Being A Lawyer: A Guide to Working in Law

Law is a broad area of employment ranging from working in a correctional facility to sitting on the Supreme Court or in the Oval Office. With that range of law careers in mind, let's focus on just one area--being an attorney.

Which Types of Jobs Are Available in Law?

After you get your degree in law, which can take three years full time or four years in a part-time program, you can consider many careers that are guided by or enhanced with a law degree. Almost every part of life has legal parameters and needs professionals with expertise in the intricacies of that area of the law. The job of an attorney is to navigate clients through their legal issues. Whether you are interested in corporate law, family law, tax law or another area, there are opportunities to work with a firm, go into practice on your own, go in-house at a corporation, a public interest organization, and so on.

According to Suzanna Adelizi, Esq., the director of career services at a top law school in the country, there are many employment opportunities right now in the federal government for attorneys throughout the country. In addition, Adelizi stated, "Small and mid-sized law firms are thriving in this (economic) market and are taking away cost-conscious clients from the larger law firms."

Formal Training Required to Work in Law

After you earn a law degree, called a juris doctorate, then you are qualified to sit for a bar examination. Once you pass the bar, you can officially enter the job market for a legal position.

Adelizi explained that to be admitted to most law schools, you must have received a four-year bachelors degree and have scored within a certain range on an LSAT exam (law school admission test). The first year of law school, students do not get to choose their courses.

"The standard first-year slate of courses consists of a full year or property law, contracts, torts, legal research an writing, civil procedure, and a semester of criminal law. After the first year, there are other courses that are typically required such as constitutional law and corporations, but the student has the ability to begin selecting some elective courses which may be of particular interest or relevant to the practice area he or she plans to pursue after graduation."

Although there are no "majors" in law school as in undergraduate study, some law schools do offer certificate programs for particular areas (to be a tax lawyer, for instance)--that could become valuable resume material.

The Typical Career Path of Someone Working in Law

Adelizi pointed out that because lawyers work in a wide array of settings, there really is not a typical route that law school graduates take.

You can get a start in private practice in business law or working in the district attorney's office. After a few years, you might decide to change the direction you are going which is very normal, according to Adelizi.

"This is why our office (career services) strongly encourages students to explore their options as students and to have as many work experiences, internships and clinical course experiences as they can, so that they will know not only what interests them, but can learn what type of work environment is going to be a good fit for their personalities and lifestyle," Adelizi said.

Job Outlook and Salary

If you have your heart set on a big firm, making six figures right out of law school, pull back your expectations a bit. Large firms have been the hardest hit by the economy, and so have the $160,000 average starting annual salaries at those firms.

But rest assured, Adelizi said the small and mid-sized firms have been resilient in this market and if any growth is occurring, it is in this market.

"According to NALP [National Association for Law Placement], the average starting salary for the Class of 2008 who went to work in California in a small firm (2-10 attorneys), starting pay was $67,000 and change," Adelizi said.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, lawyers make a mean annual salary of $136,540 compared to $101,810 for all legal occupations.

"The federal government is definitely hiring and will be for the foreseeable future. With the expansion on the federal government as well as the high number of baby boomers that are expected to retire from federal service, there will be a lot of hiring," said Adelizi.

If you have the interest and the stamina to attend school for three or four years, a career as an attorney might offer all the things you are looking for in a career.