A very good friend of mine has been working at the law offices of Dr Bruce. G Fagel & Associates for a number of years now and I was chatting to him recently about what life is like as a lawyer. As many of you know we often cover these career snippets on here, to give some of you a clearer picture of what certain jobs are like. This week we are going to cover the life of an attorney, which is a very tough career to get into. 

Assuming that you are prepared to work hard and get the necessary qualifications, here is what you can expect in the life of a lawyer. 

Tough Balance 

Something which many lawyers will tell you is that there is a tough balance to strike when you are working for a law firm. The reason for this is that they are ultimately a business and therefore they have to make money. Not all cases are as valuable as others and that is why many attorneys have to understand the need to strike the balance. Ultimately if a law firm makes no money then it can’t help anyone, which is why this is as important as helping people. 

Reading 

No matter if you are an attorney or a paralegal there is an enormous amount of reading which you have to do in this career role. This is why so many will tell you that you should have an analytical mind if you wish to do this job. You should be able to read and identify important information, and do so at speed. 

Long Hours 

If the movies were to be believed, lawyers would simply swoop into courtrooms and make killer winning arguments in front of the jury, and then walk out in a cool fashion, this is not however true. In reality the large percentage of attorneys are working incredibly long hours, and they often have to make sacrifices in their private lives as a result. Most attorneys attest to the fact that law school felt like a vacation compared to the job which they then walked into. 

Working in a Team 

Many fail to understand just how important the team dynamic is when it comes to being an attorney. Each case has many parts to it and each member of the team will look after and take care of those parts. No case is won by a lone person and it is essential that a team is able to work together and understand the team ethos in order to win. Team working skills are essential in this job role and without them you will struggle to perform well in the job role. 

And finally emotional anguish is often something you will feel within this job role. There are times when even the good guys lose and that can be hard for those working in the profession.