Job Responsibilities
Represent corporate clients in litigation matters. This entails
conferring with clients; appearing with and/or on behalf of
clients in court; research, strategizing, planning and preparing
for depositions, administrative and court hearings, trials,
settlement conferences, and meetings of various kinds.
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Job Requirements
To become a lawyer requires attainment of a J.D. or L.L.M. Degree
at a law school and licensing by the bar association of at least
one state upon graduation. Prerequisites for enrollment in Law
School are: 4-year college degree (B.S. or B.A.), plus a high
GPA (varies by law school)and acceptable score on the
standardized Law School Admissions Test(again varies by law
school).
Unlike most undergraduate schools, law school grading is based on
direct competition among the students, from first in class to
last. Typically, the most prestigious law jobs go to the top 1/3
of a law school class, and top 10% virtually assures one of
landing a high-paying first job. Competition in law school is
therefore quite intense. The other big deal in law school as far
as post-graduation marketability is Law Review. By invitation
based on first year grades, or by writing a paper deemed good
enough, students get to work on the law school's Law Review,
i.e., its scholarly periodical publication. Some law schools
have two or more Law Reviews, making it a bit more available for
folks to grade or write their way on board.
Although it is a bit of an oversimplification, the addage goes
that first year of law school, they scare you to death; second
year they work you to death; and third year they bore you to
death. The first year is daunting, and people who drop out
usually do so at or right after first year. Second year, the
workload doesn't ease up, but people generally work harder trying
to maintian or improve their class stadning. By third year, a
sizable portion of the class has already accepted employment upon
graduation, is working part-time at a law firm, or both. First
year, everyone takes the same courses: torts, contracts,
property, basic courtroom procedure and the like. Second and
third years, students have some say in which direction they go:
Litigation, or transactional law, e.g., real estate, securities,
finance, tax, the list is extensive.
Most of my law professors were reasonably available outside of
class for questions. But in class waas another story. There is a
now old movie (and book) called The Paper Chase, and it is pretty
accurate as far as atmosphere, class tension, and the like.
Professors use the Socratic Method of teaching, meaning they call
on students to answer questions throughout each class session and
rarely if ever just give straightforward lectures. You can be
sure that the one day you have not read your homework will be the
day the professor calls on you. The workload in law school is
enormous, and it is ill-advised to try to hold down even a part-
time job whill attending law school full time. Some law schools
do offer night classes for working students, but don't expect to
finish in less than four or five years if you take that route.
Not that that's so terrible, just know what you are in for before
embarking.
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Uppers
Good pay. Not as good as doctors for most, but good.
Prestige. Career options. While many ifn ot most law school graduates go to work
for a law firm, many go to work directly for a corporation or for the government.
A select few few go to work as briefing attorneys for state and federal judges.
Our newest U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts was once himself a "clerk" for
Justice Rehnquist.
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Downers
You will find that as you practice, over the years newer and
newer attorneys are making higher and higher starting salaries,
which can be frustrating after you work five or six years to
reach a salary that they get right out of law school. The
competition for business is very intense, and lawyers' business
generally tends to be cyclical along with the rest of the
economy.
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Lifestyle
Long working hours, either at the office or, if you're lucky, traveling. For the
last four years, I have traveled approximately 80% of the time. Even without
travel, you will have difficulty finding time for your family. Business attire is
not always required, depending on the firm, and depending on whether or not you
are appearing in court.
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Compensation
I currently make a base of $160,000.00, with a bonus that varies
with profitability. My lowest bonus the last four years was
$2,500.00, my highest was $16,000.00. I am not a partner.
Partners share directly in profits, and in our good years, the
top partners make millions. We get our health, disability, and
life insurance subsidized, as well as a 401K. The firm also pays
bar dues, occupation taxes, and tuition for continuing legal
education, a modest yearly requirement in most states.
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Advice to Jobseekers
Study the field first. Then if you want it, go for it. Law
school and practicing law will challenge you in every way you can
be challenged intellectually, financially, and emotionally. It
is tremendous hard work, and a lot of it. But for those who
apply themselves fully, the financial rewards can be great, and
the job satisfaction can be tremendous. The first time I won a
jury trial and got a great result for my client, it made it all
worthwhile for me.
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