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Career Advice for Job Seekers

You Should Read This First If You Are Thinking Of a Career in the Law Industry

William Frierson AvatarWilliam Frierson
June 16, 2015


Legal gavel on a law book

Legal gavel on a law book. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

It’s more than useful

With how things are going, perhaps every one of us should have some kind of legal training as a life skill like reading, writing and driving. However, that’s just to say that regardless if you end up in a career within the law industry or elsewhere, it is good thing to get an education in law at whatever level.

The question though is, why do you want a legal career? In addition, which career do you want in the industry? Let’s talk about that shall we?

What are you intentions?

This should have already been determined by the time you went to law school but there are a few reasons I’d like to discredit from the get-go.

1. It is nothing like TV

Well, some aspects are true but the glitz and glamour attached to the shows are only necessary for ratings. It is not a true representation of your real life. It is back-breaking work with long hours that needs you to be committed to the cause than to the drama.

2. You won’t be rich immediately

Say for example you get hired into any of the KEL Attorneys areas of law, don’t expect to be rolling in dough within the first year. Like any job, you have to start from the bottom and work your way up. You’ll need both book smarts and street smarts to climb the corporate ladder so learn as much as you can.

3. You won’t always be in court

Most cases are settled in chambers or across a conference room table in one law firm or the other. Most judges prefer this because of the redundancy of seeing the same faces in court all the time. So don’t be disappointed if you don’t spend too much time in court.

What are your options?

Now that I’ve knocked the stars out of your eyes, what are the options that you have when it comes to actually practicing law. Well, there are various kinds of law you could get into based on your own interests. These include (among others):

  • Family law
  • Business/Commercial law
  • Employment law
  • Personal Injury
  • Environmental Law
  • Criminal law
  • Property law

Even within these categories, you can consider various subcategories. The best idea is to follow your passion as far as the overarching area that you would like to work in. Having done that, get an internship that exposes you to the different aspects of that area until you are familiar and possibly proficient in most if not all of them. This way, you will be able to specialize in something and possible pursue further education, and maybe even open your own specialized law firm.

Alternatively, you could use your legal training and skills to work in other areas where such expertise is necessary. For example, you could be an investment banker, teacher, or get into politics and government. Whatever you choose, know that the effort you put to get that education is certainly not in vain.

Author Bio

Brian Schmidt is a season lawyer having worked in many of the KEL Attorneys areas of law. He is retired now and works as a visiting professor in local universities.

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