Video: What Is A Typical Day Like for a Lawyer? | Legal Advisor 2024, July
If you “got lost” in search of your calling, pay attention to how necessary and popular the lawyer profession remains at all times. Its pros and cons are not as obvious as it seems at first glance. We will try to consider them in detail in this article.
Who are the lawyers? What do they do, what responsibilities do
A lawyer is a professional who stands guard over the law. Well-versed in legal documentation, he defends the interests of citizens who turned to him for help. Of course, only the most general definition sounds like this.
Lawyers working in ministries and departments are engaged in standard-setting activities, that is, they directly “compose” and develop wordings of laws, decrees, and decrees. They also edit and revise the content of legal documentation.
High-class lawyers work in the court, prosecutor's office, police, FSB, supervisory authorities, as well as in the tax and customs services. They protect public order, warn and investigate offenses.
A significant part of the “experts in the law” is engaged in upholding the interests of commercial organizations. Large corporations and banks are creating full-fledged legal departments, which are tasked with:
- Ensure that the commercial operations of the company are correct from the point of view of Russian and international law.
- Protect the interests of the company in court, participate in an out-of-court settlement of disagreements with partners.
Lawyers with private practice receive citizens, helping in ordinary matters relating to inheritance, property division, housing or tax disputes, disagreements with employers.
Some graduates of law schools remain in the walls of their own academies and universities to teach special disciplines to future "lawyers".
Experts with extensive experience also receive income from journalistic activities.
Whatever responsibilities the profession “lawyer” suggests, it is important to analyze the pros and cons of the profession before you sign the employment contract.
What qualities are important to possess
A professional lawyer must have a special character and mindset in order to truly succeed in his field. What character traits distinguish a lawyer confidently striding forward?
1. Learning. To become popular in the legal services market, it is necessary to constantly replenish the knowledge base, carefully monitor changes in laws, decrees, and regulatory acts. An experienced lawyer gets used to the complex, often ambiguous formulations of documents.
2. Responsibility. The fate of a person, family, and often companies with thousands of employees, depends on how well this specialist performs his tasks. It is important to be able to bear this burden and deal with it.
3. Stress resistance. The lawyer has to regularly “turn the mountains” in a short time, while making difficult decisions. Each step should be done impartially, carefully, with a cold head. It is very difficult not to succumb to panic and not be afraid of the consequences of one’s own mistakes, omissions, and rash acts.
4. The ability to work with people and inspire confidence. Too modest, shy, doubting the lawyer is unlikely to succeed. It is important for people in a difficult situation to get a clear answer on what can be done and how to protect the interests of their family and business. Unshakable confidence should be felt in the voice, manner of behavior, intonations of the professional. The profession “lawyer” is also noteworthy. Its pros and cons are that a person who has decided to make money in the field of law is simply forced to become not only stronger, but also more attractive to people - potential customers.
5. Purposefulness and perseverance. The one who does not give up wins - this is the principle of the work of an excellent lawyer. A competent specialist, even in the most hopeless case, is looking for leads to improve the situation for the client.
6. The ability to build a reputation. The success of a lawyer depends largely on what they say about him. Professionals are working on their image. To do this, they have to pay attention to many seemingly insignificant details. For potential clients it matters what clothes a lawyer or legal adviser wears, what property he owns, and what kind of people he meets.
Before contacting a specialist, people try to inquire about him. If it becomes known that things are not going well with him (he lost several things in a row, quarreled with an influential person, interrupts from bread to water), potential clients will beware of going to him. However, too expensive and well-known lawyer can cause distrust among people: they do not want to pay too much only for expert status.
How to start a lawyer's career
Specialized secondary education is not enough for a successful start. To get a good position and earn worthy, it is important to get a diploma of higher education. If it is not possible to enter the full-time department of the university, it is worth submitting documents for evening or correspondence. You can also study remotely on a commercial basis.
High-quality and deep education will help you to reliably find out what are the pros and cons of the profession “lawyer”.
Already studying at school, it is important to take part in conferences on jurisprudence, making every effort to win. State universities often leave one or two places for outstanding students, winners of city and regional intellectual competitions and contests.
After several years of work, it will not matter in which particular university and in what specialty you studied, under what circumstances, you began to learn all the pros and cons of the profession “lawyer”. Having earned an excellent reputation, you will no longer have a shortage of means of earning.
What to do at the stage of study at the university
It is important for a student who seriously wants to become a lawyer to get all the part-time jobs and internships in the specialty that he can only find. It is worth offering its services, initially free of charge, to the bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the prosecutor's office, and private legal consultations.
