Legal Career Options

Having a law degree can open up the door to a lot of exciting and diverse careers. Here are some of the many options for a career in law:

Lawyer

A lawyer is simply someone who is licensed to advise clients on legal matters and engage in the practice of law. As a lawyer, you will act as the advocate of your client in a court of law, and use verbal arguments and written documents to advance their case. Lawyers perform legal research, prepare and submit materials, and draft contracts. Lawyers are also responsible for making sure that their clients understand how the facts of their specific case are interpreted by the law.

There are many different specializations of lawyers, each with a very deep level of expertise in a specific field of law. For example, you could specialize in civil rights law, drug law, environment law, family law, immigration law, personal injury law, real estate and property law, and so many more.

The educational requirements of a lawyer are a minimum of seven years of post secondary education, which includes a four year undergraduate degree and three years of law school. Lawyers must also pass a bar exam.

Judge

A very prestigious and well respected career in the field of law is that of a judge. A judge presides over court proceedings, rules on all questions of law, maintains order between the opposing parties in the litigation, and makes decisions regarding legal disputes.

A judge also has many important duties such as listening to the witness testimony, informing defendants of their rights, instructing the jury, questioning witnesses, and imposing sentences on defendants who are found guilty. When the judge is outside of the courtroom, they will also be responsible for many tasks such as meeting with attorneys to go over the case, and establishing court rules and procedures. Some judges also perform marriages and issue marriage licenses.

To become a judge, you will need a law degree and will usually have to work for several years as an attorney before you will enter the judicial system. If you have excellent logical reasoning, critical thinking and decision-making capabilities you will be well suited to this job. You will also need to have a comprehensive understanding of criminal and civil laws and the court system. The career of a judge also requires a lot of writing, so you will need to be able to express yourself clearly and concisely.

Legal Consultant

If you have experience in the legal profession, you can turn your knowledge into a lucrative business by consulting for law firms and businesses and helping them solve their law-related problems. You can share your expertise on subjects such as management strategies, legal software, and marketing.

You might also be able to find work as a jury consultant or a trial strategy consultant on a large scale litigation case. A jury consultant is an expert on human behaviour who will be used in complex civil litigation to help attorneys select jurors and provide insight into their behaviour.
These are just a few of the exciting careers that can be had in the legal profession.