LAWYERS

Number of Lawyers Between 800,000 – 1 million About 2/3 are in private practice rest work for: - Government - Corporations - Unions - other organizations

Requirements Usually a Bachelor’s Degree which takes 4-6 years and a Law Degree (J.D.) which takes 3-4 years plus passing the Bar exam in the state

Law School 200 ABA accredited in U.S. American Bar Association 20 in California 18 California approved which are not ABA accredited but allow people to practice law in the state

Alemany JD’s Mr. Akins Mr. Ferry Mr. Meyer Ms. Vos Me

Paralegals Assist attorneys Qualified to do a lot of legal work Associate’s degree or Certificate about 300,000 in U.S.

Lawyers’ Work Most not in court Much is: - giving advice - drafting legal documents - doing legal research - negotiating deals

In Court Attorneys who represent clients in court are... Trial attorneys Also called Litigators

Fees Attorneys often require money to be paid “up front” this is known as a Retainer Some charge by the hour Others take a % of the “winnings” this is called a Contingency and is often 1/3 of $ “won”

Income Attorneys average about $120,000 Some make $ millions Others make very little