Having a career in law is not the easiest thing in the world. Whether we’re talking about personal injury, criminal, or trial lawyers, these professionals have to do an impeccable job no matter the situation, which can be difficult in many cases. Not only are they dealing with different types of people, but also with plenty of documents and research work. So, working in the law area has its pros and cons, which we will discuss below.
Pros of Pursuing a Law Career
Pursuing a law career comes with benefits, such as:
- Getting Financial Rewards
Everyone knows that lawyers get nice salaries, and whereas an attorney’s income is not as high as it used to be in the past, it is still more than others earn in a year. In fact, you can start earning a lot of money after the first five years as a lawyer.
- You Can Start Your Own Business
As a lawyer, you are pretty flexible. You can either join a law firm or choose to operate on your own and have your own rules and schedule.
- You Have Multiple Career Options
Working in law includes multiple career options. You can work in the public or private sector, become a criminal prosecutor or criminal defense attorney, and many other things.
- You Can Debate and Argue
Working in the law area allows you to debate the justice system and provide your own law interpretation when working to improve a case. If you love arguing your legal theories, becoming a lawyer will be ideal for you.
- Having Intellectual Challenges
You’ll never be bored while working in law because you will be stimulated by various challenges every day – be it a controversial case or a new client. This way, you can always use your analytical skills so a client’s case reaches the best conclusion.
- Learning Lots of Skills
When you work in the law department, you can learn many skills that you can transfer over to another career, which is great if you do not want to be a lawyer your entire life.
- You Have a Flexible Schedule
This career has more flexibility than other careers – especially if you have your own firm. Sure, there will be times when you’ll work day and night, but you’ll also have free time to spend as you wish.
- Working in a Positive Environment
You get to work in a real office with lots of privacy and people working for the same goal as yours. This will make it easier to deal with your responsibilities.
Cons of Pursuing a Law Career
Of course, pursuing a law career also has some downsides that you’ll discover below.
- Working Many Hours
Especially during your early career stages, you will probably work long hours to be able to support your clients.
- Lots of Stress
A lawyer deals with plenty of clients, deadlines, paperwork, etc. When these pile up, they generate a lot of stress.
- You Get Bad Public Image
Lawyers are not so loved by people. So, if you become a lawyer, you will have to deal with the negative stigma surrounding it.
- Legal Work Going to Cheap Labor Countries
There is a threat of outsourced legal work due to lots of foreign countries having a lower living cost. This is something to consider before becoming a lawyer.
- Clients Spend Less Money
Because of self-service websites and products, clients are spending less money on lawyers. This might affect your salary and, implicitly, your lifestyle.
- Education Costs a Lot
If you want to pursue a law career, you will have to spend a lot on education. Attending law school is quite expensive and it’s a domain where you’ll have to learn constantly. This means that you might have to follow several courses throughout the years and these types of courses are never cheap.
- Choosing Your Clients Is Not Always Possible
You cannot always choose your clients, especially in your first years when you’re struggling to earn a living and get recognized. So, you might have to work with difficult individuals. Some psychology courses would come in handy in this case.
So, before pursuing a law career, you should check these pros and cons. Analyze them and if the pros outweigh the cons, then becoming a lawyer might be the best choice for you.
