Profession "lawyer": pros and cons, description of functions and responsibilities

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

If you are "lost" in search of your vocation, pay attention to how necessary and popular the profession of "lawyer" remains at all times. Its pros and cons are not as obvious as it seems at first glance. We will try to consider them in detail in this article.

Who are lawyers. What they do, what duties they perform

A lawyer is a professional guardian of the law. Being well versed in legal documentation, he defends the interests of citizens who turn to him for help. Of course, this is only the most general definition.

Lawyers working in ministries and departments are engaged in rule-making activities, that is, they directly “compose”, develop the formulations of laws, decrees, decrees. They also edit and revise the content of legal documents.

High-class lawyers work in the court, prosecutor's office, police, FSB, supervisory authorities, as well as in the tax and customs services. They protect public order, prevent and investigate offenses.

Significantsome of the “experts in the law” are engaged in defending the interests of commercial organizations. In large corporations and banks, full-fledged legal departments are being created, which are tasked with:

1. Ensure that the company's commercial operations are properly executed from the point of view of Russian and international law.
2. Protect the interests of the company in court, participate in out-of-court settlement of disputes with partners.

Lawyers in private practice receive citizens, helping in ordinary matters relating to inheritance, division of property, housing or tax disputes, disagreements with employers.

Some graduates of law schools remain within the walls of their native academies and universities to teach special disciplines to future crime bosses.

Experts with extensive experience also earn income from journalism.

Whatever the responsibilities of the "lawyer" profession, it is important to analyze the pros and cons of the speci alty before you sign an employment contract.

What qualities are important to have

A professional lawyer must have a special character and mindset to really succeed in his field. What character traits distinguish a lawyer who steps forward with confidence?

1. Learnability. To become in demand in the market of legal services, it is necessary to constantly replenish the baggage of knowledge, scrupulously monitor changes in laws, regulations, and regulations. An experienced lawyer is accustomed tocomplex, often ambiguous wording of documents.

2. A responsibility. The fate of a person, a family, and often a company with thousands of employees depends on how well this specialist performs his tasks. It is important to be able to bear this burden and cope with it.

3. Stress tolerance. A lawyer has to regularly "move mountains" in a short time, while making difficult decisions. Each step must be taken impartially, carefully, with a cool head. It is very difficult not to panic and not be afraid of the consequences of your own mistakes, omissions, rash acts.

4. Ability to work with people and inspire confidence. Too modest, shy, doubtful lawyer is unlikely to succeed. It is important for people who find themselves in a difficult situation to get a clear answer on what can be done, how to protect the interests of their family and business. In the voice, demeanor, intonations of a professional, unshakable confidence should be felt. That's what makes the profession of lawyer so special. Its pros and cons lie in the fact that a person who has decided to earn money in the field of law is simply forced to become not only stronger, but also more attractive to people - potential clients.

5. Purposefulness and perseverance. The one who does not give up wins - this is the principle of the work of an excellent lawyer. A competent specialist, even in the most hopeless case, is looking for clues to improve the situation for the client.

6. The ability to build a reputation. The success of a lawyer in many waysdepends on what they say about it. Professionals work on their image. To do this, they have to pay attention to many seemingly insignificant details. For potential clients, it matters what clothes a lawyer or legal adviser wears, what property he owns, what kind of people he meets.

Before contacting a specialist, people try to inquire about him. If it becomes known that his business is not going too well (lost several cases in a row, quarreled with an influential person, lives on bread and water), potential clients will beware of going to him. However, a too expensive and well-known lawyer can cause distrust among people: they do not want to pay too much just for the status of an expert.

How to start a career as a lawyer

Secondary specialized education is not enough for a successful start. To get a good position and earn decently, it is important to get a diploma of higher education. If it is not possible to enter the full-time department of the university, it is worth applying for an evening or correspondence course. You can also study remotely on a commercial basis.

A quality and in-depth education will help you to reliably know what are the pros and cons of the profession "lawyer".

Already in school, it is important to take part in law conferences, making every effort to win. State universities often leave one or two places for outstanding students, winners of city and regional intellectual competitions and olympiads.

After several years of work, it will not matter inwhat university and what speci alty did you study, under what circumstances did you begin to learn all the pros and cons of the “lawyer” profession. Having earned an excellent reputation, you will no longer lack the means of earning.

What to do at the stage of study at the university

For a student who seriously wants to become a lawyer, it is important to get all the part-time jobs and internships in the speci alty that he can find. It is worth offering your services, initially free, to the bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the prosecutor's office, and private legal consultations.

