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1

Law / Reasons to Choose a Career in the Legal Profession

« on: September 08, 2018, 10:27:44 PM »

A career in law can be intellectually challenging, personally fulfilling and financially rewarding. Below are eight  reasons to choose a career in the legal profession.
 
Diverse Legal Career Options
The complexities of our legal system have created hundreds of legal career options that serve a variety of core and non-core legal functions. From lawyers, judges, and mediators  and consultants, the legal professional’s role is expanding and evolving to keep pace with the ever-changing legal system .
 Growth and Opportunity
In the last several years, the legal profession has experienced staggering growth. A steady rise in profits and revenues expanded headcounts and significant salary increases have provided plenty of job opportunities in a broad range of legal positions.

 Financial Rewards
The legal profession is one of the most lucrative industries in today’s job market. Double-digit growth in recent years has produced healthy revenues and rising salaries. Many non-lawyers also reap significant financial rewards in the legal profession.

 Diverse Practice Areas
Increased segmentation and specialization in the legal profession has spawned a growing number of legal specialties and sub-specialties that cater to almost every legal interest. Legal professionals who seek a career in litigation can specialize in criminal law, employment law, family law, products liability or dozens of other practice areas. Legal professionals who prefer a career in corporate law can specialize in tax law, mergers, and acquisitions,real estate, finance or another corporate practice area that satisfies their interests.

 Intellectual Challenges
Navigating an evolving legal system, advances in technology, vast bodies of case law and the demands of the legal profession creates a stimulating intellectual environment for the legal professional. Lawyers and non-lawyers alike must grapple with conceptually challenging issues, reason with logic and clarity, analyze the case and statutory law, research complex legal issues and master oral and written communications.

 Prosperity
Historically, the legal profession has weathered economic downturns quite well and should do so in the future, in part due to the growing geographic and practice diversification of many law firms. In fact, some practice areas such as litigation, bankruptcy, and reorganization, residential real estate foreclosures and regulatory compliance will actually benefit from an economic slowdown. As a result, legal professionals should find plenty of job opportunities in any economic climate .

 Prestige
In a culture that views high pay, impressive schooling and societal power as hallmarks of success, the legal profession has long been regarded as a noble and elite profession. This image is further boosted by the portrayal of legal careers in the media as exciting, glamorous, fast-paced and desired. As a result, the legal profession has held its allure and careers in the law remain is one of the most sought-after professions in today’s job market.
 
Global Perspective
More firms and corporations are crossing international borders and expanding across the globe through mergers, acquisitions, consolidation, and collaboration with foreign counsel. The globalization of the legal profession provides today’s legal professional with a worldview and the opportunity to serve international clients.

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Law / The reality of working in law

« on: September 08, 2018, 10:13:38 PM »

Here one solicitor breaks down the stereotypes surrounding the profession and provides a real insight in to what to expect from a law career

Salary
What you're paid depends on the size of the firm, the location and practice area.  A newly-qualified solicitor working in a smaller commercial or regional firm may earn anywhere between 10,000 and 20,000 taka monthly, which can rise to 65,000 taka in the City, and up to 80,000 taka .The corporate commercial side of law is one of the highest paid sectors, with gross salaries . However, salary isn't everything and graduates are often drawn to the more personal departments, such as family law. Salaries in this sector can range from 40,000 to 90,000 taka per month. Civil practice is another relatively high earner, with wages between 40,000 and 120,000 taka.

Culture
There's no doubt that some areas of law are very well-paid, but this isn't like the television series Suits; you won't always find yourself working in a glass high-rise in the City. A number of firms are local, with some more traditional than others. The 'high street solicitor' is alive and kicking, with many supporting a core network of loyal clients.The industry is more relaxed than it used to be and modern firms manage cases through their own case management systems - effectively a digital documentation system.It's not all about being behind a desk. Depending on the nature of your work you might find yourself in court, visiting a client at home or, in the case of personal injury, carrying out a site inspection following an incident.

Competitiveness
The market is hugely competitive and saturated with graduates, so you'll need to make sure you stand out. Larger firms will have more training contracts due to their need to develop new talent. However, for smaller firms it can often be a question of cost versus the long-term reward. Early on in their training, new starters will be non-fee earners, a potential burden for a smaller firm, hence the limited number of training contracts they may offer.Nevertheless people do move on, and these firms will need new blood, so never dismiss them outright. It's worth considering the trade off between training at a small firm compared to a larger one. Training from a larger firm may appear to be more impressive on a CV, but that isn't always the case. It depends on the employer and the skills they're looking for.
 
