Introduction
I was in a law class, and my professor asked, “Is law a good or bad career choice?”
There was silence in the classroom as nobody wanted to answer the question. Finally, one of the students bravely stood up and said, “I think the ability to help others is an honorable profession.” The rest of the class laughed at her, and she sat down in embarrassment.
The professor then replied, “The ability to help others is a noble goal. And if that is the reason you choose law as a career, then that’s wonderful. But if your desire to become an attorney is simply because you think it will be easy or prestigious, please reconsider.”
Although the term “lawyer” usually refers to an attorney (a person who is trained to practice law in court), it may also refer to paralegals or other professionals who fulfill legal roles.
Who is a Lawyer?
Lawyers are a diverse group of professionals who work in many different fields. A lawyer is a person admitted to the bar (a law school) and licensed to practice law in a particular state or other jurisdiction. The process of gaining admission to the bar includes completing undergraduate work, law school, and passing a written exam on the states’ laws. After admission to the bar, lawyers may practice in various settings such as private firms, government agencies, or nonprofit organizations.
A lawyer also represents a client in a court of law and helps them formulate legal strategies that will be most effective in obtaining client objectives.
What does being a lawyer entail?
Lawyers perform work familiar to some military personnel. For example, they advise clients in legal disputes and criminal cases, draft contracts and legal documents, conduct investigations, negotiate settlements, and manage or advise clients on legal transactions.
Lawyers typically do the following:
- Advise and represent clients in courts, before government agencies, and in private legal matters.
- Interpret laws, rulings, and regulations for individuals and businesses.
- Create legally binding documents to cover real estate or business transactions or other situations.
- Examine trial evidence presented by witnesses or collected by investigators, and assist in choosing their testimony or evidence most helpful to their side of the case.
- Lawyers are hired by individuals, small businesses, large corporations, and government agencies.
- Lawyers must possess excellent memory, research, and analytical skills and be skilled in client relations.
Becoming a Lawyer
To enter law school and become a lawyer, you must have at least a Bachelor of Arts degree. Most law schools require this degree to be in a field such as a history, political science, economics, or philosophy. One exception is if you take a pre-law curriculum in college, you may apply directly to law school without an undergraduate degree.
To become a lawyer in the United States, you will need to obtain a law degree. U.S.U.S. law schools require students to have a bachelor’s degree before they can be admitted. Many law schools also require candidates to have great grades.
A law degree is a great way to become an influential force in our society and change things for the better. There are many different types of degrees you can pursue that will allow you to become a lawyer. Having an undergraduate degree in any field is a necessary prerequisite for law school. The first step to becoming a lawyer in any jurisdiction is obtaining pre-law education or getting your undergraduate degree.
In addition, there is the J.D./M.B.A. combination: where someone gets an undergraduate degree, takes the J.D.J.D., and then gets an M.B.A.M.B.A., which is especially helpful if they want to go into business or join a large firm (because M.B.A.sM.B.A.s from business schools have a much easier time finding jobs). Law school is not the only way to get an M.B.AM.B.A.
While law graduates can choose to be advocates or practitioners in the legal profession, they can also pursue other careers after attaining their L.L.B.L.L.B. or Bachelor of Laws degrees equally important. For example, government lawyers help ensure that local or federal laws are upheld and enforced (and these roles are crucial to ensuring a working democracy). In addition, many law graduates continue to contribute to the legal profession as legal researchers, investigators, or legal writers.
However, a rather unconventional way has been used to find out what lawyers want to do and what kind of people they are. The results were published in ‘The Secret Lives of Lawyers: Inside the Strange World of the Law.’
Earnings of a typical lawyer
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for lawyers in the United States is around $118,000. Salaries typically start from $58,000 and go up to $247,433. The highest earners were partners of large firms ($245,250-$304,600), and the lowest earners were solo practitioners ($114,750-$176,200). The average salary for lawyers in the U.S.U.S. is around $120k per year. Salaries typically start from $58k and go up to $247k.
In the United States, 3,139,400 lawyers make a living by working as attorneys. This does not include all other legal practitioners who also make a living as lawyers (paralegal, legal secretaries, legal clerks, etc.).
Here are some additional details about lawyers and their salaries in the U.S.A.U.S.A.:
- In general, a lawyer with a Bachelor’s degree will have more modest compensation than a lawyer with a Doctorate. Although, this will vary depending on each individual’s experience and skill set.
- Mean annual wages were $113,420 in May 2015.
- Median annual wages were $113,420 in May 2015.
- The highest-paid employees were male workers earning $161,750 annually.
