I DEAL J OB Lawyer

L AW Different job in this field: Civil Rights Corporate and Securities Law Criminal Law Education Law Employment and Labor Law Environmental and Natural Resources Law Family and Juvenile Law Health Law Immigration law

A TTORNEY Attorneys/Lawyers practice law. They advise people and organizations about ways to avoid legal problems by informing them of their legal rights and responsibilities. Also, lawyers provide advise if their clients do get into legal difficulty. Attorneys do legal research, prepare documents, write briefs, interview parties and witnesses to legal problems, and advocate their clients' cases both in and out of court. Most lawyers are employed in private practice. Mostly work for government agencies and corporations. Some have general law practices, which involve matters such as writing wills and contracts. Others specialize in one or two legal areas Examples: criminal law, labor law, property law, family law, contract law, environmental law, international law, or tax law. Still others work legal things with people who are poor.

E DUCATION R EQUIRED Four years of college & receive a bachelor's degree Then attend a three-year college of law approved by the American Bar Association. Must also pass all parts of the bar exam in the state in which he or she will work in Then except in a few states where graduation from the state's law school qualifies one to practice law, they must also pass a national test, the multistate bar examination.

S ALARY & B ENEFITS The starting salary and benefits for an attorney differ widely depending on the location of the practice and the size and type of the law firm. Small town attorneys beginning their own practice may take in less than $25,000 (and in some cases lose money) and may have to pay for their own medical insurance, retirement, and business expenses. Most starting salaries are higher. The average salary for beginning attorneys working in government averaged over $34,000 per year, while beginning attorneys engaged with private firms averaged about $47,000. These attorneys had virtually no overhead and had some benefits paid for by their employers. First-year attorneys for large corporate law firms in large urban areas may make as much as $85,000 and have medical benefits and retirement packages paid for completely by their firms. Partners in large law firms can make very substantial salaries.

U SE OF T ECHNOLOGY Full text search databases Electronic Filing of papers Word processors Billing Databases Internet connectivity to case law Cell phones Fax machines Calendaring systems

R ESOURCES technology