With more than 1.3 million active lawyers in the US, it’s clear that law is an industry of significant proportion. Depending on your specialty, legal work can be both rewarding and challenging – though competition, stigma, and hard work may come into play here. Anyone considering entering this profession should be ready to invest both their education and time into this endeavor.
Though many lawyers work at law firms, others also operate as solo practitioners or work within small, mid-sized, or regional firms. Big Law requires certain traits from those hoping to become partners; long hours and rigorous job requirements can make its environment challenging; but there are ways you can ease into its environment and find your niche.
Some lawyers choose to specialize in public interest work. This can be both intellectually stimulating and emotionally satisfying for those who seek to do good in the world; however, one should remember that public interest work can also be highly competitive and more expensive than working in private sectors.
Work as a paralegal or legal assistant is another way into the legal field; this option offers great value to those interested in law but aren’t quite ready to commit to four-year degree programs in law school. These professions are expected to experience above average employment growth due to their cost-cutting nature and rapid job creation prospects.
Finally, some lawyers opt to become consultants or work with independent contractor companies offering various legal management services. Such firms usually feature strong technological components and provide high-quality alternatives to traditional law firms; services provided may include document review, contract management, litigation support and eDiscovery.
One of the great aspects of the legal industry is its diversity. While most lawyers remain white men, there have been increasing numbers of women and minorities entering this profession. Legal is relatively egalitarian when it comes to pay, with female attorneys earning nearly equal salaries as their male colleagues – an encouraging sign that gender disparity in legal fields is gradually closing, though more work remains for achieving complete equality in pay and gender equity. As we move toward an increasingly diverse future, it is vital that we maintain the pace of change within the legal industry. This means creating opportunities for minorities and women while providing everyone with access to quality legal services at a fair cost – creating an equal society in the process.
