The practice of law may entail some gut-wrenching activities that some law degree holders may find daunting, tiring, or even boring. Fortunately there are a host of other occupations that are available for those who don’t have the desire for litigation and its processes.
In-house counsel
Large companies and industries have their own legal departments to take care of everyday tasks that involve varying degrees of legal work. The duties of in-house counsel do not necessarily involve frequent high-profile litigations. However, administrative matters and duties may be assigned from time to time as in-house counsels also work closely with other departments such as Human Resources and even Finance.
Courts
The courtroom can still be the arena of a law degree holder even without having to do litigation. Attorneys in judicial clerkship jobs research and make recommendations on how to handle current cases.
Public Service
Politics can be the next step for lawyers who’ve had enough of traditional lawyering. One can start in the district attorney’s office by being elected into the post, after which a state attorney general post becomes the next big step. Lawyers can also opt to join the US Department of Justice or can hope to be appointed by the President of the United States to the US Attorney’s Offices. Other posts in the arena of politics are also available for the law degreeholder. However, experience, whether in court or in other areas of public service, coupled with a level of popularity is needed.
Legislation
Attorneys in the legislative sectors work closely with senators and other members of the legislature in the formulation of laws. Legislative attorney do research and even drafts of bills that may be enacted. Law degreeholders in this arena are exposed to the political factors as well and may eventually become part of significant events in history.
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A legal brief is a summation of a case or legal argument that is presented in court. It should be factual while remaining concise, and direct to the point. Legal writing classes in first year and moot court competitions teach law students some of the basics of drafting legal briefs. However, some cases in the real world have floundered due to poorly written legal briefs. Here are a few tips to guide legal practitioners, and refresh the memories of some, in writing a good legal brief.
KISS
Keep it short and simple. Courts usually have a set of rules that govern brief-writing. The Supreme Court has one that has been in effect since January 1, 1990. When fighting a federal appeal case though, grab a FRAP, not the coffee drink, but a handbook of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure. These handbooks enumerate everything from page margins to length of the brief that should strictly be followed by the brief writer.
Questions Presented
Drafting the questions is a tremulous task. Questions that obviously point toward your favor is not presenting the facts clearly. Master the art of formulating sentences that are neutral-sounding but have subtle hints of the side you are arguing for.
Drop the prose
Law speak as we all know is heavy with prose and other jargon. Facts are crammed in a breath that painfully lasts like a five-line paragraph. Remember that facts should be presented clearly. Take note of the reader’s attention span and patience.
Statement of Fact
All lawyers know that all facts that are put in the brief should be those that can be found on the known record of the case. This consistency with known facts preserve the credibility of the whole brief, and can help you win your case. Other facts, though, can be presented with caution if they are relevant and in a descriptive light instead of a defensive manner.
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Aside form the jargon that baffles those who are not law degree holders, law firms are rife with locutions regarding the hierarchy inside these institutions. Here are some common terms used by law firms.
Billable hours
The bane of existence by all practicing lawyers. Simply put, one gets paid by the hour of services rendered. Sometimes, associates are ranked by their billable hours, though this is not done formally. The more hours you put in on working a case, the more you could bill a client.
Pro Bono
Literally translating to “for the good of the public,” pro bono hours are actually required by the American Bar Association for each lawyer. Though the ABA requires 50 hours, state bars may recommend fewer hours of pro bono service. The more free hours of legal service a law firm gives, the more chances they can be ranked higher and chosen by the best students from the top law schools.
Terms of hierarchy in law firms
Paralegal
Paralegals have the knowledge and the expertise to be employed in the legal industry but are not bar passers, nor have they completed law degrees. Paralegals perform legal research, prepare legal documents, and can offer legal advice when conferring with clients provided that they are properly supervised by an attorney. However, in the US, paralegals may choose to be certified or registered with the National Association of Legal Assistants or the National Federation of Paralegal Associations to improve their chances of employment.
Summer Associate
These are interns from law schools who are employed by law firms over a period of three months the summer. Eventually, if their performance impresses the law firm, they may be invited to stay on as associates of the firm.
Associate
Once you have been hired by a law firm, you can now start with the title of associate. This is usually the entry-level position for lawyers and is further categorized as junior associate and senior associate.
Partner
This is the position every greenhorn associate dreams of attaining in as little time as possible. An equity partner owns part of the law firm and shares in the total profits made.
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A law review is a journal or paper edited and distributed by students of a particular law school. Law reviews are staffed by students of a law school and features articles penned by law professors, judges, and law practitioners. The law review is the avenue for academic publishing of articles related to the judicial system. Students can also publish articles called “notes” or “comments” in law reviews.
What types of law reviews are there?
