A lawyer is an asset to the society. Lawyers or a lawyer has a
huge role to play. He provides legal aid and legal guidance to the
society in general. Also, it is his social responsibility. We need them
at every wake of life. They are the vertebrae of our society. They not
only provide us with legal advice but also act as advisors as and when
required. There are two broad divisions of lawyers, criminal lawyers and
civil lawyers. Whichever law they are practicing, they have to follow
some ethics. It is said that we should not hide anything from the
lawyers. So these people hear a lot of confessions from us. But they are
bound by the oath of secrecy and should not misuse this information. On
the other hand, they listen to the problems of their clients and then
discuss every aspect of those problems. They also make the clients aware
of their fundamental rights.
There are many subdivisions to these
two forms of law. There are employment lawyers, malpractice lawyers,
traffic lawyers, divorce lawyers, fraud lawyers, bankruptcy lawyers,
insurance lawyers, wrongful death lawyers, and lawyers who deal with
drugs and environmental law and employment and child custody. So anybody
who wants to take up this profession has a wide range of subjects to
specialize in.
Lawyers have the freedom of self-employment. They
can enter government jobs or they can start practicing on their own. A
survey in United States of America shows that around 27% of lawyers
practice on their own. But this subject has a wide scope. With the
ever-increasing population, the problems are also increasing at an
alarming rate. Especially the rates of divorce have shoot up. Along with
divorce, the problem of child custody has also taken a hike. Then there
are disputes over property. Different companies also hire a lawyer or a
train of lawyers to safeguard themselves. So there is no fear of going
jobless even when there is financial recession throughout the world. The
lawyers can work in partnership or they can start practicing on their
own. Either way a self-employed lawyer can earn a lot if he has the
necessary skill. The salaried lawyers usually work in local areas
whereas the self-employed lawyers have the advantage to migrate to their
chosen city and start practicing there. The keenness to relocate is
always advantageous for this job; then the lawyer has to sit for an
additional bar examination of that state.
It is not difficult to
begin a career as a lawyer. A person has to study law for three years
from a law school and then needs to take a bar examination on the fourth
year. The actual skill of a lawyer is tested when he is at the
courtroom. He has to speak quickly yet clearly and with authority. He
cannot have stage fright or fumble in the courtroom. If he can conduct
himself smartly in the courtroom half of his battle is won. So if you
think that you are smart, a pretty good talker and have confidence,
foresight and a logical mind, then law might be your best career option.