Institute for Career Research

Career as a Lawyer Institute for Career Research

"YOU'VE BEEN SERVED!" THOSE ARE SCARY WORDS. Nobody likes to get legal documents. They are confusing, intimidating, and most people have no idea what to make of them. Unless, of course, you are a lawyer. When it comes to legal matters, most of us are at a loss without the guidance of a knowledgeable lawyer. Attorneys help us understand our complicated legal system. They make sense out of all those wherefores and whereases ordinary people cannot decipher. General practice attorneys handle a wide variety of legal matters, shifting gears from one area of the law to another throughout the day to assist their clients. They use their expertise to guide people through a complex maze of laws, explaining in plain English exactly what is going on. Then they turn their attention to what needs to be done to resolve the problem. General practice attorneys are equally at ease reading through a lengthy, multifaceted contract and suggesting revisions that benefit their client, and appearing in municipal court to defend someone charged with a series of traffic violations. A general practitioner serves as a confidant, an advisor in a time of crisis, a voice of reason when emotions may cloud a client's judgment, a defender, an advocate, and, many times, a friend when one is hard to find. While the ranks of lawyers have swelled over the years, so has the need for attorneys, as modern-day society has grown more complex. Who would have thought a decade or so ago that the skills of an attorney might be needed to battle a variety of violations brought on by the use of computers, from identity theft to fraud to invasion of privacy to cyberbullying? Some might say general practice lawyers handle all the cases nobody else wants. Yet that makes those cases that much more important. Who else will stand up for these individuals and aid them in their time of need? This is not a job for the faint-hearted. There will be many times during your career as a lawyer in general practice that you will have to counsel people about some difficult, life-altering decisions they will have to make. General practice attorneys give their clients the peace of mind that someone is willing to speak on their behalf and tell their side of the story. These professionals protect their clients' property, their rights, and their good name, and make sure they are not overlooked in the often uncaring, baffling, and impersonal judicial system.