Life After Law School

Life after law school is a big change from what graduates have done in the past. Law students spend three years in law school learning as much as possible about the law. Life after law school provides practical training. Graduates will learn the ins and outs of practicing their profession. Here are a few paths that law school graduates follow.

Many law school graduates start their career in large firms. These firms will deal in either litigation or transactions. Work in litigation involves arguing disputes between two or more parties. This category of law deals with civil and criminal cases.

Working with transactions involves contracts, patents, mergers, insurance and many more specialization. No matter what area of law you work in get used to long hours and massive amounts of paperwork.

Entry level law firm positions are called associates. You will bear the brunt of the work in this environment. Your job is to research, write briefs, check facts of a case and produce most of the documents. Be ready to spend 70 hours a week or more on the job.

Law firms follow a set career path. There is a hierarchy that everyone adheres to. Most graduates who become associates desire to one day become partner. Being partner in a law firm means you have a say in the decisions made in the firm. You also share the profits after paying all other employees.

Many associates leave law firm life to work in private business. A lawyer can gain a position as in-house counsel. These are salaried positions in a company’s legal department. You will deal only with the legal issues of that company such as contracts or litigation.

A lawyer doesn’t have to spend their careers in a corporate environment. Another path after law school is working for the government. You can become a public defender which is a lawyer that defends criminal cases where the individual lacks funds to hire private representation. This is a good way to get court time and deal with interesting cases.

Another step in the government direction is becoming an assistant district-attorney. You will deal with many cases while you help district attorneys prosecute.

Another path altogether is being a solo practitioner. This means that you have your own private practice. You are your own boss. You can provide whatever service you choose and charge your own fees. Some disadvantages can be that you have to lease your own office space, pay employees and think about bookkeeping and other business related duties.

No matter what path you choose after law school, there will be a wealth of opportunities out there for you. Follow your heart and work in the area that most interests you.

Review more industry related articles by Catherine Zandueta at CareersandEducation.com Catherine Zandueta is a feature writer and often covers topics related to Campus Degree Programs and Career advice.