Look Before You Leap: A Guide for Aspiring Lawyers
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About this ebook
In this book you will find a series of chapters designed to give young and aspiring lawyers the basics of real work legal practice. The book focuses on practice in a traditional law firm, although the principles involved can often be translated to other areas as well.
Topics in the book include a discussion of why you might enjoy being a lawyer and how you might find motivation in a legal career. The book talks about salaries, day to day tasks of a lawyer (both those done by junior lawyers and those done generally), what a law firm hierarchy looks like, and some descriptions of the different sizes of law firms.
Also included is a discussion of some of the common pros and cons of legal practice - include a discussion of stress, working hours and conditions, conflict and other negative issues that sometimes arise in legal practice.
Finally the book gives a description of some of the benefits of legal practice, and talks about how you can excel as a lawyer at various stages of your career, and what the path of promotion looks like in a law firm.
Chris Hargreaves
I am a solicitor at a large law firm in Brisbane, Australia. I work primarily in commercial litigation, although I have experience in a wider range of areas.I get a lot out of trying to assist others in the professional development, and I find this to be a rewarding use of my time. Generally my existing (and intended) books are focused on that goal, in the hope that some of my personal experiences will assist those who come after me.
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Look Before You Leap - Chris Hargreaves
Look Before You Leap
A guide for aspiring LAWYERS
By Chris Hargreaves
Copyright 2013
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords Edition, Licence Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Why be a Lawyer?
Money
Power and Influence
Intellectual Stimulation
Helping People
Characteristics of a Good Lawyer
Integrity
Flexibility
Focus
Self-Discipline
Discretion
The Legal Career Path
Law Clerk
Trainee Solicitor
Solicitor
Associate/Senior Associate
Special Counsel
Salaried Partner/Equity Partner
Barrister/Judge
Negatives of Legal Work
Stress
Hours
Conflict
Positives of Legal Work
Stimulation
Relationship
Service
Types of Law Firms
Boutique/Small Firms
Mid-Tier Firms
Top-Tier/Large Firms
Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
I am a person who likes to know about things before I get too far into them. That goes for buying a DVD player, going to a movie, and it was true for my legal career also.
One resource that I would have greatly appreciated while I attempted to pick my University preferences and discern my preferred career was a resource with some practical knowledge about what it was like to work in a law firm, what a legal career looked like in reality, and which answered some of the frequently distributed misinformation about what it was actually like to take up a career in the law.
I have been fortunate throughout my career to have had mentors and guiding senior practitioners who have been prepared to share that practical knowledge and insight with me, but I know that not all junior practitioners or aspiring law students are so lucky. For that reason, I have written this short e-book with a view to providing some hands-on explanation of what a real career in a law firm looks like, what you can expect in some areas, what a normal
career path looks like in terms of private practice, and addressing some of the common hopes or concerns that young people might have about going into the law.
I have not assumed that you know or do not know anything. Where necessary I have attempted to explain any jargon that I use, or terms that might be commonplace in the legal industry but not necessarily anywhere else (a glass of mutatis mutandis, anyone, or would you prefer a nice nunc pro tunc?)
Whether you are a high school student, a university student, an early career law clerk or young lawyer, I hope that this e-book might address some of those issues which you may have been wanting addressed, but not necessarily known who you can go to for answers.
None of the information in this e-book is an industry secret
or any such nonsense, but a lot of it is information that you might not otherwise be able to get in one sitting, or information that traditionally has found its way from person to person through means other than by way of a short guide like this one.
The contents of this book are obviously based on my personal experience. In many instances the experiences of others will be different, although I have endeavoured to present information that is widely accepted and representative of current practice. You may find that the details will vary from place to place, or that others provide you with different information or even direct contradiction to my own thoughts in this book. I don’t consider that a bad thing – gather all the information you can, including those from disagreeing sources, and identify for yourself how you want to use that information to best advantage in your decision making.
I have found my legal career to be rewarding on many levels. Although some of the information presented here can be daunting, I hope