Is A Career In Law Right For You?

Posted on Apr 16 2018 - 9:07am by Editorial Staff

A career in law is not for the faint-hearted. It is for the disciplined, those who can communicate well, and individuals that have a thick skin. Depending on what type of legal career you pursue, you are going to be dealing with horrific cases and horrific people! Is this the right type of career for you? Let’s find out…

What skills are required for a career in law?

There are a number of key skills you are going to need to have if you are to make it in the legal industry. Law firms are looking for individuals that have attained the necessary qualifications, which typically means that you have received a legal university degree of some sort. Aside from this, you need to have first-class organisational skills while also being competent at digesting information. After all, you are going to have piles of papers that are as thick as navel, and you will need to rapidly process facts and competently apply the law to them. People skills are also a must, as you are going to be interacting with a varied range of people, and so you also need to be able to communicate effectively. This not only means verbal communication, but an excellent grasp of grammar and spelling is a must in terms of dealing with lengthy legal papers. Moreover, you will be expected to respond to requests and arguments in a clear, concise and impactful manner.

What sort of lifestyle do lawyers have?

When determining whether a career in law is right for you, you do not only need to consider your skills, but you need to understand what type of lifestyle a lawyer has and you need to determine whether this is something you are comfortable with. In terms of salary, you can expect to earn a good wage by entering the field of law. However, it does all depend on whom you work for and in what capacity. There will most definitely be travel involved in your job, and so learning to drive comes highly recommended. You may find yourself needing to travel to courts all over the country. Predictability is an important point to consider, especially with regards to family and criminal law, which is certainly not a 9 to 5 job. You will often be required at short notice or unexpectedly and you need to be able to adapt to this. Irregular and long hours are the form for most people in the legal sector.

Hopefully, you now have a better understanding as to whether law is a career that is suitable for you or not. Of course, there are many different areas of law you can study, and so it is worth exploring this further before you make up your mind. Nevertheless, the skills that have been discussed in this post are pretty much required across the board and should give you a good starting point for your career.

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Editorial Staff at I2Mag is a team of subject experts.