“What do you want to be when you grow up?” How many times have you been asked this question? How many times has the answer changed? How do you find the one career that is right for you? Finding a career that appeals to you and builds on your strengths can be like going on a journey. This adventure may guide you to a future as a leader. Or it may guide you to exciting work in science or engineering. Whatever career path you choose, we hope this blog series will make the journey easier, exciting, and worthwhile.
This Dreamfedjob blog series focuses on the careers you can find with the U.S. Government. Most of us took a while to decide what we wanted to do because we weren’t sure which careers would use our strengths. Some of us spent years training for our career because halfway through studying for one career we found that it wasn’t something that we really liked. Sometimes we weren’t sure what we needed to do to prepare for the career we wanted. Here at Dreamfedjob.com We developed this blog series because we wish we had a road map back then to help us discover our future career.
So now the question becomes this: Which career will you choose?
What Do Lawyers Do?
The legal system affects nearly every aspect of our society, from buying a home to crossing the street. Lawyers form the backbone of this system, linking it to society in numerous ways. They hold positions of great responsibility and are obligated to adhere to a strict code of ethics.
Lawyers, also called attorneys, act as both advocates and advisors in our society. As advocates, they represent one of the parties in criminal and civil trials by presenting evidence and arguing in court to support their client. As advisors, lawyers counsel their clients about their legal rights and obligations and suggest particular courses of action in business and personal matters. Whether acting as an advocate or an advisor, all attorneys research the intent of laws and judicial decisions and apply the law to the specific circumstances faced by their clients.
The more detailed aspects of a lawyer’s job depend upon his or her field of specialization and position. Although all lawyers are licensed to represent parties in court, some appear in court more frequently than others. Trial lawyers spend the majority of their time outside the courtroom, conducting research, interviewing clients and witnesses, and handling other details in preparation for a trial.
Lawyers may specialize in a number of areas, such as bankruptcy, probate, international, elder, or environmental law. Those specializing in, for example, environmental law may represent interest groups, waste disposal companies, or construction firms in their dealings with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal and State agencies. These lawyers help clients prepare and file for licenses and applications for approval before certain activities are permitted to occur. Some lawyers specialize in the growing field of intellectual property, helping to protect clients’ claims to copyrights, artwork under contract, product designs, and computer programs. Other lawyers advise insurance companies about the legality of insurance transactions, guiding the company in writing insurance policies to conform to the law and to protect the companies from unwarranted claims. When claims are filed against insurance companies, these attorneys review the claims and represent the companies in court.
Most lawyers are in private practice, concentrating on criminal or civil law. In criminal law, lawyers represent individuals who have been charged with crimes and argue their cases in courts of law. Attorneys dealing with civil law assist clients with litigation, wills, trusts, contracts, mortgages, titles, and leases. Other lawyers handle only public-interest cases—civil or criminal—concentrating on particular causes and choosing cases that might have an impact on the way law is applied. Lawyers sometimes are employed full time by a single client. If the client is a corporation, the lawyer is known as “house counsel” and usually advises the company concerning legal issues related to its business activities. These issues might involve patents, government regulations, contracts with other companies, property interests, or collective-bargaining agreements with unions.
A significant number of attorneys are employed at the various levels of government. Some work for State attorneys general, prosecutors, and public defenders in criminal courts. At the Federal level, attorneys investigate cases for the U.S. Department of Justice and other agencies. Government lawyers also help develop programs, draft and interpret laws and legislation, establish enforcement procedures, and argue civil and criminal cases on behalf of the government.
Other lawyers work for legal aid societies—private, nonprofit organizations established to serve disadvantaged people. These lawyers generally handle civil, rather than criminal, cases.
Lawyers are increasingly using various forms of technology to perform more efficiently. Although all lawyers continue to use law libraries to prepare cases, most supplement conventional printed sources with computer sources, such as the Internet and legal databases. Software is used to search this legal literature automatically and to identify legal texts relevant to a specific case. In litigation involving many supporting documents, lawyers may use computers to organize and index materials. Lawyers must be geographically mobile and able to reach their clients in a timely matter, so they might use electronic filing, Web and videoconferencing, mobile electronic devices, and voice-recognition technology to share information more effectively.
How Can I Become a Lawyer?
If you want to be a lawyer, you will need to graduate from college and then go to law school. After you graduate from law school, you will have to pass a very tough exam known as a bar exam. In college, you should major in a subject that helps develop your reading, writing, problem solving, and speaking skills. When you are in high school, you should take classes in English, literature, history, and civics, and study a foreign language. Do not forget to take math and science classes! Participating in speech competitions, debate teams, mock trial teams, and theater can also help you develop skills used by lawyers.
If you want to work for the government, you need to have a security clearance. Getting a security clearance involves getting a background check. During the background check, government officials check to see
if you have ever done anything illegal, abused drugs or alcohol, or made serious mistakes with money.
How Does the Work of a Lawyer Affect Others?
The people most affected by a lawyer’s work are a lawyer’s clients. A lawyer’s clients may be individuals, organizations, businesses, or parts of the government. They may also include the citizens of a county, city, or state. A client can even be all the citizens of the United States. Lawyers work within a legal system that affects almost every part of our lives.
Where Else Do Lawyers Work?
Lawyers work in offices, law libraries, and courtrooms. Lawyers spend much of their time researching and writing. They may travel to meet with clients, gather evidence, or appear before courts or other legal
authorities. Many lawyers work in law firms. Some lawyers work for banks or other businesses. Other lawyers work for local, county, or State governments. Still others work for the Federal Government.
