Kara Sears
There are a variety of law jobs that can help people. Lawyers who work in legal services, for example, have a varied workload and intensive client contact, often managing up to 60 active cases at a time. They frequently collaborate on larger projects, such as community education or complex cases, and help people with their legal matters. Other law jobs that help people include mediators, who help parties navigate and settle disputes, and legal consultants, who provide advice and guidance to help individuals or organisations navigate complex legal situations. A law degree can also be useful for careers in human resources, journalism, politics, and management consulting.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Law jobs with direct people interaction | Legal services lawyers, mediators, arbitrators, conciliators, special agents, private investigators, journalists |
| Law jobs with indirect people interaction | E-discovery specialists, legal assistants, paralegals, general counsels, legal consultants, management consultants, human resource managers, law professors, politicians |
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What You'll Learn
- Legal services lawyers: Helping people with legal matters, often with intensive client contact and a varied workload
- Mediators: Neutral third-party professionals who help parties navigate and settle disputes
- Entrepreneurs: Using legal knowledge to start and build a business, understanding contracts, taxation, and intellectual property rights
- Legal consultants: Advising companies or individuals to navigate complex legal situations
- Journalists: Using legal expertise to inform the public about crimes and political events
Legal services lawyers: Helping people with legal matters, often with intensive client contact and a varied workload
Lawyers who work in legal services have the opportunity to help people with a diverse range of legal matters. This often involves intensive client contact and varied workloads, and can be incredibly rewarding.
In the US, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) was established in 1974 to promote equal access to justice. The LSC provides grants for high-quality civil legal assistance to low-income Americans, addressing basic civil legal needs involving safety, subsistence, and family stability. Most legal aid practices focus on family law, including domestic violence, child support and custody, and housing matters, such as evictions and foreclosures.
Lawyers working in this field will have a lot of client interaction and will need to build strong relationships with their clients. This involves showing empathy, understanding their clients' priorities, concerns, and needs, and keeping them informed about their case. Effective communication is key, and lawyers should aim to respond promptly to their clients and provide clear outlines of their firm's strategy, fees, and expected timeline.
The work can be varied, and lawyers may find themselves dealing with criminal law, corporate law, immigration law, personal injury law, or intellectual property law, to name a few. For example, in criminal law, lawyers help those accused of crimes navigate the legal system and ensure their rights are protected. In contrast, corporate lawyers may advise businesses on mergers and acquisitions and ensure compliance with regulations.
Legal services lawyers can make a real difference in their clients' lives, providing access to justice and helping them resolve their legal issues. It is a challenging but fulfilling career path that allows lawyers to use their knowledge and expertise to benefit others.
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Mediators: Neutral third-party professionals who help parties navigate and settle disputes
Mediators are neutral third-party professionals who facilitate the resolution of disputes between two or more parties. They are often referred to as arbitrators or conciliators and play a crucial role in helping individuals, organizations, or businesses resolve conflicts and reach mutually acceptable agreements.
The role of a mediator is to create a structured and safe environment for parties in conflict to come together and engage in open and honest dialogue. They guide the process by using specialized communication and negotiation techniques, fostering a constructive atmosphere, and helping parties identify underlying needs, concerns, and interests. The mediator's primary goal is to help the disputing parties find their own optimal solution, rather than imposing an external decision. This process is often called "shuttle diplomacy," where the mediator moves between the parties, conveying information, suggestions, and potential solutions.
Mediators are not advisors and do not offer prescriptive advice or legal counsel. They are skilled in managing emotions and reducing tensions, reframing aggressive language, and facilitating a full and frank exchange of views. They may ask questions, encourage active participation, and provide a fresh perspective to help parties consider alternatives they might not have thought of on their own.
Mediation is a flexible process and can be used to resolve a wide range of disputes, from interpersonal and human resource conflicts to international commercial and trans-border disagreements. It is a voluntary process, and for mediation to be successful, the parties involved must have full authority to negotiate and settle the dispute. The effectiveness of mediation depends on the skill and training of the mediator, and mediators often have specific industry knowledge that makes them particularly valuable in certain cases. For example, mediators with real estate expertise may be sought to mediate real estate transaction disputes.
While mediators do not provide legal advice, they can help disputing parties better understand their conflict and direct them to additional resources if needed. Mediation is a valuable alternative to litigation, providing a faster, less costly, and more flexible means of resolving disputes and achieving mutually satisfactory resolutions.
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Entrepreneurs: Using legal knowledge to start and build a business, understanding contracts, taxation, and intellectual property rights
Entrepreneurs can leverage legal knowledge in several key areas to start and grow their ventures, including contracts, taxation, and intellectual property rights.
Contracts
Understanding contracts is essential for entrepreneurs as they are the foundation of business operations. Contracts are legally enforceable agreements that outline the rights and obligations of the parties involved. Entrepreneurs should familiarize themselves with the essential elements of a valid contract, such as lawful consideration, competent parties, free consent, and a lawful object. It is crucial to read and understand the terms before signing and to use clear and concise language to prevent ambiguities and potential disputes. Written contracts are generally preferred for clarity and enforceability.