Typical working day
The general rule of thumb is 9am to 5pm, but evening and weekend work isn't uncommon. If you're in court on Sunday morning, you may find yourself prepping for the case over the weekend. You may also need to visit a client at home, out of their working hours. Likewise, if you're working in criminal law, you might need to visit a client in prison or at the police station; the latter may be at a less than typical time.
A legal executive  or solicitor will bill on average six to nine working hours per day, with an expectation of between 1,200 and 1,600 hours per year. With this comes the responsibility to meet financial targets, dependent on your sector and the size of the firm.

3

Law / Law Careers

« on: September 08, 2018, 09:48:42 PM »

With so many law jobs on offer, choosing the right career for you can seem overwhelming. To make things easier here's a breakdown of available jobs in the legal sector.

Solicitor
You'll be a confidential adviser that has direct contact with clients, combining expertise and people skills to provide legal guidance and assistance. Once qualified, you can work in private practice, in-house for a commercial or industrial organisation, in local or central government or in the court service. Discover the skills you'll need and what you can earn as a solicitor. 
 
Barrister
Passion, dedication and hard work are just three of the qualities needed for a career at the Bar.From providing specialist legal advice to representing clients in court, your tasks will vary depending on your area of expertise. Generally, you'll advise clients on the law and the strength of their case, hold conferences with clients to discuss their situation and provide legal advice, represent clients in court by presenting the case, examining witnesses and giving reasons why the court should support the case, and negotiate settlements with the other side.

Tax adviser
You'll use your knowledge of tax legislation to provide advisory and consultancy services to clients, ensuring that they pay their taxes in the most efficient way and benefit from any tax advantages and exemptions.You'll need to keep up to date with changing tax laws and be able to explain complicated legislation and its implications to your clients in simple terms. Although open to graduates from any discipline, a degree in accountancy and finance, business, economics, law, management, mathematics or statistics may increase your chances.

Legal secretary
It's your job to ensure the office runs smoothly by providing administrative support to solicitors and legal executives. You could be producing wills and contracts, accompanying solicitors to court or police stations or dealing with clients.The ability to type accurately and quickly, a good eye for detail and discretion are all skills you'll need to succeed.
 
Company secretary
You'll be responsible for ensuring that an organisation complies with standard financial and legal practice and maintains high standards of corporate governance The capability to work with numerical information, good analytical and problem-solving skills, a diplomatic approach and the confidence to provide support to high-profile staff and board members are all necessary skills for a successful company secretary.

Judge
It's up to you to control trials and hearings in your courtroom. You need to look at the evidence, interpret the law and make an impartial decision in favour of one of the parties. In criminal cases you'll also decide what sentence to give a defendant if they're convicted.You can't become a judge straight after graduation as you need significant experience as a solicitor or barrister first. This is followed by some part-time work supervised by an experienced judge.

Mediation Specialist
As a mediation specialist it'll be your job to establish and maintain civil relationships between conflicting parties, solving any disputes with efficiency, tact and patience.Mediation specialists are impartial third parties who work with a range of people, such as divorcing couples, separated parents, and landlords and tenants. Your day-to-day tasks will include meeting clients, finding ways to work through their conflicts and involving legal authorities in cases where mediation isn't working.You won't need any qualifications to become a mediation specialist, although previous experience in a law, social care or counselling environment might help you get ahead.

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Law / Areas of Law

« on: September 08, 2018, 09:26:24 PM »

There's more to the legal system than criminal, contract and constitutional law. Take a look at the different types of practice areas that a lawyer can specialise in-

Here's an overview of some of the practice areas you could enter…

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
ADR involves settling civil disputes between consumers and traders without going to court. This is often quicker and cheaper than litigation. The two most common forms of ADR are arbitration, where an independent third party considers the facts and makes a final decision, and mediation, where an independent third party helps the disputing parties to come to a mutually acceptable outcome themselves. Several large and well-established ADR schemes already exist in highly-regulated sectors such as energy, telecoms and financial services. However, an increasing number of businesses in other areas are members of voluntary ADR schemes. You would suit ADR work if you have good negotiation skills, are understanding and can act quickly.

