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Law and Lawyers

The legal profession is one of the oldest jobs in the world and it requires thorough dedication, confidence, loyalty and intelligence to be a lawyer. Many of us question what does this job offers that it made world leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Barack Obama choose it. A degree in law is a highly respected degree and helps the pursuer not only get great career options but also makes him or her aware of the country’s laws and their rights.

We fail to notice how we use laws in our day to day lives while driving at a certain speed or without a driver’s license. And it is important for each citizen to know and understand their country’s laws. A lawyer not only helps us in that but also makes it possible for a common man to be equal to all by fighting for their justice. Thus, the law is not just an official term used to describe a lawyer or a courtroom but it is for the society at whole.

A lawyer is a person who practices law, and he or she may specialize in a specific field such as, criminal law, defence, prosecution, tax, or environmental law or may choose a different career altogether.

Why choose to be a Lawyer

Before choosing a career we often ask ourselves ‘why?’ And hence here’s a small list of why a person should choose law as a career.

1. Combined Academic Studies: Law is one of those degrees which allow students to combine their graduate degrees like business, arts and even science with legal studies. No matter which field you belong to, you can always switch to law.
2. Career Options: A law degree offers a great number of career options apart from being a lawyer. More is mentioned below in detail.
3. Power: A law degree not only makes one aware of their rights and opportunities but also gives the power to make a difference and help the underprivileged get justice.
4. Respectable and stable job: A lawyer’s job is one of great respect, because what’s better than providing justice? And it also provides stability, even though it won’t make one super-rich at once but it provides a stable career.

Profession Options

If a person chooses to pursue law then he/she has a huge number of career options to choose from. A law degree is not just limited to the job of a lawyer. Some of the other jobs suitable for people in the legal profession are given below.

1. Paralegal: A paralegal is like a lawyer’s assistant. He/she does all the small jobs of the lawyer when the lawyer is busy with more important tasks. Paralegals usually draft pleadings, do research for cases, notify clients via letters and assist clients. This job is suitable for newcomers who have not yet established themselves.
2. Compliance Specialist: This position is usually occupied by training employees and their job is to supervise corporate compliance according to the laws and policies. They do that at the local and federal level.
3. Conflict Analyst: This position is mostly available in a law firm, and is a highly confidential job. The analysts have to research and find potential conflict matter between the firm personnel and parties indulged in a particular case.
4. Legal Recruiter: A legal recruiter does not work with a firm but instead get paid to provide law firms and other legal associations with suitable employees. The employees may be lawyers, paralegals, assistants, etc.
5. Litigation Support Professional: This job requires the person to handle the case data and feed everything into the system. The person must have a thorough knowledge of software and applications along with legal background for this.
6. E-Discovery Professional: This job is slightly different from the one mentioned above, instead of just uploading a case file it includes the exchange of case information between the courts, firms and clients. As of now, everything is being stored in electronic form.
7. Judge: The most respected and wanted job for a lawyer. There are certain conditions that must be fulfilled before a lawyer can apply to be a judge or clear the PCS-J exam. The main work of a judge is to interpret and apply the law and provide justice.
8. Law Clerk: Law clerks are basically the paralegals of judges. They are mostly newcomers who are just there to learn the working of the court. A law clerk is a respectable job for a newcomer and helps them boost their resumes and get good jobs later on in their lives.
9. Mediator: Commonly known as an arbitrator, a mediator’s job is to manage alternative dispute resolution (ADR) which is compulsory before a civil lawsuit can proceed to trial. Their job is to make both the parties come to a common settlement; they do not represent either of the sides.
10. Court Reporter: The court reporter is the one who is seated right beside the judge’s bench and their work is to transcribe legal proceedings, hearings, trials, and even depositions. In courts where they use audio recordings the tapes are also transcribed by the reporter.
11. Law Firm Administrator: A law firm administrator is like a manager of the law firm and supervises the everyday work and finances of a law firm.
12. Contract Administrator: This is a job in the law firm that involves the person to deal with contractual obligations. A contract administrator works under the law firm administrator.
13. Law Professor: As it is very clear from the name itself, a lawyer can apply to different law schools for a professorship. A professor takes classes and teaches the law students, he or she may also be involved in research work.
14. Law School Dean: The highest position of a lawyer in the academic field is that of a law school dean. He or she has to supervise the working of the college and manage everything.
15. Legal Career Counselor: What’s better than to guide other law graduates? A legal career counsellor’s job is to prepare students for the workplace by conducting interviews, finding the right profession and finding internships.