Private Lawyer
Does the Legal world excite you?
Whether you have a background in the arts, sciences or a mix of the two, what you need to become a Lawyer is a genuine interest in the law and sufficent motivation to study this tough intellectual discipline.
There are several different types of Lawyers of which a Private Lawyer is one.
Private Lawyers focus on civil or criminal law, representing private individuals.
In civil law, they pursue private law suits or litigation, or deal with wills, contracts, trusts, mortgages, leases, etc.
A criminal lawyer career entails arguing a client’s case in court, following the client being charged with a crime. Some lawyers only handle larger, public interest cases that have wider social importance.
Other areas of specialization include bankruptcy, probate and international law. Some lawyers work in law schools, or teach in non-academic environments. Other lawyers work for not-for-profit organizations or disadvantaged people, usually being paid with legal aid monies. They usually handle civil cases, rather than criminal.
Would a Lawyer Career Suit You?
Lawyers have to follow a rigorous education, formal educational requirements for lawyers include a 4-year college degree, 3 years in law school, and the passing of a written bar examination.
Competition for admission to most law schools is intense.
Demand for lawyers will be spurred by the growth of legal action in such areas as health care, intellectual property, international law, elder law, environmental law, and sexual harassment.
Lawyers do most of their work in offices, law libraries, and courtrooms. They sometimes meet in clients’ homes or places of business and, when necessary, in hospitals or prisons. They may travel to attend meetings, gather evidence, and appear before courts, legislative bodies, and other authorities. Salaried lawyers usually have structured work schedules.
Lawyers who are in private practice may work irregular hours while conducting research, conferring with clients, or preparing briefs during non-office hours. Lawyers often work long hours, and of those who regularly work full time, about half work 50 hours or more per week. They may face particularly heavy pressure, especially when a case is being tried.
Preparation for court includes keeping abreast of the latest laws and judicial decisions. Although legal work generally is not seasonal, the work of tax lawyers and other specialists may be an exception. Because lawyers in private practice often can determine their own workload and the point at which they will retire, many stay in practice well beyond the usual retirement age.
Lawyer career opportunities
Employment of lawyers is expected to grow about as fast as the average through 2012, primarily as a result of growth in the population and in the general level of business activities.
Employment growth of lawyers also will result from growth in demand for legal services in such areas as elder, antitrust, environmental, and intellectual-property law.
In addition, the wider availability and affordability of legal clinics and prepaid legal service programs should result in increased use of legal services by middle-income people.
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