Law reviews basically cover a wide range of issues regarding the law but there are some law schools that publish reviews about specific topics. These satellite journals or specialty law journals offer a more concise focus on issues concentrating on one type or branch of law.
Who can join a law review?
Law students vie for positions in law reviews and law journals in their respective schools. Flagship law reviews most often use writing competitions to screen members. Student in their first year of law school can join and if picked, write those case notes and comments that come out during the school year. Senior student soften hold the editor positions while those younger are assigned to staff positions.
Why is it important to join a law review?
Law reviews and journals serve as platforms for legal discourse in the academic level. Though articles done by a student can hardly influence any major legal decision in the field of law, such articles can be cited to be of great integrity as these are usually well-researched.
Having the name of your law review as a bullet in one’s resume is a good bait to reel in prospective employers. Law firms are on the look out for candidates with the best credentials, and membership with a law review or journal signifies that the candidate possesses exceptional qualities.
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There comes that time in the academic calendar of law schools that law firms come a-knocking to harvest “summers” or interns and potential employees. Career services of law schools work closely with various law firms to set up mass interviewing to select and woo potential interns. Even if these law firms are the ones who are doing the chasing, their recruiting people still have a set of standards on which the potential summers and employees can be measured against.
Grades
Of course, law firms are quick to snatch up law students who exhibit high grades and academic achievements as these are the easiest ways to measure an applicant’s aptitude. Some top law firms explicitly look at the students who are in the top percentile of the class. However, despite grades being tangible factors, there are other attributes that would make a good lawyer.
Communication Skills
Undoubtedly lawyers should possess good communication skills. Potential summers and employees must be able to exhibit exemplary oral and written skills as they can be tasked to prepare memos, arguments, briefs, and other official documents that may be used in real court proceedings. Add to that excellent logical and analytical thinking and law firms have in their hands the makings of a great asset.
Staying Power
In the end, law firms also look for people who would fit into their own culture. Some prestigious law firms shower their summers with perks such as high allowances, paid nights out, lavish dinners, and even expensive trips just so they can see who would stay beyond the three months of the internship period. Those who can look beyond the perks and still do their tasks well will certainly be asked to stay on after the internship is over.
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The bar exam is a qualifying test that law degree holders take to be able to practice law in a given jurisdiction.
A bar exam is usually made up of a series of different tests comprising multiple-choice sets and essay questions. However, bar exams differ across states because each state has its own bar regulatory board. It would be a good tip to take the bar exam in a place where you would most likely work or practice law. The best way to check what kinds of tests your state bar association would require is to check out their website. Also ask for information from your law school’s career office if possible.
Other exams
The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) is a set of standardized tests that should be taken across all states except for Maryland, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico, and Washington. Some states require lawyer hopefuls to undergo character evaluation before becoming licensed attorneys-at-law.
Preparing for the bar exam
Bar exam review schools
One option that you can look into to prepare for the bar exam is to attend a bar exam review school. The bar is not like a typical final exam that one can study for on his or her own. Instead, reviewing for the bar requires intensive and guided study on the various subjects of law. Some recommend that reviewing for the bar should be treated as a full-time job to achieve the best results. Bar review schools may also provide supplements and exercise based on the questions from the previous year’s bar exam.
Preparing your logistics
This applies especially to those who would be taking the bar exam in a different state. Book your flight or passage ahead of time and make sure you have adequate board and lodging. Map out your transportation as well and anticipate any disturbances such as traffic and the size of the crowd during the bar exam.
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After passing the bar and getting that much coveted title, a lawyer can choose between various paths in which to practice his or her profession. First is the decision to make between going into private practice or into public service.
Public practice
Duties
A lawyer can opt to be employed by the state or government. As a public attorney, one can be tasked to provide legal counsel to individuals or entities who do not have access to private lawyers. Most of the cases handled by public defenders are criminal in nature, but other cases of quasi-criminal nature may arise. Clients also tend to vacillate toward those who are financially strapped and are often part of the indigent strata.
Wages
A public attorney’s wages is shouldered by the county or state government. At times, one can be compelled to render services pro bono. One can go into the Federal Public Defenders and receive salaries that are at par with lawyers employed in the US Attorney’s Office. Though not as impressive as the pay a lawyer in a large law firm can get, the benefits and civil protection that public practice brings are sometimes attractive packages that can lure newly appointed lawyers to government service.
Private practice
Duties
The duties of a lawyer in private practice differ depending on the type of employment or association one forms. Lawyers can go into the large law firms that are hired by companies and other big-time clients. Competition can be fierce as politics, which can be strongly felt in these institutions. A lawyer can also work closely with clients as in-house corporate legal counsels. As lawyers also have areas of specialization, services can also be rendered to companies of the same nature. A lawyer can also opt to operate his or her own small law firm.
