Being a civil lawyer requires you to be aware of anything related to citizens and their rights. Here is some more information about the same.
The US constitution champions the virtue of equality for all in a democratic form of government. By being a civil lawyer, you’ll be officially qualified to be in the courtrooms and help citizens or civilians fight for their justice and rights. If you are a teenager dreaming of becoming a civil lawyer, then you need to start preparing for a career in the law field from your high school. The reason for your early start is very obvious. Getting into a prestigious law school is not a cake walk in the US. It requires aptitude and tremendous efforts from a student’s side to make it in the best law universities and colleges. If you really want to become a successful lawyer, there is no end to learning. You have to burn the midnight oil to gain the knowledge, focus and concentration that are must have personality traits in a lawyer.
Job Description of a Civil Lawyer
As such, there are different branches of law; however, it is broadly diversified into two areas of practice, namely, civil and criminal. The world ‘civil’ generically stands for citizens and if you are a civil lawyer, you will be defending people disputes. That is, if there is a property issue between two brothers, you will help them solve the issue. Civil lawyers work for solving grievances of personal or professional disagreements between two or more parties. Criminal cases are not in the purview of a civil lawyers work. They are the domain of a criminal lawyers job. So, if someone has to file a defamation suit against other party, he must take the help of a civil law attorney. Civil lawyers cover a wide range of cases related to taxes, divorce, child custody disputes, corporate & government disputes. So, we now understand that components of civil lawyer’s job and that it includes working in matters of wills, trusts, mortgages, properties, leases, labor disputes and even patent related issues. These attorneys also fight for variety of cases that may include human rights, woman’s rights, homosexual rights, abortion rights, voting rights and any other civil right. Typical job duties of civil attorneys include drafting legal documents, studying cases, representing clients in courts and lots of paperwork. Civil lawyers smoothly juggle between courts and their offices.
How to Become a Civil Lawyer
Education will empower you in your efforts to become a civil lawyer. Knowledge is essential because it will help you to deal with all the nitty-gritty of this profession. As your first step to become a civil lawyer, you will have to obtain a four years undergraduate degree in subjects related to law and humanities. You should aim to attend maximum classes related to humanities as that will expose you to history of law, its basic premises and how the US constitution has incorporated legal amendments. In case, you are good with numbers, classes in mathematics will be of great use to you later, if you want to specialize in tax laws. After the undergraduate degree, you will have to take a three-year law degree. To enter in a reputed law school, you need to pass the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) exam, that is a half day standardized test meant for gaining entry in popular law colleges in the US. Acquire knowledge about LSAT exam during your undergraduate years so that in the last year of undergraduate degree, you can appear for LSAT exam and pass it in flying colors. Passing LSAT will be just like a passport to study in some prestigious law colleges in the USA. Even if you don’t enter the crème de la crème law colleges, a good LSAT score can help you to make it to a really good law school at state level, that is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). After your law studies are over and you pass the exams, you will get the prestigious Juris Doctor or JD degree. Finally, you will have to pass the state bar exam from your state jurisdiction and obtain licenses to practice this profession officially. Passing bar exams is a mandatory requirement in every state.
Career as a civil lawyer is very lucrative and is equally competitive. If you are fresher in the field of civil law, you will be able to earn anywhere between US$60,000 to US$80,000 per year. Lawyers profession is indeed one of the highest paying jobs in the US and average lawyer salary is way ahead of several professions in traditional fields like medical or engineering. If you amass work experience of a decade, your pay scale can easily touch US$150,000! Understand that there is no limit to the earning potential as it depends on your success. If you own an independent law firm and make it a great law company, you can climb the road to prosperity and fame faster. Many lawyers prefer to open their own law firms, after several years of work experience.
It is a fact that the law profession is rewarding but understand that to make big in this field, it requires sheer determination and exceptional ability. If you are willing to invest your heart and soul in this profession, you will certainly achieve your dreams. The stakes are high in this profession but the rewards are extremely sweet!