3 answers
Caleb
Student
Akron, Ohio
1
Question
Asked
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How is it being a lawyer?
I've always been a little interested in being a lawyer, just because I enjoy solving problems and helping others. But everything I've read says a job in law is extremely demanding and intense. Is it really like this? Is there still time to be happy and support a family and social life?
I'm currently a sophomore in high school.
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3 answers
Michelle M.
Actress
2281
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Caleb !
It's wonderful that you are exploring what it may be like as an Attorney !
Yes, it is a greatly demanding job and can be very intense, too, depending on the cases you get. I know that there are hundreds of thousands of attorneys that have a family and a social life, too. It's all going to depend on how your life goes.
There are some qualities that you can assess in yourself to see if it's a career that would be suitable for you. You'd have to want to go to college and Law School which is a total of 7 years. Lawyers have exquisite communication and presentational skills and there's lots of talking and writing as well as research involved. Analytical skills and being unbiased are at the top of the list. You will help both the most egregious of criminals, innocent victims and everyone in between. That means that your mission will be to work on the constitutional law that every American is entitled to a fair trial.
Something that you can do whenever you get the chance is to sit in on court cases at your local courts. Watch the attorneys and judges. Listen to the cases. You are allowed to sit in on the court cases at Akron Municipal Court and the Summit County Courthouse. At Summit County Court, you can observe common pleas court, juvenile court, domestic court, and probate court. At Akron Municipal Court, the cases you will see have to do with driving without insurance, speeding tickets, littering, causing car accidents, or driving without a seat belt. This court also deals with traffic arraignments, traffic trials, small claims suits, landlord-tenant cases, garnishments, replevin (which is a legal remedy that allows a person to recover personal property that has been taken wrongfully or unlawfully and to obtain compensation for resulting losses), revivor (a legal process used to bring back a court case that was stopped due to the death of one of the parties involved or for other reasons, giving the case a second chance to be heard and decided upon), and mandatory orders cases. It also does preliminary hearings for felony cases that were committed in Akron. This would give you an ideal look at the action that occurs in a courtroom, the attorney's role and perhaps you could determine if it's a career for you.
You can hear people's stories about the career, observe cases, but no one really can tell you how your career as an attorney will be. You will need to have a passion for law and justice and like to use your public speaking and presentational skills a lot. Keep exploring this career and the academic path towards it and rely on your own instincts when choosing any career.
I wish you well in all you do !
It's wonderful that you are exploring what it may be like as an Attorney !
Yes, it is a greatly demanding job and can be very intense, too, depending on the cases you get. I know that there are hundreds of thousands of attorneys that have a family and a social life, too. It's all going to depend on how your life goes.
There are some qualities that you can assess in yourself to see if it's a career that would be suitable for you. You'd have to want to go to college and Law School which is a total of 7 years. Lawyers have exquisite communication and presentational skills and there's lots of talking and writing as well as research involved. Analytical skills and being unbiased are at the top of the list. You will help both the most egregious of criminals, innocent victims and everyone in between. That means that your mission will be to work on the constitutional law that every American is entitled to a fair trial.
Something that you can do whenever you get the chance is to sit in on court cases at your local courts. Watch the attorneys and judges. Listen to the cases. You are allowed to sit in on the court cases at Akron Municipal Court and the Summit County Courthouse. At Summit County Court, you can observe common pleas court, juvenile court, domestic court, and probate court. At Akron Municipal Court, the cases you will see have to do with driving without insurance, speeding tickets, littering, causing car accidents, or driving without a seat belt. This court also deals with traffic arraignments, traffic trials, small claims suits, landlord-tenant cases, garnishments, replevin (which is a legal remedy that allows a person to recover personal property that has been taken wrongfully or unlawfully and to obtain compensation for resulting losses), revivor (a legal process used to bring back a court case that was stopped due to the death of one of the parties involved or for other reasons, giving the case a second chance to be heard and decided upon), and mandatory orders cases. It also does preliminary hearings for felony cases that were committed in Akron. This would give you an ideal look at the action that occurs in a courtroom, the attorney's role and perhaps you could determine if it's a career for you.
You can hear people's stories about the career, observe cases, but no one really can tell you how your career as an attorney will be. You will need to have a passion for law and justice and like to use your public speaking and presentational skills a lot. Keep exploring this career and the academic path towards it and rely on your own instincts when choosing any career.
I wish you well in all you do !
Tamara Gurchik
Attorney
3
Answers
Cleveland, Ohio
Updated
Tamara’s Answer
I've been an Ohio attorney for over a decade now and worked in several different capacities. It really depends on your employer and practice area.
