Pursuing a Career in the Law

by Brian Risman, Publisher and Founder, The Law Journal UK and The Law Student UK

Are you considering a career in law?

If so, or if you are simply considering the option, you will find that the law is an exciting and very fulfilling avocation. While the courses and subsequent training phases are challenging, they are also very rewarding, given you can make a change in society.

The Law is both the guardian of society and its agent of change.  Another point is that the Law is not  a monolith – there are many, varying areas of law – including rewarding alternative legal careers. There is little doubt that  your choices of a career in law are indeed varied and great. While a career of a City solicitor or barrister is quite rewarding, careers in outlying jurisdictions can equally be of great value.

Clearly, the study of law is not just about learning legal rules but is also about considering a social institution of fundamental importance.

What do you need -- what background should you develop -- in order to successfully study law? 

A good comprehension of the English legal system requires knowledge and skill in a number of disciplines.  You not only need to study developments in law, but also economics, politics, sociology and the theories which feed all these bodies of knowledge. A detailed knowledge of several areas of law is indispensable but students are also expected to appreciate the historical development of many legal institutions, and the social and political debates which surround legal issues. It is important to understand the legal theory which is behind policies on matters as diverse as the law relating to arrest, search and seizure; the distribution of work among different types of court; the structure of legal services; judicial review of administrative discretion; the operation of the doctrines of precedent and statutory interpretation; plea bargaining, contingency fees and legal aid.

Being proficient in this subject also means being familiar with contemporary changes and proposed changes in all the related disciplines such as economics, politics and sociology.

So what do lawyers do with all of this knowledge? 

More to the point, what will you be doing in your legal career? 

Johnstone and Hopson[1] identified nineteen different 'work tasks' performed by lawyers in the United States in their study of the legal profession in the United States and England: 

·         giving advice, both legal and non-legal;

·         negotiations;

·         drafting letters and legal documents;

·         litigation, including the preparation of cases and advocacy;

·         investigation of facts;

·         legal research and analysis;

·         lobbying legislators and administrators;

·         acting as broker;

·         public relations;

·         filing submissions to government and other organisations;

·         adjudication;

·         financing;

·         property management;

·         referral of clients to other sources of assistance;

·         supervision of others;

·         emotional support to clients;

·         immoral and unpleasant tasks (that is, taking care of disagreeable matters for clients which the clients could do themselves but prefer to have someone else do);

·         acting as scapegoat (and don’t we all?);  and

·         building your clientele and business.

Of course, a particular lawyer might never perform all of these tasks, and some, such as advising and negotiation, were generally more significant than others. The variety of combinations in which these tasks were performed by individual lawyers was ‘almost endless’.

English lawyers, on the other hand, may be less likely than their American counterparts to act in some of these areas, but it is difficult to think of any of them that no English lawyer would touch. It has been noted that the expertise of many lawyers may be founded not so much on their mastery of legal technique as on their possession of ‘worldly knowledge’ in “giving economic advice or providing organisational ‘know-how’ and in their interpersonal skills”.

Sound interesting and rewarding?

Perhaps the most important thing to remember when you enter the study of the Law, is that you will be part of the rich history of the legal profession, and its invaluable contribution to our society – a heritage and contribution that can be your life’s fulfilling work.

Interested in studying law, or need help with your law studies?

Brian Risman, Publisher and Founder, The Law Journal UK and The Law Student UK