Lawyers at Work

How does someone become a lawyer? In some countries in order to practice as a lawyer it is necessary to get a university degree in law. In others, a degree may be insufficient, professional examinations must be passed. Thus it can be said that a lawyer is a person who has become officially qualified to act in certain legal matters because of examinations she/he has taken and professional experience she/he has gained.

In England, where the decision is between becoming a barrister or a solicitor, the main requirement is to have passed the Bar Final examination for barristers or the Law Society¹ Final examination for solicitors. Barristers specialize in arguing cases in front of a judge and have the right to be heard in the highest courts. In general barristers are said to spend most of their time either in a courtroom or preparing their arguments for the court. Judges are usually chosen from the most senior barristers, and once they have been appointed, it is almost impossible for them to be dismissed. Judges also get very high salaries. The result of their absolute security is that some judges appear to have difficulty understanding the problems and circumstances of ordinary people. Solicitors handle legal work which does not come before a court such as giving advice to clients, drawing up wills, settling litigation out of court. They do much of the initial preparation for cases which they then hand to barristers. Solicitors also have a right of audience in lower and some higher courts, but in the highest courts they have a barrister argue their clients’ case.

There is no division into barristers and solicitors in the USA. Lawyers all receive legal education at law schools and therefore are all qualified for any legal profession they may later choose. A lawyer who is actually working in the practice of law is usually called an attorney. Most towns in the United States, for example, have small firms of attorneys who are in daily contact with ordinary people, giving advice and acting on matters such as consumer affairs, traffic accident disputes and contracts for the sale of land. Some may also prepare defenses for clients accused of crimes.

However, in both the United States and other industrialized countries, lawyers are becoming more and more specialized. Working in small firms, lawyers now tend to restrict themselves to certain kinds of work, and lawyers working in large law firms of over a hundred lawyers work on highly specific areas of law. One lawyer may be employed by a mining company just to prepare contracts for the supply of coal. Another may work for a newspaper advising the editors on libel matters. Another may specialize in advising stockbrokers on share transactions.

As well as the type of work, the working conditions and pay among members of the legal profession also vary greatly. A lawyer is usually supposed to lead a very wealthy and comfortable life. However it should not be forgotten that there are also lawyers whose lives are not so secure. The Wall Street attorney probably earns a high salary, but the small firm giving advice on immigration procedures may have to restrict salaries in order to stay in business. Lawyers involved in human rights get little or no payment for their work. Lawyers investigating political cases or cases against mafia may even find their profession to be a dangerous one.

The internationalization of law has provided a great deal of work for lawyers. The number of people entering the legal profession has been increasing, but the demand for lawyers has increased even faster, especially for those who can speak another language.

Note:

¹ Law Society – Общество юристов (профессиональный союз солиситоров)

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