Benefits of choosing law as a career path
Law is a profession that focuses on helping people and businesses understand the law. People often pursue law school to become lawyers, paralegals, legal assistants, mediators, and court reporters. Lawyers help their clients understand the law, research legal problems and precedents, prepare documents, and represent clients in court.
Law, as one of the best careers in the world, offers several advantages to its practitioners. These include the following:
Income potential: The gross average annual income for a lawyer in the U.S.U.S. was $104,520 (cited from the Bureau of Labor Statistics) as of 2015. Some top-earning lawyers made up to $772,730 (cited from Forbes Magazine). On top of the income you can earn from private independent practice, you receive a pension.
Full-time jobs in law are generally secure and well-paying. On top of that, there are many employment opportunities for lawyers, and firms are always looking for competent lawyers.
The demand for Legal advisors is always on the rise. One of the many benefits is that you never have to worry about job security because of the nature of work. The demand for legal advisors in the market is only on the rise rather than on a decline with time and constant innovation, and the introduction of newer laws. Therefore, if you choose law as a career, you can be assured of a job and a good income.
Dangers of choosing law as a career path
The job of a lawyer is very demanding. It requires extreme concentration as you have to work on several cases simultaneously. Very lengthy working hours and the worry of becoming lethargic is chief in their minds as it is a tasking and very competitive field. Remember, it is a lengthy process, and it is hard to stick to it.
A law degree is a long-term investment in your career and your future. Students who study law need to be aware of the significant time commitment and the challenges involved in this profession. The flowcharts below will help you identify whether the law is the right choice for you, personally.
In light of the recent changes that are taking place in the field of law, many students are eagerly immersing themselves in the field. However, most students tend to ignore a few important points that a lawyer has to deal with. Besides, the job of a lawyer is very interesting; it is also extremely challenging. It takes one year to finally become a licensed attorney. Also, a lawyer’s schedule is very hectic, and a lot of time is spent studying and reading books and related material. A lawyer also has to work for long hours on end and still focus on his case. A lawyer’s job demands that one keeps up-to-date with the latest news and developments as this will help him offer the best defense in court.
Why is law a good career option?
The answer to this question depends on what your goals are in life. For example, if you want to help people, provide public service and social justice, or you want to work in the public sector, or you want a high-paying job out of law school. Law school may not be for you.
It is a fact that the law as a career seems less attractive to many job seekers over the years. For others, the law is the only option available. They view it as one of the best career choices available at the moment.
If you want to make a lot of money and have a stable career path and prestige, law school may be good.
Why do people study law? For most students, it’s a safe bet. It’s hard to fail, has a good career built-in, and gives you a chance to fight with your friends when the professor is late handing back your exam.
For some, being a lawyer is probably pretty intimidating and scary. But, did you ever wonder what the job is like?
The picture for new law graduates is a little complicated. New law graduates have experienced a difficult time finding jobs and also frequently face crushing student loan debt. According to the American Bar Association, the median debt for law school graduates in 2011 was $98,500 (which does not include undergraduate debt).
Top Schools
There are over 200 recognized law schools in the United States. Still, the world’s top law schools are typically considered to be Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, Stanford University, the University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, New York University, University of Virginia, and the University of California-Berkeley, etc.
Typical Law School Curriculum
A typical law school curriculum takes three years to complete with predetermined first-year courses for students, to ensure proper legal grooming before students are allowed the luxury of selecting their major. Common first-year courses include Civil Procedure where students learn civil suits majorly and the litigation game; Contracts courses that teaches the basics of commercial and consumer law; Criminal law that helps students understand crimes such as burglary and murder, and defenses such as mistakes of fact, mistakes of law and self-defense; and Property law that teaches about the ownership of natural resources and landlord/tenant law, intellectual property, eminent domain and easements; Tort helps new students understand why one person can sue another; while Constitutional law helps students understand the Constitution and the Bill of Rights; and a Legal Research and Writing course helps students learn how to think and write like a lawyer.
Conclusion
The prestigious nature of the law makes it a good career choice as it is very stable, lucrative, and prestigious. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, attorneys in all specialty areas consistently make well over $100,000 per year. In some specialty areas, they can make more than $200,000 per year. The B.L.S.B.L.S. further notes: “The median annual wage for lawyers was $120,670 in May 2011. The middle 50 percent earned between $82,420 and $183,320.” Other job projections are even more optimistic, with projections that the number of jobs for lawyers will increase at a rate of 18% through 2020 (compared before the 2008-2009 recession. Therefore one can rightly say that law is a great career, especially as it appeals to all works of life and the growth opportunity for lawyers or learned colleagues as they are seldom addressed.