Banking law
This type of law covers the full spectrum of finance, from personal bank loans to complex business transactions. Lawyers usually specialise in such fields as property, acquisition, capital markets or Islamic finance, and can work on behalf of either the borrower or the lender. They assist with negotiations, due diligence and the structuring of deals, ensuring legal compliance throughout. They are also involved in the analysis and prediction of future trends that might impact upon the client. An analytical mind, great attention to detail and a good head for numbers are needed to be successful in this practice area.

Commercial law
Lawyers working in this area of law advise companies and governments on business-related issues. They handle a range of corporate deals and standalone transactions, and are responsible for negotiating and creating contracts regarding, for example, the supply of goods and services. If you have good people management skills, commercial awareness and the ability to pick out the important facts then this could be for you.

Constitutional law
This core area of law governs the operation of political communities, most notably the state. It revolves around the concept of the state protecting fundamental rights.

Contract law
A contract is a legally-binding agreement between two or more parties regarding the sale of goods, provision of services or exchange of interests or ownership. Contract law therefore centres on the relationship, content and validity of these agreements. If disagreements arise, the blame and potential solutions can be identified by referring to the contract, or the laws that govern the contract.

Criminal law
This type of law covers any form of criminal behaviour, regardless of scale or severity, meaning that lawyers can work on crimes as serious as rape, murder or robbery. Criminal law can also require involvement in international relations and understanding laws from multiple jurisdictions, particularly when concerning issues such as terrorism, extradition and money-laundering.

Equity and trusts
This strand of law regulates situations where one person places trust in another to look after their affairs. Most lawyers working within equity deal with trust law. Equity and trusts specialists often ensure that charities are spending funds appropriately or help to resolve conflicts between family members. The latter often involves the scrutiny of wills, meaning that professionals must deal with sensitive situations well.

Family law
This strand of law covers numerous areas including same-sex parenting, parental responsibility, domestic violence and abuse, and finances and property upon divorce. You need to have effective communication skills and be able to empathise with your clients to succeed in family law.

Insurance law
There are numerous sub-specialisms of insurance, including property, professional indemnity and maritime. Insurance policies mitigate financial loss caused by, for example, human error, accidents and natural disasters. Lawyers are commonly required when disputes arise between the insured policyholder and the insurer, or the insured plus the insurer and another party. However, some lawyers specialise in the transactional aspects, advising on elements such as tax and regulations.

Intellectual property (IP) law
IP refers to creations of the mind, such as names, designs, inventions, images and artistic works. These are protected in law by patents, copyright and trademarks, which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from their creations.The ability to discuss complex ideas in a simple way, flexibility and good organisation are required if you want to succeed as an IP lawyer. For more information on what IP involves, see how to start a business.

Land law
Part of the wider sphere of property law, this specialism governs the land and anything within or attached to it, such as trees, buildings, treasure or oil. Lawyers fight or defend disputes over land matters, such as rights of way and boundary issues. They can work on behalf of landowners, companies, investors, private individuals or the state, and specialise in areas including property finance, mortgage lending and social housing.

Litigation
Also known as dispute resolution, litigation involves assisting with any civil disputes and claims that arise following a commercial deal or transaction, either between different companies, or between companies and individuals. Issues can include fraud, regulation, unpaid bills, defective products, corporate management, contractual matters, and mergers and acquisitions. If you can present facts in a persuasive manner, have commercial awareness and good negotiation skills then this could be the area of law for you.

Private client law
A private client lawyer manages the affairs of individuals, planning all aspects of their finances including wills, trusts, investments, estates and taxation. Their main objective is to help preserve and build wealth. Private clients are usually very rich celebrities or entrepreneurs, landowners who own a huge portfolio of properties, or individuals with inherited wealth.

Tort law
In civil law, a tort is a wrongdoing by one private party against another. There are three general types: intentional, negligence and strict liability, with types of grievance including injury, slander, trespass, noise pollution and false imprisonment. Successful cases usually result in monetary compensation for the claiming party.

