A career in the legal industry can be intellectually challenging, personally fulfilling and financially rewarding. Below I profile four legal careers that are central to the legal profession. Is one of them right for you?
The four careers highlighted below are just a few of the hundreds of career opportunities in the legal industry. You may also want to explore:
1. Lawyer
A lawyer is an individual licensed by the state to engage in the practice of law and advise clients on legal matters. Working as a lawyer can be lucrative, demanding and intellectually challenging. Over one million lawyers practice in the United States today and that number is growing. Employment as a lawyer, particularly in the area of civil litigation, is a fairly recession-proof career choice as legal disputes will always exist. Learn about the job duties, education, skills, salaries and job outlook of lawyers.
2. Paralegal
Paralegals are one of the fastest growing careers on the planet. Paralegals, also known as legal assistants, work under the supervision of a lawyer to assist in the delivery of legal services. Although paralegals cannot give legal advice or set fees, paralegals can do nearly everything a lawyer does. Paralegals act as fact-gatherers, document collectors, witness interviewers, researchers, document drafters and third-party liaisons and assist attorneys in every practice area. Learn about the expanding role of today's paralegals.
3. Legal Secretary
Legal secretaries are essential to the smooth functioning of a law office. Today, legal secretaries do much more than answer phones and type legal documents. Legal secretaries manage document production, work flow, and scheduling. They manage client relationships, recommend law office technology, choose vendors, draft legal documents and perform a variety of tasks ranging from clerical to complex. As the role of the legal secretary expands, secretarial skills and compensation have grown as well. Explore a rewarding career as a legal secretary.
4. Court Reporter
Advances in technology and a nationwide court reporter shortage have fueled a record number of opportunities in the field of court reporting. Court reporters undergo intense training in real-time technology, capturing 225-plus words a minute and instantly converting their stenographic notes into readable text. Court reporters transcribe court testimony, speeches, meetings, depositions, legal proceedings, cyber-conferences and other events. In addition to working in the legal industry, court reporters are finding careers in broadcast captioning or Webcasting. Learn about a career as a court reporter.