Having received a diploma, it is important not to stop at the achieved level, but to continue to improve qualifications, studying in special courses for lawyers. If possible, you should go to graduate school and earn a Ph.D.
Studying at a university, it is also worth trying to write articles. The ability to formulate thoughts is a quality that is necessary for people whose profession is a lawyer. The description, all the pros and cons of a specialty is important to know in advance.
Send texts for publication to various editions. Build a portfolio and carefully store documents confirming your professional experience.
How much do lawyers earn
The initial income in the province is small: from 8 to 12 thousand rubles. per month. However, at the start of a career it is important to earn not so much money as a reputation, experience and experience interacting with clients.
Only after several years of uninterrupted work, young lawyers, police officers, prosecutors begin to understand all the pros and cons of the legal profession.
Having official confirmation of work experience on hand, a young professional can become a legal adviser in a bank or a large corporation. Salary, depending on the level of professionalism and capabilities of the company, will be from 15 to 50 thousand rubles.
Having taken the post of head or deputy head of the legal department, you can get from 30 to 120 thousand rubles. in the province.
How to earn more
To sell their services more often and more expensively, a lawyer needs not only to increase his professional level, but also to be able to sell himself. It is important to be in sight: to expand the circle of acquaintances, to tell in informal conversations unobtrusively, among other things, about what exactly you do.
New clients and employers can be found at seminars, exhibitions, conferences. It is important to actively promote yourself: give speeches, express a point of view on current events, offer assistance.
If someone talks about a difficult situation, do not be stingy at first to give free friendly advice on how best to proceed. Any “cap” acquaintance can become a client.
You can also increase your income many times by developing the career of an international lawyer. Studying foreign languages and norms of interethnic law, a competent specialist in laws can become a very wealthy person.
This is a very attractive profession "lawyer", the pros and cons of which are that the services of a competent specialist are always in great demand. Even if customers are willing to pay a round fee, there is not always the strength to work at night. And giving up generous rewards is always difficult.
Advantages of working as a lawyer
In each specialty, you can highlight both attractive and repulsive moments. Consider the main advantages in the profession of a lawyer.
1. Interesting thing. This work is very creative. She develops intelligence, memory, attention.
2. Prestige. The name of any specialty in the field of law enforcement is very pleasant to write on a business card. An accomplished professional lawyer can rightfully be proud of his position in society.
3. Excellent prospects. A lawyer of any industry has opportunities for development and growth.
4. A rapidly growing circle of acquaintances. Perhaps the most important thing is the profession of “lawyer” that is obliged to constant close and long-term contact with people. The pros and cons of this state of things are that you, on the one hand, get a lot of “useful” acquaintances who are ready to help, on the other hand, you have to constantly be open to communication, and this is very difficult.
5. Independence. Too many lawyers work "for themselves", as individual entrepreneurs. They personally manage their time, both working and personal, are not required to report to their bosses and follow orders.
6. Demand. A professional lawyer with experience is always very attractive to clients.
7. For "internationals", the plus is the ability to travel without interrupting work.
Disadvantages of the specialty
No matter how moneyy and prestigious the “lawyer” profession may seem, its pros and cons are equally important and, perhaps, equivalent.
When striving to become an expert in any branch of law, it is important to have an idea of the shortcomings of future work:
1. The daily activities of a lawyer are associated with the execution of a large number of papers. In order to be in time to carry out official tasks, you need to be a methodical and consistent person, not be afraid of boredom and routine.
2. As a rule, a lawyer who does not aspire to career heights maintains a low income for the entire period of employment.
3. This work is associated with frequent stresses. Protecting the interests of one side, the lawyer invariably comes into conflict with the other. Very difficult work and tough deadlines that dictates the business world.
4. A lawyer with private practice, as a rule, does not have a guaranteed monthly income. You have to work hard to find customers.
5. Lawyers in the public service (government, prosecutor's office, police, FSB) usually have irregular working hours. Many employees are required to carry out night shifts.
6. Persons working in law enforcement must endanger their lives and health.
7. Criminal law lawyers are required to regularly communicate with asocial elements and visit prisons, where the atmosphere is difficult.
Conclusion
We hope that after reading the article it will become clearer to you what the profession of “lawyer” is, what are the pros and cons inherent in it.
In search of a vocation, be sure to listen to your intuition. Beware of following good advice from third parties if you feel that the road suggested by them is not suitable for you.
When deciding which profession to choose, remember that only those people who do what they love do achieve great success in life.
