Law

Legal Careers to Pursue After College

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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over one million people are employed in legal occupations. From lawyers to judges, there are many opportunities out there for recent graduates.

If you plan on pursuing one of the many legal careers, you might wonder what your options are after college. Here are some of the most popular jobs in the legal field.

Lawyers

The most obvious career path many think of in the legal field is becoming a lawyer. Lawyers advise and represent individuals, government agencies, and businesses.

There are many fields that a lawyer can specialize in. Examples include estate planning, immigration, personal injury, and so on. Many law firms specialize in more than one area.

The salaries and responsibilities vary depending on which area you specialize in. For instance, a family lawyer helps clients to resolve family-related issues like divorce and child custody cases.

Paralegal and Legal Assistants

If you’d prefer to assist attorneys as they prepare for court and tackle cases, you might consider a job as a paralegal or legal assistant.

A paralegal helps by researching regulations and local laws, writing reports, taking notes, reviewing transcripts, etc. These individuals help to make a lawyer’s job easier.

Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners

Court reporters and simultaneous captioners attend legal proceedings to create transcriptions for presentations, television, or for those that have difficulty hearing. Some simultaneous captioners may work from an office or remotely.

If you have a good ear, you can write quickly, and you’re passionate about assisting others, this might be a good law career for you.

Court Clerk

A court clerk handles administrative duties both outside and inside the courtroom. They perform clerical duties for courts of law, government agencies, and municipalities.

Their responsibilities include preparing and issuing court orders, preparing dockets of cases to be called, examining legal documents, and sometimes swearing in jury members.

Judges

One of the more well-known legal jobs is a judge. These individuals oversee court hearings and trials and ultimately determine the case’s outcome through a ruling.

Their responsibilities include hearing from both parties, analyzing evidence, and listening to witnesses, defendants, and prosecutors.

A doctoral or professional degree is the entry-level education requirement to become a judge or hearing officer. It also requires years of work experience.

Remote Legal Jobs

You might think that to pursue a law career, you’ll have to work in a central office or spend much of your time in the courtroom. However, there are plenty of hybrid experiences as well.

Some of the benefits of working from home include having more time with your family, less stress over commuting, and more flexibility when it comes to choosing your hours. Many people find that working remotely allows them to accomplish more in less time.

To discover some of the many opportunities, browse some of these remote attorney jobs.

Find Legal Careers You’ll Love

There are many options for those interested in pursuing legal careers, and we can’t cover them all here. However, we hope this guide gave you some ideas to help you plan your future.

For more career advice, check out our business or education sections. We have plenty of tips for students and recent graduates.

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