Topic > Legal Career Overview

The career I have chosen is to become a lawyer, in a private firm or practice or for the government. The definition of lawyer is a lawyer or consultant in society, i.e. as a lawyer, to represent one of the opposing parties in a criminal or civil trial and as a consultant to advise clients on their legal rights and suggest courses of action. But that's not all a lawyer does. Being a lawyer requires hard work, dedication, and many years of school. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Before you become a lawyer, there are many educational hills you need to climb. First, as with most jobs, you must have a high school diploma. Then there's college. You have to attend a four-year college, even though you could graduate in three, as if you had to go to night school. But you're not out of the water yet. The next stop is law school, which you will have to attend for three years. Some specific courses you may want to take to prepare for all of this include English, foreign languages, public speaking, government, philosophy, history, economics, mathematics, and computer science. Now, although no "pre-legislative" specialization is required, the choice of degree program is very important. Other skills you will simply learn throughout high school and college, such as proficiency in writing, reading and analyzing, thinking logically, and communicating verbally. The chances of becoming a lawyer or the availability of work are good, although not all lawyers are good ones. In 1994 there were 656,000 lawyers, and three-quarters of them, or 75 percent, all worked in private practice. The salary of a lawyer depends on some factors. First, whether or not you work privately or in a large company plays an important role. For example, most private attorneys start at around $37,000 a year, but at some large firms starting salaries are as high as $80,000 a year. The highest salaries received by good lawyers in top firms reach one million dollars per year. But the average lawyer at a good law firm makes about $115,000 a year, which, I might add, is not bad at all, to put it mildly. The other factor is whether or not you are good as a lawyer. The biggest advantage in this career is probably money, but an advantage can be whether or not you handle pressure well, and whether being a lawyer is something you really want to do. The reason is that the demands are very high. You must be willing to work long, irregular hours and be able to work well under pressure, especially when a case is being tried. But a downside is that it can be very dangerous for your mental state because of all the pressure and stress you have to deal with. As time passes, and eventually when you are able to retire, your situation may again depend largely on whether you work privately or not. In any case, things will improve as time goes by, but the pace will be different. For example, in a private business, you may have a very slow start and may have to take on other jobs to keep your income stable. But at a larger company, you'll likely get started faster. Also, later in your career, you may want to become a judge, as most judges were once lawyers. An advantage in a private company is that you can retire early if you wish, or you can exceed retirement age and continue working. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get an essay.