For those who have ever wanted to be attorneys, this article might interest them. After much research that I have done, I am going to answer questions related to the job of an attorney. They are typical questions that touch the path of attorneys, the challenges they face, their routine, and much more. Those questions can help you to know better what is like to be an attorney and what waits for you in your future career.
Being a lawyer requires being hardworking and devoted to your work. It is different from what we see in movies, where attorneys don't really seem to be busy and overwhelmed by their work. In real life, attorneys work for many hours.
In general, attorneys provide advice on possible legal solutions, represent clients against other parties or before a judge in court, conduct legal research, and prepare legal documents such as laws and regulations
Firstly, their day starts early in the morning, before the opening hours of the office. The reason is that they feel more productive at that time because there is no one else and there is no phone calls rings. During the early mornings, they might read their e-mails, answer messages, or any other correspondences they have received. They also try to finish tasks they can't accomplish when they are out of the office for the next hours. For those who will head into the court, they review their cases. Moreover, they prepare documents related to their active cases as memorandums, pleadings, or similar paper works. Secondly, during work hours, if they are in the office, they spent a lot of time on the phone or at meetings. They may be talking to their clients, other lawyers, or even other people related to the case they are treating. Also, they might be outside of the office to research evidence or any other thing related to their cases. Finally, they might be attending formations as part of their continuing education as required by their association bar, to stay updated about new laws.
Attorneys have the possibility to work in a variety of places. Firstly, they can work in law firms, either independently or with other lawyers of the firm. A very large firm can have hundreds of lawyers at its service while a smaller one may have few lawyers or even one. Secondly, Private and public sectors are also places where you can find attorneys. In that area, they may work for companies, the federal government, or the provincial government. With that said, their only client becomes, then, the entity for which they work. They are asked to write contracts, provide advice or represent them in court. The community sector is another place where attorneys can work, by defending people's rights or by providing Legal Aids for citizens who earn low incomes. Also, they can work for international organizations like the United Nations or the International Monetary Fund. Finally, they have the possibility to work in other sectors like the artistic sector or economic's and then work in the areas such as Academia or politics.
There are four steps required to become an attorney in Canada. First, a Canadian Undergraduate Pre-Law Major is required for people who want to become lawyers because most Canadian law schools require that you get a bachelor's degree or have completed 90 credit hours to enter a law school. Also, because education is regulated by the provincial government in Canada, each school may have its own requirement different from others like obtaining some extra credit or taking some courses. However, a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) in any field is commonly sufficient to enter a Canadian Law School. Second, it is required to pass a Law School Admission Test (LSAT) before being accepted into an LSAC-member Canadian Law School. This test is passed annually four times and is given, here in Quebec at McGill University. Third, you must apply for one of the 24 Law schools in Canada that give either the French civil law, dominant in Quebec, or the English common law dominant in other provinces and territories. You must also complete a Bachelor of Laws (L.L.B.) program or Juris Doctor (J.D.) program in order to qualify for bar membership in any Canadian province or territory which generally takes three years to complete. In order to become an attorney in Quebec, you must study in French civil law in the six law schools approved by the Quebec Bar School (Barreau du Québec). For foreign students who want to practice law in Canada, they must be approved by the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) by submitting their qualifications and experience in law and then follow further coursework in a Canadian Law School and get a license in a chosen province or territory of Canada. Also, an examination must be required by the NCA to qualify for the license and then get a Certificate of qualification that can be used to enter the chosen province's law society. Finally, it is required to complete the Province’s Bar Admission Course and articling to become a lawyer in Canada. Here in Quebec, after finishing the steps above, you must work at the Quebec Bar School, gain professional practice and training, and then work for six months in a Work Placement.
In Canada, attorneys' salary varies between $37,347 and $294,346 per year. However, in Quebec, it varies between $27, 452, and $208,176 per year.
In order to stay up to date, attorneys have to attend formations as part of their continuing education as required by the association bar of the province or territory where they practice. Here in Quebec, it is required by the Quebec Bar Association.
The public perception of attorneys is the danger of this profession. In fact, attorneys are blamed for a variety of social ills, from the litigious nature of our society to hindering new inventions, from reaching the marketplace to getting guilty people set free due to technicalities or careless police work.
There are fewer chances that attorneys will be replaced by robots. In fact, instead of taking their job, technological tools have been very helpful to attorneys by allowing them to be quicker in the delivery of their mandates and by allowing them to assist many people than before. For example, today there are many forms that can be completed quickly online and then, sent to the attorneys in order to start a procedure. Also, when it comes to making calculations, there are many forms for that which helps attorneys to be quicker. Besides, even though these forms might look like they can be used without the help of an attorney, this one is always needed because he has to double-check the information that is mentioned and make sure that they are updated and that there is no error.
There is not a specific age of retirement for attorneys. However, depending on many like their firms of practice or their personal issues, most of them retire at age of 65 years old.
To conclude, you can see that being an attorney asks more effort than just having motivation. It requires also to be ready for the challenges of every day in every case, to be at others' service, and get ready to help.
Rationale: to inform or educate
Authority: government
Date: recently published
Accuracy: probably true
Relevance: relevant for this document
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Rationale: to inform or educate
Authority: government
Date: custom
Accuracy: probably true
Relevance: relevant for this document
Sources: no sources cited