If you have ever thought about becoming lawyer, then this article is for you. You'll learn everything you ever wanted to know about becoming lawyer, where lawyers work, how much they get paid, what kind of additional in-service training they need, how you can become lawyer, some of the dangers involved in the job, when you can expect to retire and how you can make difference in the lives of the people you serve.
According to the definition, a lawyer is a person who practices or studies law, an attorney or a counselor. It is one whose profession is to conduct lawsuits for clients or to advise as to legal rights and obligations in other matters.
Lawyers are people who practice law. They have extensive knowledge on the judicial system which allows them to adequately represent clients to defend them. Lawyers have many responsibilities, they provide legal advice for their clients during decisions, produce and negotiate contracts, protect intellectual property such as trademarks, defend suspects from crimes, etc. Different types of lawyers exist who specialize in different branches of the law: family law, environment law, business (corporate) law, criminal law, etc. That said, different lawyers do different things. Many lawyers also become politicians because of their practices, for example, Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
A lawyer’s job is to represent and defend a client in court, but this is not the majority of the work. Mostly, lawyers have to prepare legal documentation, study and gather meaningful information, etc.
A majority of lawyers work in the private sector for private firms and corporations. Some work for the government in the judicial system and others work independently. Lawyers have many advantages depending on where they work such as salary bonuses, a better work experience and a better reputation. Typically, they work in an office.
One can become a lawyer by attending law school and acquiring a bachelor's degree in law by passing the Bar Exam. A state bar exam is a multiple-choice and essay exam that tests your knowledge about the law and your ability to apply the right rules to specific scenarios. This process usually lasts 3 to 4 years depending on the country. After which, the lawyer will have to decide in which field they wish to specialize in.
Lawyers in Canada, on average, earn around $87 330 CAD per year. This number varies based on the level of experience and the type of firm (public or private).
Usually, an articling license is a way aspiring lawyers can gain knowledge to get in the field of law. It is a mandatory license that future lawyers need to have in order to practice. During this 12 month program, students will have to work under a lawyer where they can gain additional experience in the field.
The profession requires a lot of work hours which are often filled with meetings, analyzing contracts, and other grueling tasks. That can lead some lawyers to anxious and depressive states because of the amount of work they have to do, the deadlines that they cannot miss, etc. These states can lead to marital problems, addictive behaviors and health problems which can negatively affect a lawyer career and life.
The chances of lawyers being replaced with robots are very low. Lawyers possess interpersonal and arguing skills that cannot be mimicked by artificial intelligence. Although robots can greatly improve the efficiency of lawyers by helping with searching for loopholes, creating contracts, etc.
Most lawyers retire at the age of 65. This depends on the firm in which the lawyer works and their policies. For example, 38% of firms mandate retirement at 65 years of age. During the career of a lawyer, they will have gained a lot of courtrooms experience arguing and negotiating. They will have undoubtedly mastered their craft.
As of today, I am finishing my last semester of my undergraduate studies in the Social Science programme, after which I will be heading to law school at the University of Montreal to start my first year. There I’ll be learning about the basics of law and the judicial system in Canada and more precisely in Quebec. At the end, I would like to be a criminal lawyer.
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