A study showed that about 64% of lower income-earning parents and 55% of parents with comfortable salaries want their kids to be lawyers, probably because it looks like a shot at a better life. The law profession is ranked amongst the top respected professions and is also lucrative. A law degree offers amazing career opportunities although pursuing a career in law can be intellectually challenging, requires commitment, but is financially rewarding. However many aspiring students are not properly informed and maybe discouraged due to the required financial commitment to law school.
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Who is a Lawyer?
According to Wikipedia, “Lawyer is a generic term referring to anyone qualified in law, however, its use is not widespread, especially not within the profession”. A lawyer is trained and licensed to practice the law profession by prosecuting or defending a court action on behalf of a client and also provides legal advice that may or may not require court action. A lawyer typically represents different interests in court and gives legal advice.
What Does A Lawyer Engineer Do?
Lawyers have a primary duty of solving legal problems either for individuals, corporate bodies or government agencies. They do this by representing in court, giving legal advice and applying the law where necessary. Lawyers build cases in favour of their clients by investigating facts, reviewing evidence and documents where necessary then file the pleadings to the court. Lawyers have different duties from preparing legal documents, giving legal advice and counsel on legal problems to clients, introducing evidence during trials, arguing facts and law in a courtroom, interviewing witnesses, facilitating depositions to conducting legal research. In cases where the judgement received doesn’t favour a client, a lawyer may seek new trials by appealing to a higher court.
Legal challenges may be arranged by lawyers to be settled without a court trial either through compromise, negotiation or reconciliation. may work in both the public and the private sectors. They also assist individuals to understand and arrange their rights when writing a will, contract or prenups.
Education Information
This professional requires certification and licensing to effectively practice. Although this differs from country to country due to different legal systems. Generally, a student must obtain a 4-year undergraduate degree which includes classes in political science, economics, philosophy, history and a lot of others. Prospective law students are also required to attempt and pass the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) to gain admission into a law school. Law school programs may take 2year or less depending on the geographical area. Law schools consider different factors during admission. These factors considered may include undergraduate GPA, LSAT scores, application essays and authenticity of letters of recommendation. In law school, aspiring lawyers choose and study their preferred speciality and graduate with a Juris Doctor degree which qualifies the applicant to sit for the bar exams. Passing the bar exams lead to certification. An unpopular opinion is that the bar exam isn’t a bed of roses and may take 2-3 days depending on the country. This final exam tests a wide variety of legal knowledge, from torts to civil procedures to contract law.
Law Specialities and Career options
In law, there are different specialities and law fields in this profession ranging from bankruptcy law and family law to international law. The legal system is very complex and has thus created different career options and fields that tend to a variety of core and non-core legal functions. Professionals who prefer litigation may seek a career in employment law, criminal law, or products liability or a lot of other practice areas. While lawyers with corporate preference may specialise in real estate law, tax law, mergers, and acquisitions, finance and other corporate practice areas to seek a rewarding career.
A survey showed that 36% of lawyers admit to being very successful, 50% admit to be successful and just 4% of the total number of attorneys are not successful. Lawyers in solo practice recorded over 8% as not successful
Law Careers
From lawyers, judges, and mediators to paralegals, secretaries, and consultants, the legal professional’s role is expanding and evolving to keep pace with the ever-changing legal system.
- Solicitors
- Barristers
- Barristers Clerk
- Chartered legal executive
- Judge
- Mediator
- Lecturer of the law
- Legal secretary
- Licensed conveyancer
- Patent attorney
- Paralegal
- Trademark Attorney
Law Specialities
There are a hundred law specialities and types that cover a variety of legal areas. Below are the 40 most common and acceptable ones in different countries
- Animal Law
- Admiralty and Maritime law
- Alimony
- Assault
- Asset Protection
- Bankruptcy
- Banking and Finance law
- Bonds Law
- Bribery
- Business Law
- Civil Right
Includes:
- Police brutality
- Employment and housing discrimination based on age, sex, ethnicity, and nation of origin
- Voting rights
- Religious liberties
- First Amendment rights
- Any other way in which an individual may feel that their rights are being infringed upon
- Child Abuse
- Child Custody
- Customs Law
- Cyberspace Crimes Law
- Constitutional law
- Corporate law
- Criminal law
- Education Law
- Entertainment law
- Employment Law
- Environmental and Natural Resource Law
- Firearms Law
- Food and Beverages Law
- Foreclosure
- Forestry Law
- Franchising Law
- Fraud Law
- Family Law
Involve familial relationships or relate to family issues, such as:
- Surrogacy
- In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)
- Prenuptial agreements
- Adoptions
- Child welfare
- Domestic violence
- Juvenile justice issues
- Health care law
- Immigration law
- International Law
- Intellectual Property
- Gaming Law
- Government
- Military Law
- Medical Law
- Privatisation Law
- Real Estate Law
- Taxation
Salary and Employment Projections.
According to the bureau of labour statistics,
“The median annual wage for lawyers was $126,930 in May 2020. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $61,490, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $208,00”
Modern society is impressed by the glamorous outfit of this profession, its high pay, impressive schooling and societal power as hallmarks of success, the legal profession is therefore regarded as a noble and elite profession. This makes the legal profession remain one of the most sought-after professions in today’s labour market.
The employment of lawyers is projected to grow 9 per cent from 2020 to 2030, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
