So you want to become an associate attorney? Or perhaps you are wondering what career tips you could use to get there. If you are interested in becoming an associate attorney, it may be new and confusing to many.
Graduating from law school can put you into several legal opportunities. There are many possible careers for your development, including becoming an associate attorney. Most of the time, law graduates usually start out working as an associate attorney in a firm. However, before learning about associate attorney careers, you have to know its difference from a lawyer. In its most general sense, graduates of law school, paralegals, or someone who provides legal aid and is trained in the field can be referred to as lawyers.
A lawyer conducts legal research and offers advice to individuals or groups with their legal problems. On the other hand, in its strictest sense, an attorney is also a lawyer but specifically passed the bar exam. Attorney’s therefore can exercise and practice law according to their jurisdiction. A lawyer is not necessarily an attorney. In this sense, an attorney is a lawyer but has more privilege and right in the legal field.
If you are opting to start your legal journey as an associate attorney, you need to consider many things. Right now, most people who just completed a law degree are looking for the ideal career ladder to get them started. Job prospects for lawyers are never-ending, but choosing the right one matters the most.
For most starters, an associate attorney is their best and probable choice. It may sound like an easy career target; however, there is definitely more than meets the eye. That’s why we put together all the basic things you’ll need to know about becoming an associate attorney.
What Does An Associate Attorney Do?
If not all, most jobs require an early starting career before advancing into the higher ranking ones. Though legal careers may look like a non-hierarchical career at first, all lawyers undergo rigorous training to gain experience for a higher rank. For newly graduates with no experience, opting for an associate attorney job is usually everyone’s first step on the ladder.
The legal profession is a marathon; it always starts at the bottom then working all the way up. When you start, especially in a law firm, you will have to apply as an associate attorney first or as the firm’s junior attorney. An associate attorney is like a regular employee who receives employee benefits and gets paid regularly. The salary can be pretty great depending on the firm that you will be working with. In most law firms, there can be several partner and associate attorneys. The relationship between these two is like an employer and employee relationship.
A partner is a “part” owner of a firm, and an associate assists the owners in many cases. Associate attorneys obviously earn less than a partner because they gain more benefits and bonuses from the firm’s annual profit. Partners also have “voting” rights within a firm, especially in decisions that may greatly impact the firm itself. Some firms promote associates into becoming one of their partners over time. However, this can be less likely in most cases because it attaches risks to the firm.
Associate Attorney Responsibilities And Must-Have Skills
An associate attorney’s duties and responsibilities are very extensive, hence, a great learning experience, especially for fresh graduates. Their main responsibilities include:
- Providing legal advice to clients in a lawsuit. As said earlier, representing your client before a jury is a top responsibility you will have to face. You have to identify your client’s areas of interest and offer help on having trouble. You have to ensure that you are giving the right advice to your client. Hence, it is important to communicate with them as well.
- Representing clients. The heart of all attorney’s duty is to represent their respective clients before a court. They are responsible for assisting and providing support to win a client’s case. This is the most important legal service that they are responsible for. In most cases, associate attorneys handle easier and smaller cases.
- Researching and preparing extensive and relevant documents to the case. This is the part where you will have to utilize all the readings and case digests that you reviewed while studying law. Research is probably one of the most rigorous but significant factors in any winning or losing a case. If you are great at finding relevant cases and pleadings related to the one you are handling, you will most likely know what to do next. You have to gather every detail that will identify the point of law in the disputed area. It will also help you prepare for court arguments and laying down important evidence backed by research.
- Drafting Pleadings outside of the courtroom. Courts generally require short and direct civil complaints or statements in the allegations. Writing a well-pleaded complaint makes all the difference in making a great impression on your case. In litigation, the importance of being able to identify the primary foundation of any case is critical.
- Plan the course of action for the client. Before seeking advice, most litigation clients would, of course, lay down their budget and their main goal for filing such cases. It is also a part of your responsibility to offer the most suitable action to take while considering the associate attorney’s budget. Cases can be costly, and your client must know how much they might win in the case. If there are better alternatives, such as coming with better terms or negotiating, you can also give that option to the client. Strategic planning is essential; you don’t just take in clients as much as you could. You have to see things through the right lens and have a plan most beneficial for both the firm and the client.
