Becoming a lawyer takes time and dedication, as there is a lot of competition to get into legal consulting firms, and a lot of schooling is required before you are qualified to be a lawyer. If you are considering legal school, you may want further information about lawyers and the jobs that are available to them before deciding to invest all of that time, money, and energy into pursuing the profession. Here are three common questions, and three common sense answers to help you make the important decision.
- How difficult is it to get jobs in legal firms?
- Where do lawyers work?
- What are standard lawyer working hours?
The nation is currently overflowing with attorneys. Finding a job at a legal firm is very difficult unless you have your foot in the door or a connection. For this reason, internships, good grades, and experience should be your three primary goals while in legal school.
Large corporations are often in need of legal counsel and often choose to recruit from top ranking graduates. Legal jobs are also available in the court system, as a law clerk, or a research attorney. Legal consulting firms occasionally hire, and legal graduates have the option to pursue careers as paralegals. To learn more about what kinds of legal jobs are available, it is helpful to browse job postings online or staffed positions at legal consulting firms.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that lawyers are often expected to work for long hours. Of the lawyers that have full time work, about 50% spend 50 hours or more each week at their jobs. Larger firms especially may hire associates for the purpose of dedicating long hours to the firm. Some legal jobs are seasonal in nature, and some have more at stake in terms of job consequences. This means that lawyers have variable schedules depending on where they work and what their responsibilities are.
For women, average yearly earnings are $85,000, so a legal career can be very tempting. Remember that the legal schooling and the lawyer lifestyle are not easily obtained or maintained. If you want to be a lawyer, consider the difficulty of finding a job, the kind of work that lawyers do, and the amount of effort that must be undertaken to do an effective job.