business
affairs. The term "legal adviser" is used to describe lawyers
employed by the government, big companies and other organizations to provide
legal advice and service to their employees. In other words,
"in-house" lawyers or "corporate counsel" as they are known
in the USA,
as Compared with attorneys and advocates who provide their
services to the public at large rather than to a single employer. They are
usually former attorneys and advocates who want to be in corporate environment.
Whichever capacity they're working in, lawyers must draw on
research of legal and judicial decisions, and apply the law to the specific
case they're working on.
It takes a special kind of mind, one that can see both sides
of the situation and is able to argue both equally well without emotional
involvement. "To be the Devil's advocate" is a fair description of the requirements needed by a would-be lawyer
.
Depending on a lawyer chosen field, they might have to
defend someone who was caught red-handed and arrested, the lawyer would have to
defend that person with total dedication. It would seldom be the lawyer duty to
judge - there are other people such as professional appointed judges who do
that - all a lawyer would be called upon to do is present the facts and argue
for their client.
There are also various other fields open such as the
handling of corporate legal documents or the legal management of businesses and
you would seldom see the inside of a courtroom. Introverts often make the best
lawyers because they usually listen far more than they talk but some extraverts
have become magnificent attorneys with their flair for drama and their ability to
make even the most mundane cases exciting.
Most established lawyers tell of how they have gathered an
almost encyclopedic knowledge from their dealings with the public. For
instance, when handling a case Concerning engineering, a good lawyer must familiarize
himself with basic engineering knowledge if he wishes to present a well
thought-out defense or attack. Similarly, if defending a poacher, he must be aware of what the offender
actually does for a living; where he sells his spoils; what monies he receives;
what dangers are involved and what laws protect his rights to poach.
Even if the lawyer despises criminals, he/she must find
mitigating circumstances which he can present to a judge. Lawyers also handle a large variety of affairs for individuals,
businesses, associations and corporations. These include work in the field of
business and corporate law; civil and criminal litigation; property transactions; taxation; estate
planning and business as well as personal advice. Many Lawyers consider themselves
to be general practitioners:
However, as a result of the increasing complexity of life
the trend is towards specialization. Therefore, there are Lawyers who
specialize in either commercial or criminal cases, or who focus on litigation,
estate planning or tax-related matters.
Employment Opportunities
Many corporations, including insurance companies, banks, accounting firms,
and manufacturers, employ lawyers, private individuals, public companies, environment
groups, NGOs, government, Self employed, Law firms, real-estate and other
organization.
Expanding
Opportunities for the 21st Century
Most beginning lawyers start in salaried positions
as associates in law firms or as research assistants or law clerks to
experienced lawyers or judges. After several years of experience, they may
become partners in their firms or set up their own practices. Some lawyers go
into politics or become judges.
More corporate establishments and
population are growing fast and need legal advice and representations.
Earnings
Not all attorneys rake in the dough; plenty of prosecutors
and public interest lawyers make meager salaries. But lawyers at corporate
firms still frequently earn starting salaries that exceed six figures, even
with well-publicized layoffs, falling rates, and controversy in the industry
over the standard billable hour. The high pay reflects the high stakes involved
in corporate litigation and transactions--lawyers are involved in deals and
cases worth millions.
Those who entered practice in
large law firms started with salaries ranging from $34,000 to $80,000 per year.
It depends on location, size of firm and experience.
Education and Training
Lawyers have to follow a rigorous education, formal educational requirements
for lawyers include a 4-year college degree, 3 years in law school, and the
passing of a written bar examination. In the last two
years of law school, students specialize in the areas of law in which they hope
to work. Law graduates must be admitted to the bar, or organization
of lawyers, in the states in which they want to practice.
Job seekers who are
interested in working for the government should take civil service tests.
EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
All lawyers are required to have their J.D. (Juris
Doctorate) from an accredited law school. Depending on the firm's
specialization, some lawyers are also expected to have a degree in another
discipline, such as science. Corporate lawyers are also required to have passed
a state Bar exam before being admitted to practice.
Corporate law firms normally want candidates who have prior
job experience. This experience can range from research (legal assistant), to
investigations and writing legal briefs and presenting cases in court.
Additional Information: Association of Trial Lawyers of America, National Association of
Women Lawyers, American Bar Association. Different countries have different Law
regulations and a Lawyer has to pass through the specific country law school or
body to practice.
TIPS
Large cities often host employment
agencies specializing in Legal-related positions Newspaper classified ads and job banks on the Internet may provide other
employment leads.,. Look or search for classified section under "lawyer," "attorneys," "advocates," " solicitors," " counselors," and "legal
advisers."
Jobs are advertised in trade journals. In addition to
Legal-related trade journals, consider industry journals.
The placement offices of colleges and universities offering degrees in legal matters related areas are usually
notified of job openings.
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