Finding Your Place in the Law
The legal field is a wide and remarkably diverse one, and finding your way in it can seem like a daunting task. As the law touches nearly every area of public and private life, you will find lawyers working on almost any topic you can imagine, often on several sides of the same issue! As advocates, they argue for their clients in civil and criminal courts; as counselors, they advise on business decisions and manage complex transactions; as negotiators, they draft contracts and regulations—tasks related to areas of practice as different as business, civil rights, education, the environment, real estate, criminal justice, and more.
Yet, for all of the diversity in the field, there are some important common threads. The great majority of lawyers practicing in the United States hold the Juris Doctor (JD), which they have earned from one of roughly 200 law schools accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) in the US and Canada. Many more lawyers come from abroad, earning law degrees in their home countries before attaining a Legum Magister (LLM) that allows them to practice in the United States. Whatever the particular field, all serve in effect as guides, steering their clients through arcane legal processes and translating the complicated web of laws and precedents that amounts to our legal system.
The legal profession demands a strong code of ethics and a clear sense of duty—to clients, to fellow citizens, to the law—because lawyers often find themselves handling sensitive information in cases of tremendous personal and/or public significance. Lawyers must also be effective and persuasive communicators, as well as strong leaders, who are able to manage a variety of time-sensitive tasks on a regular basis.
Below you will find resources to help you explore different areas of the law. Have a look, and see what interests you. As always, get in touch with the Pre-Law Advising Office when you have questions.