Having received a diploma, it is important not to stop at the achieved level, but to continue to improve your qualifications by studying at special courses for lawyers. If possible, you should go to graduate school and earn a Ph. D.

Studying at a university, you should also try to write articles. The ability to formulate thoughts is a quality that is necessary for people whose profession is a lawyer. Description, all the pros and cons of the speci alty is important to know in advance.

Send texts for publication to various editions. Build a portfolio and carefully store documents confirming your professional experience.

How much do lawyers earn

The initial income in the provinces is small: from 8 to 12 thousand rubles. per month. However, at the start of a career, it is important to earn not so much money as reputation, experience and experience in interacting with clients.

Only after several years of continuous work, young lawyers, police officers, prosecutors begin to understand all the pros and conslegal profession.

With official confirmation of work experience in hand, a young professional can become a legal adviser in a bank or a large corporation. Salary, depending on the level of professionalism and capabilities of the company, will be from 15 to 50 thousand rubles.

Having taken the position of head or deputy head of the legal department, you can receive from 30 to 120 thousand rubles. in the province.

How to earn more

To sell their services more often and more expensively, a lawyer needs not only to improve his professional level, but also to be able to sell himself. It is important to be visible: to expand the circle of acquaintances, to talk in informal conversations unobtrusively, among other things, about what exactly you do.

New clients and employers can be found at seminars, exhibitions, conferences. It is important to actively promote yourself: give speeches, express a point of view on current events, offer help.

If someone talks about a difficult situation, don't be stingy with giving free, friendly advice first on how best to proceed. Any "hatted" acquaintance can become a client.

You can also multiply your income by developing a career as an international lawyer. By studying foreign languages and norms of international law, a competent specialist in laws can become a very we althy person.

This is a very attractive profession "lawyer", the pros and cons of which are that the services of a competent specialist are always in great demand. Evenclients are ready to pay a round sum of the fee, there is not always the strength to work at night. And turning down generous rewards is always difficult.

Benefits of being a lawyer

In each speci alty, you can highlight both attractive and repulsive moments. Consider the main advantages of being a lawyer.

1. An interesting thing. This work is very creative. It develops intelligence, memory, attention.

2. Prestige. The name of any speci alty in the field of law enforcement is very pleasant to write on a business card. An accomplished lawyer-professional can rightfully be proud of his position in society.

3. Excellent prospects. A lawyer in any industry has room for development and growth.

4. A rapidly growing circle of acquaintances. It is perhaps the profession of “lawyer” that obliges most of all to constant close and prolonged contact with people. The pros and cons of this state of affairs are that, on the one hand, you get a lot of “useful” acquaintances who are ready to help, on the other hand, you have to constantly be open to communication, and this is very difficult.

5. Independence. Many lawyers work "for themselves", being individual entrepreneurs. They personally manage their time, both work and personal, are not required to report to their superiors and follow orders.

6. Demand. A professional lawyer with experience is always very attractive to clients.

7. For "international" plus is also the possibilitytravel without stopping from work.

Disadvantages of speci alty

No matter how rewarding and prestigious the “lawyer” profession may seem, its pros and cons are equally important and, perhaps, equivalent.

Striving to become an expert in any branch of law, it is important to have an idea of the shortcomings of future work:

1. The daily activities of a lawyer are associated with the execution of a large number of papers. To have time to perform official tasks, you need to be a methodical and consistent person, not be afraid of boredom and routine.

2. A lawyer who does not aspire to career heights, as a rule, maintains a low income for the entire period of employment.

3. This job is often stressful. Protecting the interests of one side, the lawyer invariably comes into conflict with the other. The tight deadlines dictated by the business world make the work very difficult.

4. A lawyer in private practice generally does not have a guaranteed monthly income. You have to work hard to find customers.

5. Lawyers in public service (government, prosecutor's office, police, FSB) usually have irregular working hours. Many employees are required to be on night duty.

6. Persons working in law enforcement agencies have to endanger their lives and he alth.

7. Criminal lawyers are required to regularly communicate with antisocial elements and visit prisons, where the atmosphere is heavy.

Conclusion

We hope that after reading the article it became clearer to you what the profession of "lawyer" is, what are the pros and cons of it.

When looking for a calling, be sure to listen to your intuition. Beware of taking good advice from third parties if you feel that the path they suggest does not suit you.

When deciding which profession to choose, remember that only those people who do what they love achieve great success in life.