Profession - Lawyer

Advantages of the lawyer profession

• Relevance of the profession. Lawyers are needed always and everywhere. A wide range of activities is concentrated in their hands: lawyers develop legislation, carry out reforms, govern the state, decide the fate of people, protect victims and innocents, establish justice, accompany transactions, contracts, and much more. As long as there are legal states, lawyers will also have work to do.
• A large number of career options. There is a wide range of career options and jobs for lawyers in both the private and public sectors. You can choose a quiet office job and become a notary, or find a job in a court — a place full of events and important decisions. Also, lawyers work in government agencies as civil servants. Having gained experience, you can go independent and become a private lawyer and either take on quieter civil cases or, go for serious criminal cases. If a lawyer is passionate about real estate, internal planning, or corporate law, then work can be found in a specific area in firms and enterprises.
• Intellectual growth. Working as a lawyer is a daily mental work. Responsibilities include constantly reading documents, writing lawsuits, drafting speeches, developing strategies and lines of defense in courts, searching and processing large amounts of information. In addition, a lawyer must navigate endless amendments to laws and the political situation in the world and in the home country. In short, constant self-development, self-education, and work practice accompany a lawyer throughout the career.
• Prestige and respect. The legal profession is automatically associated with a complex legal language, difficult studies, the ability to speak beautifully and professionally, as well as possession of secret and valuable knowledge. Therefore, society at the very least respects lawyers, and in some cases is terrified of them. People often try to make friends with lawyers, because it is always useful to have a friend or acquaintance in jurisprudence. After all, knowledge of the laws is important not only for a professional but also for all citizens living in a state governed by the rule of law.

Disadvantages of the lawyer profession

• Career building. Due to high competition and a vague idea of ​​the career path, young lawyers are often lost and do not know where to go after graduation. Therefore, it is important to test your strength and train in different areas in order to determine the direction of your career, before you even graduate.
• Difficulties in finding a job. Universities annually release thousands of young professionals to the labor market, which is already overcrowded with lawyers. Therefore, from the get-go it is difficult to find a job, not only because of a lack of experience but also because of the high competition among the same young graduates who are passionate about the profession. Moreover, enterprises are looking for already experienced professionals, which, despite a large number of lawyers, is a rare occurrence.
• Constant stress. Responsibility for the fate of thousands of people lies on the shoulders of lawyers and judges. And when defending victims, a lawyer is faced with negativity at best and people's grief at worst. All this leads to a lot of stress and anxiety. Therefore, a lawyer needs to be able to abstract and not take everything to heart. At the same time, it is important to keep a balance, otherwise, there is a risk of becoming cynical and cold, or becoming too sympathetic and burned out. Besides, the “habitats” of lawyers are not the most rosy — lawyers, judges, and prosecutors spend a lot of time in courts and prisons. As a result, depression, mental health problems, and suicides are increasingly common among professionals^[1][2].

What qualities does a lawyer need?

You can learn almost everything, but in order to build a successful career, it is desirable to have certain inclinations and qualities. The future lawyer will benefit greatly from the ability to persuade and speak beautifully, as well as skills in writing and thoughtful reading. Such qualities as thinking on your feet, persistence, clarity and consistency of logic, good memory, high sense of responsibility, nerves of steel, and stress resistance are very important. Students should be able to search and analyze information, be thorough and diligent. Often, applicants enter the Faculty of Law because they know how to argue well, but this, although a good quality, is not the most important thing. In addition, lawyers must have a sense of professional ethics, as the law requires confidentiality. In turn, such traits as absent-mindedness, gentleness, sensitivity, disorganization, and excessive emotionality can hinder a future lawyer.

It should be noted that the profession of a lawyer is not suitable for everyone. It is important to have almost all the necessary qualities, good preparation at the university, and the desire to become a successful lawyer and achieve professional success. Otherwise, it is possible to remain a consultant, civil servant, or paralegal without any hopes for promotion for a long time.

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Where do lawyers work?

Lawyers work in both the public and private sectors:

• Almost every state structure accepts specialists with legal education: ministries, courts, government bodies;
• Private employers: law firms, manufacturing companies, factories, banks, etc .;
• Lawyers can work for themselves: notaries or private attorneys.

Many students want to become lawyers thinking that they will often go to court. This is a misconception, since most of the work takes place outside the courtroom — in the office, reading and analyzing documents and laws, especially at the initial stage.

Please, note that in many countries, it is impossible to become a lawyer right after graduation. To do that, you need to acquire additional qualifications. For more details, read our article about legal education abroad.