Now, you might be thinking that that’s a lot of responsibility, but if you really want a great legal career path, you should excel in these duties. To do so, here are several skills that can help you:
- Legal Research skills. Holding a license does not appropriately guarantee that you are already cut out for the needed skills. You have to hone your skills, especially your legal research skills, continuously. Learning doesn’t end once you pass the bar; learning in actuality starts when you land on your first job. You should be great at conducting research using litigation, legal texts, and other related sources.
- Drafting skills and attention to detail. Drafting legal texts, including contracts, appeals, affidavits, and reports, is also a region you should work on. Proven expertise in drafting will not only help you excel in your firm but in the larger array of the legal field as well. The vital part of any legal profession can build a case with even the most unkempt details. You have to pay close attention to the details until you put all the puzzles together.
- Familiarity with your legal field. Being familiar with your specialty is an exceptional skill every aspiring lawyer should work on. Your ability to thoroughly understand and practice your learnings can get you a long way in legal disputes.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. This is probably one of the most common and obvious skills that any aspiring lawyer should have. To defend someone, you have to use your communication skills to make people understand the plea. Enunciating your arguments and listening to the other end is crucial for effective legal communication. When you can get the client’s voice out there the right way, they would feel more trusting of you. Understanding and being understood lies solely on your communication skills. An effective lawyer should be able to polish this skill.
- Analytical and logical skills. The ability to conceptualize, understand and solve a problem is also one of the rigorously practiced aspects of the legal profession. Law schools hone this among their students for them to have a larger stretch in their careers. Being good at researching and communicating won’t be effective if it is not logically organized. A logical and well-organized argument will be able to deliver a good service to your clients and a clean case as well.
- Honesty, integrity, and dedication. The law profession is sure a tough thing to go through. It’s like human-made torture from law school until the very profession. There can be many risks and temptations that can dirty your reputation, but you need to make sure that you came prepared. Honesty and integrity are the heart of laws, and as an attorney, you must uphold this. You have to be dedicated to the profession as well. Taking cases half-heartedly is not even an option because it can be someone’s life or future that’s on the line.
To become an associate attorney, you need to have a lot of self-discipline and confidence. Gaining the right legal degree takes years, but gaining the right legal career path won’t just take time but a heap of effort and perseverance as well.
Associate Attorney: Salary, Where To Work And How To Apply
Some firms can be better than others when starting at an associate attorney career. The competition is high, and the demand is high as well. The typical salary for an associate attorney in the US can go over $57 per hour. According to Payscale, the average salary for an Associate Attorney is $75,441. The best states for these careers are established in New York, California, Washington, and Massachusetts.
The firm where you will be working may be one of the defining factors of your legal career. While it can be hard to choose between competing law firm offers based on the salary alone, it is also important to consider several other factors:
- Healthy work culture and environment. The significance of having a healthy work culture and environment can never be stressed enough. Keep in mind that this is the environment that you will be closely working with; pay attention to how it may help you grow as a person. To properly evaluate a firm, ask them questions. Even when the firm is well established and high paying, their values should still align with yours.
- The firm’s network and reliability. Will working with the firm help build a good standing in your career as an associate attorney? Consider their reputation, network, and reliability among the many lines of firms available. You choose the right school to go among the hundred choices — consider the quality that they offer to their clients and the corporate world.
- Clients. If you are opting for a big firm, you have to expect that there will also be many big clients. When opting for small firms, on the one hand, private clients will be dealt with most of the time. Learn about who their clients are in general. In many cases, you may find yourself defending a criminal defendant, custody proceedings, government officials, and many others; the possibilities are endless. Distinguish whether these are the type of clients you see yourself working with.
- Location. If you are planning to start your career, make sure that you are vying for a good work location. This also contributes to the work environment that you’ll have. Opting for a prime location that can put ease and at the same time help your growth should be considered as well.
- Opportunities. You should also take into account whether the firm you will work with values individual efforts. Working for a firm should not just mean working alone; there should always be room for growth and opportunities. If you are passionate about a specific aspect of the law, make sure that they also offer growth in that specialty. Make it advantageous not just for them but for yours as well.
- Salary expectations. It pays to consider a firm based on their salary rates. It is only right and realistic to put a value on the work that you can do. You have to know your worth and be able to negotiate. After all, it can be a risky job as well. You don’t have to offer high expectations but at least make the hard work pay for itself.
Associate Attorney is a great opportunity to work with some of the best people in the legal field. It can also be a defining moment in your startup career as an Attorney. In the process of building your career as such, it is important to know the basics. There is no better place to grow as an associate attorney if you know the core features that this career offers.
Also read Lawyer vs Attorney: What’s the Difference?
