Lawyers and Attorneys

Lawyers and/or attorneys are highly trained and educated members of the legal system. They act as legal advisers and advocates in court for citizens or businesses. Lawyers and attorneys, help people and businesses make choices about money, property, and disputes in their offices. When there is a legal trial of some sort, civil or criminal, the lawyer or attorney speak on behalf of the plaintiff and defendant to the judge and possibly a jury. Because of the wide variety of work, most lawyers and attorneys will choose to specialize in a certain area of law after they have been on the job for a few years. Some of the most common specialties include, defense lawyers, prosecutors, divorce lawyers, injury lawyers, medical malpractice lawyers, and bankruptcy lawyers. Each of these attorneys deals with the specific area of the law denoted by their title.

The schooling to become a lawyer, is usually four years of undergraduate training, and then three years at law school. After graduation from law school, people can be employed at a law firm as an associate and learn from more experienced members of the firm. Sometimes, it can take years to advance, but the payoff is usually great. Many Lawyers and attorneys are most commonly thought of working in a law firm, or solo practice. However, this type of work only employs about one third of the whole occupation. Other places lawyers and attorneys can work is for businesses and government offices. The average pay is about $100,000 per year. Recent graduates start at about $60,000 per year.

As a lawyer, if you have gained enough respect in the community you work in, there is a possibility to be elected as the district attorney. The DA is the attorney that represents the government in a trial. Such an example would be “The People vs. A Criminal”. District attorneys can be seen in action some of the popular TV shows today, where murders are the criminal offenses on the show.

Lawyers and attorneys also have the possibility to be elected as the Judge for a town, county, or even state. With each higher level of government, the judge has more power and responsibility. The most powerful judges in the US are the nine that are seated on the Supreme Court. Most of the judges have had the position for a number of years; and they usually won’t resign until they physically cannot do it any more.