Legal Careers and Why They Could Be Right for You

Getting into a legal profession is something that many people look at during their lives. A legal career doesn’t simply have to mean becoming a lawyer – it could range from anything from being a police officer or detective to being a paralegal, mediator or judge. If you plan on becoming a certified mediator, you may need to undergo a mediation training and pass some tests.

Beyond financial rewards, there are also a whole host of other draws which bring people onto this particular path. It could be that you are looking for a significant intellectual challenge. It could be that you are looking for a career in which you can help others or something that is personally rewarding. So, let’s look at some of the top reasons why people decide to venture into a legal career to end up working in a respected law office.

Growth and Opportunity

Many legal careers offer fantastic opportunities for growth and development. And there is also a much clearer path of progression than many other careers so you always feel like you have something to work towards. With so many individual areas of specialism, you can select something which holds your interest and gives you a passion which you can develop over time. As the law continues to become more complex over time, more opportunities present themselves. If you are not sure which area of law you would like to go into, you could consider studying an Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice which provides a whole host of different paths. For people who are interested in continually adapting their skills and learning new things, a career in law could be the ideal route.

Working with People

Most law careers involve working with people to some degree, so if you are the kind of person who enjoys this, a law job could be the perfect option. Overcoming problems for people is at the heart of many of these careers, so you will always be presented with new challenges. As well as having good organisational skills and a problem-solving brain, the ability to get along well with all kinds of people will prove to be invaluable.

Intellectual Challenge

We mentioned this at the start, but there is no doubt that a legal career can throw up a whole host of intellectual challenges to overcome. So, it may be that you work as a detective and have to piece together different bits of evidence. It may have that you are a lawyer and have to pore through obscure pieces of the law in order to construct a defense for a client. There is no doubt that many legal careers are very demanding, but if you are willing to put in the time and effort, the rewards are certainly there for you.

Prestige and Respect

When you look at the hierarchy of different careers that possess varying levels of respect, the legal professional usually comes pretty highly on the list. This image is further enhanced by the number of TV shows and movies that glamourise various legal jobs. Of course, the number one reason to get into a career shouldn’t be what other people think of you, but there is no doubt that it can prove to be an added bonus.

Fast-Paced and Dynamic

Some people prefer to work in environments which are less stressful and calmer while others prefer to be involved in a world which is challenging, fast-paced and dynamic. If you are in the second camp, a legal career could prove to be the perfect option for you. There will always be new obstacles that you overcome but the satisfaction of doing this is what drives many legal professionals on. Other things that you will need to do in order to succeed in this field include mastering new technology and keeping up with the changes in an ever-changing field of work.

Skilled Legal Professionals are In Demand

Of course, getting into a legal career in the first place can be extremely challenging as there are so many other people who are all trying to do the same thing. But once you get your foot in the door and start to become skilled in a particular area, you will find that you are much more in demand. And legal careers also have people who come from various different backgrounds so you have not necessarily closed the door on yourself just because you have not studied a law degree at undergraduate level.

A Long-Lasting Career

Many people who start in a legal career decide to stick with it for a long period of time. This provides a sense of stability which is absent from many other different paths. And as you get older, this doesn’t necessarily mean that more barriers are in place to stop you from continuing to progress as far as you would like to. Following on from the last point, the older that you get, the more knowledge and experience you have developed so you may even be more in demand amongst employers.

You Can Strike Out on Your Own

If you feel like the time has come when you would like to strike out on your own, this is a popular option for many people in the legal profession. This means that you can become your own boss and further run things how you would like to. And the transferrable skills that you have developed mean that you can choose what sort of business that you would like to run and you are much more likely to make a success of it.

The Financial Rewards

We have talked a lot about the personal rewards of a career in law, but there is no doubt that the financial rewards are significant as well. Indeed, legal professionals regularly rank highly on the list of top paid jobs. There is no doubt that this is an attractive proposition, but you shouldn’t forget that you often have to make personal sacrifices and work long hours in order to get your money.

Travel Opportunities

Many legal jobs come along with significant travel opportunities – particularly if you work for one of the main law firms. Of course, within smaller firms, these chances tend to be more limited but if you get involved in an area of law such as international or corporate law, you are much more likely to travel for work. So, if you don’t like the idea of always being stuck in a single location, one of these fields could end up being perfect for you.

You Can Go into Other Careers

We talked about how you have the option to stay working within the legal sphere for a long period of time, but you can also decide to go into other areas as well. One of the most common of these is a career in politics. Indeed, many top leaders of countries around the world started off in law. Many of the skills that you need to become a top barrister are directly transferrable to becoming a top politician. The move from law to politics means that you can go from reading about law to being the one who is making it.

Though many legal careers are highly competitive, for people who do decide to venture down this path, the rewards are there for all to see. First of all, the profession is fast-moving and dynamic. Not only this, it is also often financially rewarding. Also, it is often a career in which people stay for a long period of time, but you also have the opportunity to go into different areas if you feel this is right for you.