A career in law is often depicted as quite an exciting venture by modern films and TV shows. Courtroom dramas present it as a thrilling battle of wits. Chasing down evidence. Cross examining witnesses. High stakes games of cat and mouse between prosecutors and defendants.
The sad truth is that a career in law is, in reality, vastly different from what we see on our screens. Now we aren’t saying that a career in law isn’t a worthwhile endeavor to pursue. It has the potential to be both extremely lucrative and spiritually rewarding. But you need to understand the truth of the matter if you are ever to discover if a career in law is really right for you. And what is exactly what we are going to look at today.
Academic Success
A career in law is one of those paths that requires you to plan ahead as early in life as possible. It isn’t impossible to pivot into law later in life. But setting yourself up at school and college will do wonders for your future career. Because getting into law school often demands very high grades. And, to better your chances, you will want to have done a number of extra circular activities too.
There are a number of law schools to choose from, each of varying degrees of status. And the legal profession is one of pedigree. The truth of the matter is that anyone who attended an ivy league law school is far more likely to become a successful lawyer. That isn’t to say you can’t have a successful law career no matter what school you attend. But regardless you will need to put in a lot of studying time.
What Work You’ll Be Doing
Most people assume that once you have your law degree you will be working the tough cases or attending courtroom sessions. But the truth is you will likely spend the first few years of your career doing a lot of legal busywork. Filing case reports, getting accurate transcriptions done, fact finding and assorting relevant information from provided evidence.
As you progress with your firm you will start to take on more responsibilities such as organising and running depositions, handling the organizations of cases, or even taking on cases all by yourself. This is, of course, dependent on the type of law you are hoping to pursue. Which leads us into the next area.
Legal Varieties
The type of lawyers we see on TV are often working in very specific legal fields. But the law world is a vast and diverse one. Ranging from family law to environmental law. And the time will come during your years of study that you need to decide on your specialization. The reason being is that the various legal paths operate differently from one another.
One thing that you will see a lot of on TV is lawyers citing precedent set from past legal cases. This is when the outcome of an old case is then used as an example in a future case to try to achieve the same result. A huge part of your studying will encompass learning relevant cases for your chosen speciality so that you can effectively win any cases you are a part of.
So you want to ensure you are picking a specialization that is right for you. Make sure you have chosen one that connects to your ideals and life goals. This will help you stay motivated during your studies and ensure that you are committed to advancing your career.
Is Law Right For You?
We have touched on some of the more technical elements of a career in law. But there is a lot more to it than that. The smartest person in the world might not be suited to a career in law due to their personage and attitude. Anyone working in law needs to have a few key characteristics to make them successful.
Firstly you need to be driven and dedicated. A career in law is a very demanding and, at times, all encompassing one. It is not for people who shirk away from hard work or massive commitments. You also need to be able to deal with and practically apply a lot of data and information.
You also need to be someone who enjoys working with people, while also being able to remain firm with them. You need to be able to keep a cool head under scrutiny from others. You need to be able to charm some people while also laying on the pressure when necessary.
