Wednesday December 16, 2009
Do you enjoy nature and the outdoors? Do you have a desire to work in law enforcement? Working as a fish and game warden marries these two desires into a challenging and rewarding career.
Fish and game wardens are wildlife law enforcement agents who enforce fishing, hunting and boating laws. Most of their work is performed outdoors: they patrol hunting and fishing areas, conduct search and rescue operations, participate in undercover operations, report on the condition of fish and wildlife, supervise the activities of seasonal workers, investigate complaints and accidents and aid in prosecuting court cases. Wardens employed by the federal government are known as special wildlife agents.
New fish and game warden jobs are being created through attrition, retirement and an increase in parks and green space which require wildlife management.
Learn more about the salaries, work environment, job duties, education and training of fish and game wardens or learn about other growing careers in law enforcement.
Wednesday December 9, 2009
As the cost of legal research services such as Westlaw and Lexis/Nexis continue to rise, new players are entering the market. Now Google has announced Google Scholar, a free search function that allows users to find full-text legal opinions from U.S. federal and state district, appellate and supreme courts.
Users access the Google Scholar online search engine and type in case names, topics or key words to find relevant cases. Google Scholar offers simple search, which supports both Boolean and truncation operators, and advanced search options.
"We think this addition to Google Scholar will empower the average citizen by helping everyone learn more about the laws that govern us all," Google announced.
Google Scholar does not have the full research capabilities of Westlaw and Lexis, however. Users report that timeliness of research articles is limited and case law does not extend back to the beginning of recorded federal or state court opinions. Furthermore, no hyperlinks to other opinions or materials are available and Google Scholar lacks a citator service to determine if the cases are still good law. Nevertheless, since it is free, it is one option for solo practitioners, students and other legal professionals who may lack the resources to subscribe to expensive legal research services.
Wednesday December 2, 2009
Lawyers with expertise in growing practice areas continue to see opportunities in the current environment, according to the 2010 Salary Guide from Robert Half Legal. Attorneys who can help firms enhance in-demand practice areas by bringing a solid book of business or strong reputation with them are highly sought after, the survey found. Senior and mid-level attorneys - particularly those with three to six years of experience in growth areas - are particularly marketable. According to the survey, current in-demand practice areas include:
New associates and paralegals entering a competitive hiring environment may want to consider specializing in one of these growing specialties to increase their marketability.
Tuesday November 24, 2009
I receive many questions from would-be law students asking if they are too old to enter law school. The good news is, you're never too old to begin a career as a lawyer! As someone who graduated from law school at a later age, I can attest that life and work experience can help you succeed in law school and in securing employment after graduation.
Previous professional experience can help you develop a solid work ethic and an understanding of the business world as well as leadership potential, maturity, confidence and motivation. Moreover, work experience may also help you develop skills that are crucial to success in law school and in employment as an attorney, such as writing, communication and logical reasoning skills.
Some employers prefer older law grads because they are often more mature, focused, stable and committed. They often know themselves and their goals better than their younger counterparts and have a more realistic view of the demands of the legal profession.
Moreover, a previous career in another field enables new lawyers bring other skills to the table and analyze issues from another perspective. If you aspire to specialize in a niche related to your previous career - for example, an engineer becoming an intellectual property lawyer or an accountant becoming a tax lawyer - your prior degree and experience will help you stand out from other candidates.
That said, age bias does exist in the legal field and certain employment opportunities may be more limited for older law graduates. You may not find employment with those mega-firms that recruit young graduates with the intent to groom them for future partnership. However, you will find plenty of employment opportunities in small and mid-size law firms, corporations, the government and public interest firms.
