Lawyer Job Description
A lawyer, as their name implies, advises and speaks for the client in an attempt to receive a favorable ruling.
A lawyer's primary responsibility is to assess the facts of a case and advise their client in accordance with their expertise. Lawyers also must communicate clearly, both orally and in writing, so clients understand how they should proceed.
One way lawyers handle this task is to draft documents that explain the law or procedure involved and present arguments for each side in court. Lawyers involved in litigation work with clients during pre-trial investigations and go to court with them during trials. In cases where they are not representing a party, lawyers can be hired as an expert witness to give testimony about the law or procedure in question.
After graduating from law school, new lawyers must pass the bar exam (which consists of both written and oral tests) in order to become licensed. Then they are able to practice as an attorney. Law students who have graduated from law school can also choose to further their education by pursuing a Juris Doctorate, which is the equivalent of earning an M.B.A or Ph.D in law.
Trial lawyers are the most common type of attorney, but there are many other kinds that handle different cases and serve different types of clientele:
- Corporate attorneys specialize in corporate law, which involves the laws surrounding business and commerce. They may specialize in intellectual property law or finance law (such as mergers)
- Patent attorneys concentrate in patent law , which covers everything from copyrights to inventions
- Civil litigation attorneys handle cases where someone is suing another person or company because of a contract dispute, personal injury, real estate dispute or breach of fiduciary duty
Lawyers also specialize in different areas of law (e.g., civil law, criminal law, family or juvenile law) or practice in particular geographical regions. For example, there are personal injury attorneys that only handle cases where someone has been hurt and needs financial compensation. However, some lawyers do not specialize in a single area of law and instead take cases that cover diverse legal areas.
The demand for attorneys is expected to increase as the U.S. population grows and ages over the next decade. However, this may be offset by the need for fewer attorneys as more laws are implemented online or automated so they won't have to be interpreted by professional lawyers.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that employment for lawyers will grow 7% from 2012 to 2022, which is about as fast as the average for all occupations predicted by BLS in this time frame. This growth rate is slower than the one for legal assistants, who are expected to see an 11% increase in jobs.
Salaries for lawyers vary widely based on where they are working, what their background is and what sector they are practicing in (i.e., government or private industry). Experienced attorneys may earn over $140,000 a year in large cities like New York City while entry-level employees who work for the federal government may earn less than half of that.
Articles On Lawyers
Lawyer - Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
Lawyers: Occupational Outlook Handbook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Lawyers advise and represent individuals, businesses, and government agencies on legal issues and disputes. (bls.gov)
Lawyers (onetonline.org)
Lawyer A lawyer, at the most basic level, advises and represents individuals, businesses and government agencies in criminal or civil legal matters. But the title "lawyer"... (money.usnews.com)
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