Tremaine’s Job Research

1. Tremaine’s Job Research By: Tremaine ”Grampy” Pugh

2. A Lawyer • Lawyers serve as both advocates and advisers. As advocates, they speak for their clients in court by presenting supportive evidence. As advisers, they counsel their clients on their legal rights and obligations. Lawyers also called attorneys and counselors can interpret laws, apply laws to specific situations, and draft new laws. • Much of their work involves researching precedents, which are earlier interpretations of laws and the history of judicial decisions based on that law. Lawyers use precedents to support their cases in court. Many resources from law libraries and public documents to computer databases and the Internet are available to lawyers for research. • Read more: Lawyer Job Description, Career as a Lawyer, Salary, Employment Definition and Nature of the Work, Education and Training Requirements, Getting the Job - StateUniversity.com

3. Duties and tasks of a Lawyer • The field of law is vast, and many lawyers specialize in multiple areas. Some of the areas you may specialize in include environmental law, criminal law, family law, social security and disability, medical malpractice and international law. As a lawyer, you'll advise clients as to their rights under the law and help protect the interests of businesses and other groups. Depending on your area of specialty, you may assist the aforementioned parties with litigation, contracts, depositions and other legal matters. • Often, you'll act as a professional representative for clients who are involved in court cases. You'll gather and exhibit evidence to exonerate clients, confer with judges, and lay out cases before juries in courtroom settings. Additional duties include drawing up legal briefs, researching legal precedents, questioning witnesses and developing courtroom strategies.

4. Training and Education • Formal requirements to become a lawyer usually include a 4-year college degree, 3 years of law school, and passing a written bar examination; however, some requirements vary by State. Competition for admission to most law schools is intense. Federal courts and agencies set their own qualifications for those practicing before or in them. • Education and training. Becoming a lawyer usually takes 7 years of full-time study after high school—4 years of undergraduate study, followed by 3 years of law school. Law school applicants must have a bachelor’s degree to qualify for admission. To meet the needs of students who can attend only part time, a number of law schools have night or part-time divisions.

5. Earnings • According to the BLS, in 2011, lawyers earned a median average salary of $113,310. The best-paid earned more than $187,199, while the lowest-paid made approximately $54,120. The highest earners worked in the metropolitan areas of San Jose, Calif., Danbury, Conn., and San Francisco.

6. Employment Outlook • Employment of lawyers is expected to grow by 10 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Competition for jobs should continue to be strong because more students are graduating from law school each year than there are jobs available

7. Related Occupations • Lawyers aren't the only people who work in the legal profession. Many different career options, from police officer to paralegal to librarian, exist for those who want to implement and enfore laws, help lawyers with cases, and assist the public. We have included several law-related specialties here, but there are many more to choose from. • Pros-a benefit for this career to me is great income and I can help others • Cons-a negative thing about this job in my opinion is I’m very impatient • Location-lawyers usually stay in the state or around their area