A Life of Law
If you are interested in all things legal then you might consider a career as a lawyer. This can be a very rewarding career, providing work that is intellectually challenging and with many exciting opportunities. Lawyers are involved in almost all aspects of life, making it a highly diverse career.
Lawyers offer confidential advice and make direct contact with clients, offering legal expertise and legal advice in a variety of situations:
o support the community by providing free assistance to those who cannot afford legal services
o provide expert guidance on issues that are routinely faced by people such as buying and selling houses, drafting wills, and handling divorce
o helping businesses with the legal side of commercial transactions
o protect individual rights, ensure they are treated fairly by public or private bodies, and that they receive compensation when they are treated unfairly
Lawyers can represent clients in lower courts such as magistrates courts, county courts and tribunals and with specialist training can also represent them in higher courts such as crown court or court of appeal. For access to excellent legal services through a firm of Solicitors Huddersfield, contact https://bridgelawsolicitors.co.uk/services-for-individuals/family-law/holmfirth-huddersfield-family/
What qualities do you need?
Academic excellence is important because you need to get a law degree, but employers also look for many other personal attributes:
o Communication and interpersonal skills – the ability to communicate with people at all levels and win their trust and respect
o Responsible and professional with integrity and ethics
o Committed and dedicated to hard work
o Numerical skills – being able to understand financial statements and interpret accounts
o Commercial awareness
o Good time management, problem solving, prioritizing and project planning
o Flexibility, versatility and positive approach
o The ability to understand complex information and present it in simple English
o Commitment to sustainable personal development
There are several ways to become a lawyer. You can do a law degree, called LLB or Law Degree and then take a Legal Practice Course. There are other options for conducting a non-law degree and then following the Common Professional Examination or the Graduate Diploma in Law and then the LPC.
Various fields of law include:
- personal practice – providing legal services such as probate, family law, civil proceedings, conveyancing, criminal law and personal injury, for example.
- commercial practices – provide advice and act for business in areas including contract law, taxation, labour and sales law and company mergers
- provide internal legal advice to companies, governments or local authorities
- Crown Prosecutors Service – examine evidence to decide whether to bring a case to court
Your work will include representing clients in court or instructing lawyers. You also need to compile confidential letters, contracts, and examine legal records and case law. You will be busy attending meetings and negotiations and preparing papers for the court.
After becoming a lawyer with experience, you can become a partner at a private law firm or as a commercial lawyer you can manage in the in-house legal department.