Taxation
Knowledge of taxation laws is vital for entrepreneurs to ensure compliance and maintain a stable economic environment for their businesses. This includes understanding the tax implications of different business structures, revenue sources, and expenses. Entrepreneurs should also be aware of tax incentives, deductions, and credits that may apply to their businesses.
Intellectual Property Rights
Intellectual property (IP) rights are crucial for entrepreneurs to protect their creations, including inventions, designs, names, phrases, symbols, and written works. In the United States, there are three main ways to safeguard intellectual property: patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Patents protect specific product designs, trademarks safeguard names or symbols, and copyrights grant exclusive rights to copy, modify, and distribute a work. Entrepreneurs should also consider trade secrets, which cannot be protected by patents, trademarks, or copyrights. Instead, they rely on confidentiality agreements and nondisclosure agreements to safeguard sensitive information.
Corporate Governance and Mergers & Acquisitions
Entrepreneurs can benefit from understanding corporate governance, which involves establishing a transparent and accountable framework for directing and controlling the company. Good governance builds trust with investors and customers. Additionally, knowledge of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can be valuable for entrepreneurs seeking to grow or restructure their businesses through the buying, selling, or combining of companies. M&A transactions require compliance with state and federal regulations, and entrepreneurs should seek legal advice to navigate the complex process successfully.
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Legal consultants: Advising companies or individuals to navigate complex legal situations
Legal consultants are highly skilled professionals who provide specialised advice and strategic guidance to companies or individuals. They are adept at analysing intricate legal scenarios and formulating creative solutions, leveraging their extensive knowledge of the law. Legal consultants help their clients make informed and sound legal decisions, navigate complex legal issues, and ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. They do not typically represent clients in court but assist in strategic planning, risk management, compliance assurance, contract drafting and review, and may facilitate alternative dispute resolution.
Legal consultants address specific legal challenges with targeted solutions, supporting clients through complex situations. Their services are flexible and can be tailored to meet the specific needs and duration required by the client. They offer advisory roles, helping clients consider legal implications before taking action. Engaging legal consultants helps mitigate potential legal risks by ensuring rules and laws are followed, and their expertise can be crucial for navigating complex legal landscapes.
Legal consultants may work on a project-by-project basis for different clients, often as an extension of an existing in-house legal team. They can be qualified lawyers or legal operations/contract management specialists who work closely with legal teams. Their responsibilities include assessing potential legal risks, offering advice on business transactions, drafting contracts, and providing insights into regulatory matters.
Legal consulting is a rewarding career option for lawyers seeking more meaningful and fulfilling employment beyond courtrooms and legal research. It offers time and schedule flexibility, variety in work, and the opportunity to help individuals and organisations navigate intricate legal frameworks.
To become a legal consultant, one can pursue a law degree, gain legal experience, and then transition into consulting. Alternatively, one can directly enter consulting without becoming a lawyer, though specific qualifications may vary depending on jurisdiction and service type. Legal consultants are in high demand, with organisations recognising the need for expert legal advice.
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Journalists: Using legal expertise to inform the public about crimes and political events
Journalism is a powerful tool for informing the public about current events, and journalists with legal expertise can play a crucial role in shedding light on crimes and political events. They can leverage their knowledge of the law to navigate complex legal and ethical considerations, ensuring that the public receives accurate and unbiased information.
Journalists with legal expertise can effectively utilise their skills in researching and writing about crimes. They can gather facts by reviewing public records, interviewing witnesses, and attending events. For instance, when covering a crime scene, journalists must be mindful of not trespassing on private property, respecting police lines, and complying with location restrictions. Additionally, they should be cautious when sharing text, images, or videos online, as it may raise security concerns and lead to the unintended dissemination of sensitive information.
In the context of political events, journalists with legal expertise can help the public understand the intricacies of legislation and policy changes. They can provide insights into the legal implications of political decisions and their potential impact on people's rights and freedoms. Journalists can also utilise their legal knowledge to navigate access restrictions at political gatherings and protests. For instance, understanding the time, place, and manner restrictions imposed by the government on speech and the right to make video recordings of law enforcement officers in public.
Furthermore, journalists with legal expertise can play a vital role in combating misinformation and propaganda. They can verify the accuracy of information, ensuring that the public receives factual and impartial reporting. This is especially crucial in the age of social media, where misinformation can spread rapidly and cause significant harm. By fact-checking and exercising ethical considerations, journalists uphold the integrity of their profession.
Journalists with legal expertise also possess a unique ability to educate their audience about legal matters. They can explain complex legal concepts, making them more accessible to the general public. This not only enhances legal literacy among citizens but also fosters a deeper understanding of the justice system and the rights it upholds.
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Frequently asked questions
Legal services lawyers help people by providing direct client interaction and assistance with their legal matters. They may also work on law reform projects intended to change the larger system, such as legislative advocacy and appellate litigation.
There are many alternative careers that can help people with a law degree. For example, a journalist can use their legal expertise to report on crimes and political events. Other options include becoming a special agent, private investigator, or human resources manager.
Lawyers can specialize in diverse areas such as criminal law, personal injury law, or immigration law, which all involve helping people navigate complex legal situations.