Wages
Undoubtedly, the higher the position one attains in a large law firm or corporate setting, the higher the pay. For those who operate their own small firms, income may vary depending on the case load or frequency of clients.
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Formed in the 1980s by a group of students from the law schools of Yale, Harvard, and the University of Chicago, the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies seek to reform the present judicial system of the United States. The Federalist Society has grown from an active student organization made up of a handful of law student upstarts into the largest legal network in the United States.
Members
Better known as the Federalist Society, this group has grown to have as many as 10,000 student members from 196 ABA-accredited law schools, 24 non-ABA law schools,a number of international graduate and law institutions and a few undergraduate schools as well. Almost 30,000 members comprise the Alumni and Faculty Division of this group from different chapters across the country and even the world.
Beliefs
The Federalist Society believes that the state exists to preserve freedom, and that it is the duty and responsibility of the judiciary to uphold this freedom through the rights and limitations stated in the Constitution. Simply put, members of the Federalist Society believe that the Constitution of the United States should be interpreted not for the convenience of the case, but for what it really stands for. Federalists aim to spread this awareness and put the present judiciary system back on track according to the original tenets of the Constitution.
Forums and discussions
This group has been made famous for the forums and discussions that they organize in law schools across the country. The Federalist Society’s views on the current issues of judicial system of the country are discussed in annual gatherings held in various locations. Speakers from opposing sides are also invited to present a fair view on certain issues.
Funding
The Federalist Society is the largest funded legal organization, receiving grants from private entities and prestigious members. These funds are used for the various causes and movements initiated by the organization to further their beliefs.
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Aside from the practice of law, what else is in store for a freshly proclaimed attorney or even the long-time lawyer who wants a career change?
Policy-making
Short of becoming a politician (though it is also a path to undertake eventually), policy-making and other duties related to it can be performed by a law graduate. From speech writers to lobbyists, law graduates can find their niche in a host of job opportunities in policy-making and governance.
Crime and law enforcement
A law degree is a good foundation for a career in law enforcement. Though physical qualifications may also have to be met, a law degree holder can flourish in a career that also has its roots on the law.
Corporate setting
Management and consultancy firms also tend to look for individuals who possess higher degrees of learning. People who have law degrees are certainly not exempt from taking on jobs in the corporate world. Skills honed during law school can be of use in the fields of finance, accountancy, and even taxation where a knowledge of local and revenue laws are needed. The human resources department of a company can also be a good avenue for law degree holders.
Research and analysis
The field of research is also a good place for law degree holders to build their careers in. The analysis and management of information is a task that a law graduate can perform well given the training that one has received in law school. Law libraries and legal resources can benefit greatly from law graduates as well as publishing companies of legal references (journals and textbooks) and even management consultancy firms.
The academe
The academe can also be a welcoming place for law graduates. Recent graduates and bar passers can apply for grants and instructor positions, while seasoned law practitioners can go for instructor or even professor positions. Law graduates can teach not only in law school, but also in graduate schools of a different interest, in community colleges, and even in special programs related to the legal practice such as legal transcription positions and law enforcement seminars.
Though a law degree or having years of experience in the practice of law are sufficient for some of these alternative careers, an extra specialization closer to these fields won’t hurt.
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Entering into law school but unsure of the the different jobs and salaries common to the legal field? This article will cover some of the common career paths in law and the salaries that come along with them. Regardless of the type of job or salary you receive, you can be assured that you can earn a hefty paycheck, as long as you are ready to deal with hardship of pursuing a legal career. Here are is some helpful information on what you can expect, professionally, after law school:
Common careers for law school graduates
The education, training, and experience that students get through law school is respected in many different industries. Education, litigation, and insurance are just some of the industries that lawyers commonly go in to. Basically, your achievements, legal specialization, pre-law education, and professional experience will determine which fields you can go into. Remember, that you can always have your own practice as well.
Salary information on lawyers
Like any other career path, there are different factors that affect the salaries that lawyers earn. PayScale reports that, as of September 2008, law school graduates who have just graduated can earn roughly $50,000 annually. With time, your salary is likely to increase steadily. After 10 years, you can be earning around $80,000 per year and upwards of $100,000, 20 years after graduating from law school.
There are more specific factors that directly affect your salary, though. Specialization is one of these factors. The three specializations that earn the most on average are corporate law, litigation and appeals, and real estate. Law school graduates in these fields can earn yearly salaries of around $85,000, $75,000, and $74,000, respectively.
Another factor that will have an effect on your salary as a law school graduate is the place in which you work. For example, those who work for non-government organizations can expect around $54,000 per year, while those who work for the government earn about $91,000 per year. If you handle the legal concerns of a hospital, you can earn around $83,000 per year. Just be sure that the place you decide to work for can offer you the working environment and perks that you are interested in.
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