For additional information regarding lawyers in the government, visit: http://dreamfedjob.com/careers/0905_Attorneys.html
Dreamfedjob - Turning unemployed into employed.
This Dreamfedjob blog series focuses on the careers you can find with the U.S. Government. Most of us took a while to decide what we wanted to do because we weren’t sure which careers would use our strengths. Some of us spent years training for our career because halfway through studying for one career we found that it wasn’t something that we really liked. Sometimes we weren’t sure what we needed to do to prepare for the career we wanted. Here at Dreamfedjob.com We developed this blog series because we wish we had a road map back then to help us discover our future career.
So now the question becomes this: Which career will you choose?
What Do Lawyers Do?
The legal system affects nearly every aspect of our society, from buying a home to crossing the street. Lawyers form the backbone of this system, linking it to society in numerous ways. They hold positions of great responsibility and are obligated to adhere to a strict code of ethics.
Lawyers, also called attorneys, act as both advocates and advisors in our society. As advocates, they represent one of the parties in criminal and civil trials by presenting evidence and arguing in court to support their client. As advisors, lawyers counsel their clients about their legal rights and obligations and suggest particular courses of action in business and personal matters. Whether acting as an advocate or an advisor, all attorneys research the intent of laws and judicial decisions and apply the law to the specific circumstances faced by their clients.
The more detailed aspects of a lawyer’s job depend upon his or her field of specialization and position. Although all lawyers are licensed to represent parties in court, some appear in court more frequently than others. Trial lawyers spend the majority of their time outside the courtroom, conducting research, interviewing clients and witnesses, and handling other details in preparation for a trial.
Lawyers may specialize in a number of areas, such as bankruptcy, probate, international, elder, or environmental law. Those specializing in, for example, environmental law may represent interest groups, waste disposal companies, or construction firms in their dealings with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal and State agencies. These lawyers help clients prepare and file for licenses and applications for approval before certain activities are permitted to occur. Some lawyers specialize in the growing field of intellectual property, helping to protect clients’ claims to copyrights, artwork under contract, product designs, and computer programs. Other lawyers advise insurance companies about the legality of insurance transactions, guiding the company in writing insurance policies to conform to the law and to protect the companies from unwarranted claims. When claims are filed against insurance companies, these attorneys review the claims and represent the companies in court.
Most lawyers are in private practice, concentrating on criminal or civil law. In criminal law, lawyers represent individuals who have been charged with crimes and argue their cases in courts of law. Attorneys dealing with civil law assist clients with litigation, wills, trusts, contracts, mortgages, titles, and leases. Other lawyers handle only public-interest cases—civil or criminal—concentrating on particular causes and choosing cases that might have an impact on the way law is applied. Lawyers sometimes are employed full time by a single client. If the client is a corporation, the lawyer is known as “house counsel” and usually advises the company concerning legal issues related to its business activities. These issues might involve patents, government regulations, contracts with other companies, property interests, or collective-bargaining agreements with unions.
A significant number of attorneys are employed at the various levels of government. Some work for State attorneys general, prosecutors, and public defenders in criminal courts. At the Federal level, attorneys investigate cases for the U.S. Department of Justice and other agencies. Government lawyers also help develop programs, draft and interpret laws and legislation, establish enforcement procedures, and argue civil and criminal cases on behalf of the government.
Other lawyers work for legal aid societies—private, nonprofit organizations established to serve disadvantaged people. These lawyers generally handle civil, rather than criminal, cases.
Lawyers are increasingly using various forms of technology to perform more efficiently. Although all lawyers continue to use law libraries to prepare cases, most supplement conventional printed sources with computer sources, such as the Internet and legal databases. Software is used to search this legal literature automatically and to identify legal texts relevant to a specific case. In litigation involving many supporting documents, lawyers may use computers to organize and index materials. Lawyers must be geographically mobile and able to reach their clients in a timely matter, so they might use electronic filing, Web and videoconferencing, mobile electronic devices, and voice-recognition technology to share information more effectively.
How Can I Become a Lawyer?
If you want to be a lawyer, you will need to graduate from college and then go to law school. After you graduate from law school, you will have to pass a very tough exam known as a bar exam. In college, you should major in a subject that helps develop your reading, writing, problem solving, and speaking skills. When you are in high school, you should take classes in English, literature, history, and civics, and study a foreign language. Do not forget to take math and science classes! Participating in speech competitions, debate teams, mock trial teams, and theater can also help you develop skills used by lawyers.
If you want to work for the government, you need to have a security clearance. Getting a security clearance involves getting a background check. During the background check, government officials check to see
if you have ever done anything illegal, abused drugs or alcohol, or made serious mistakes with money.
How Does the Work of a Lawyer Affect Others?
The people most affected by a lawyer’s work are a lawyer’s clients. A lawyer’s clients may be individuals, organizations, businesses, or parts of the government. They may also include the citizens of a county, city, or state. A client can even be all the citizens of the United States. Lawyers work within a legal system that affects almost every part of our lives.
Where Else Do Lawyers Work?
Lawyers work in offices, law libraries, and courtrooms. Lawyers spend much of their time researching and writing. They may travel to meet with clients, gather evidence, or appear before courts or other legal
authorities. Many lawyers work in law firms. Some lawyers work for banks or other businesses. Other lawyers work for local, county, or State governments. Still others work for the Federal Government.
For additional information regarding lawyers in the government, visit: http://dreamfedjob.com/careers/0905_Attorneys.html
Dreamfedjob - Turning unemployed into employed.
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