5

Law / 7 skills for a successful law career

« on: September 08, 2018, 12:20:04 AM »

                7 skills for a successful law career

Competition to gain a training contract or pupillage is fierce. Give yourself the best chance of securing a job at a law firm or chambers by brushing up on these seven important skills

Commercial awareness :

Legal recruiters cite commercial awareness as one of the most important attributes a candidate can possess. Commercial awareness means possessing knowledge of current developments in local, national and world business, particularly any issues that may impact a law firm and its clients.
Law firms expect employees to market their services to prospective clients, as well as develop trusting relationships with existing ones. Ultimately, law firms are businesses, so lawyers must appreciate the commercial importance of meeting deadlines, keeping costs low and handling information confidentially.
You can improve your commercial awareness by:
•   becoming a committee member of a university club or society, in a position where you can help to organise events
•   browsing specialist websites such as RollOnFriday, LawCareers.Net, The Lawyer, Legal Cheek, Legal Week and Legal Futures
•   gaining work experience at a commercial organisation such as a bar, call centre, department store or, if possible, a law firm
•   going on a gap year, as this will help to develop your budgeting, scheduling and cost-cutting skills, and also give you an international perspective on business issues
•   joining industry-specific forums that allow you to attend seminars and network with business professionals
•   listening to business-related podcasts or radio shows, such as BBC Radio 4's Today programme
•   reading business publications such as the Financial Times and The Economist, and the business pages of a daily newspaper such as The Times
•   watching business-related television programmes such as Newsnight, Panorama, Dragons' Den and The Apprentice.
You'll be expected to show commercial awareness from the start of the application process by demonstrating a thorough knowledge of the firm you're applying to.

Communication :

Strong oral and written communication skills are vital .Excellent listening ability is also important when working with clients, as you need to be able to build relationships and engender confidence.
You need to be a confident speaker when arguing a case in court, negotiating settlements and when explaining complex information to clients. You'll have to use persuasive, clear and succinct language.To hone this skill while at university, volunteer as the spokesperson in group activities or get involved in debate teams.
Written ability is equally important when drafting letters and legal documents. You'll need to know technical and legal language and be able to convey it clearly and concisely. To improve your written communication skills, get involved with your university's law society. You could take meeting minutes, draft emails, write newsletters or manage social media accounts.
You should also develop interpersonal skills. A lot of the projects you work on will require a team effort, so you must be able to build strong working relationships with colleagues. Getting involved in any team activity, for example a sport, should help to improve your communication ability.

Attention to detail :

A sharp eye for accuracy is crucial to the success of your legal career. A single word out of place can change the meaning of a clause or contract, while misspelt or ungrammatical emails, letters or documents can give clients a bad impression, costing your firm their business.

Time management :

To stay on top of your challenging workload and meet demanding deadlines you'll need excellent organisation and time management skills. You need to be an efficient multi-tasker with the ability to juggle competing priorities. You'll also need a solid work ethic, as hours can be long.
There are a number of ways to practise effective time management. Making to-do lists and prioritising tasks in order to complete multiple projects is one way. Alternatively, you could devise a revision timetable to manage university exams. Everyone manages their workload differently.However, you need to make sure that additional activities or work commitments don’t interfere with, or impact on, your studies. This, in itself, will be an excellent exercise in time management.

Academic ability :

The profession is intellectually demanding and recruiters will be on the lookout for candidates who can process complex information and draw knowledgeable conclusions. You'll need to prove that you have the intellectual ability to cope with the pressures of the job and ordinarily you'll demonstrate this through your school and university achievements.
While academic ability is important, recruiters increasingly appreciate well-rounded candidates so get involved in extracurricular activities, take up an interesting hobby, join a sports team, volunteer with the Citizens Advice network or learn a language. All of these things will give your application an edge.

Resilience and self-confidence :

Legal careers are competitive. Demonstrate your commitment to a career in law through relevant work experience and remember that when it comes to standing out from the crowd, determination and enthusiasm go a long way - as does resilience and confidence in your own abilities.
Many students have the potential, but just don't know how to use examples to illustrate their abilities. It takes practice to get it right.

Research and analysis :

Reading large amounts of information, absorbing facts and figures, analysing material and then distilling it into something manageable is a feature of any law career, whether working for a commercial firm.
The key is being able to identify what is relevant out of the mass of information and explain it clearly and concisely to your client. Hone this skill by taking large documents or long news articles and making five-point bulleted lists of the most important themes.
Research also plays a huge role in a lawyer's day-to-day job. You'll need research skills when doing the background work on a case, drafting legal documents and advising clients on complicated issues. Use your time at university to familiarise yourself with internet and library resources and build up a network of contacts. As a newly qualified solicitor industry connections can prove to be a useful source of advice