As an attorney, there are various ways you might be employed, such as by private law firms, as a solo practitioner, non-profits, government, private companies (ie in-house). In my experience and what I have seen among colleagues, smaller private firms, non-profits, gov't, and most private companies are pretty standard 35-45 hours weeks. Mid to large private firms are generally more demanding. Being a solo is exceptionally demanding, especially if you have no support staff. And all bets are off if you are anywhere engaging in high stakes or high profile litigation.
Different private firms are going to have different expectations. BigLaw, mid, and small firms are very different places, most firms also have a billable hour requirement to meet every year (ie time you're working that you can bill to a client, not all your time in your office is billable time). Different practice areas are also very different, some practice areas are going to have shorter deadlines for filings, emergency motions and hearings, time sensitive things that can be challenging to handle - some high stakes litigation, family law, criminal law come to mind. Some practice areas are very legal research heavy, others not. Some are inherently stressful - I started out in family law (domestic relations and juvenile) which I had really wanted to do. I found it to be extremely stressful, and you deal with some pretty heavy stuff at times. My last 2 roles have been high-volume creditor's rights firms. Significantly less stressful, I work much less despite having many more files.
I have a good quality of life in my current role. I am currently remote, except some court appearances, which is really helpful for me. I have time to go to my kids' school thing during the day, can pick them up if sick, or go to an appointment when needed. I can get my older kids off the bus every day. No time/money spent on commuting either. I work 35-45 hours a week. There are really no emergencies ever, no surprise deadlines or filings, and I rarely get super stressed. I'd never thought I'd do creditor's rights, but I enjoy my job and my colleagues and staff.
Experience as an attorney can also come into play. Sometimes that takes me 10 minutes might take a newer attorney much longer. You get more experience, you become more knowledgeable and efficient. When you're new, you're frequently stressed because you're new! It's all new to you! The longer I practice, the less stressed I get about not knowing things, making a mistake, or anything else. Lots and lots of things are fixable.
One aspect that I do not think is avoidable re: stress/work life balance is law school. There is so much work. So much information. Student orgs. Internships. All your lectures. Applying for the bar starting in 2L in my state. Researching and writing your note (kind of like a thesis). Working for money if you need to for living expenses (I did). Plenty of social opportunities, but countered with lots of responsibilities. Coursework is challenging, everyone is super competitive. Law school is not like undergrad and not like any other grad school experience.
So in summary: it depends (a favorite lawyer answer, btw). It's definitely something to be cognizant of during and after law school when seeking employment. Something to ask about in the interview process - then gauge if HR/interviewer is being genuine about how demanding the role is. I don't care if the firm throws a pizza party every Friday if I'm spending the entire weekend in the office as well!
As an attorney, there are various ways you might be employed, such as by private law firms, as a solo practitioner, non-profits, government, private companies (ie in-house). In my experience and what I have seen among colleagues, smaller private firms, non-profits, gov't, and most private companies are pretty standard 35-45 hours weeks. Mid to large private firms are generally more demanding. Being a solo is exceptionally demanding, especially if you have no support staff. And all bets are off if you are anywhere engaging in high stakes or high profile litigation.
Different private firms are going to have different expectations. BigLaw, mid, and small firms are very different places, most firms also have a billable hour requirement to meet every year (ie time you're working that you can bill to a client, not all your time in your office is billable time). Different practice areas are also very different, some practice areas are going to have shorter deadlines for filings, emergency motions and hearings, time sensitive things that can be challenging to handle - some high stakes litigation, family law, criminal law come to mind. Some practice areas are very legal research heavy, others not. Some are inherently stressful - I started out in family law (domestic relations and juvenile) which I had really wanted to do. I found it to be extremely stressful, and you deal with some pretty heavy stuff at times. My last 2 roles have been high-volume creditor's rights firms. Significantly less stressful, I work much less despite having many more files.
I have a good quality of life in my current role. I am currently remote, except some court appearances, which is really helpful for me. I have time to go to my kids' school thing during the day, can pick them up if sick, or go to an appointment when needed. I can get my older kids off the bus every day. No time/money spent on commuting either. I work 35-45 hours a week. There are really no emergencies ever, no surprise deadlines or filings, and I rarely get super stressed. I'd never thought I'd do creditor's rights, but I enjoy my job and my colleagues and staff.
Experience as an attorney can also come into play. Sometimes that takes me 10 minutes might take a newer attorney much longer. You get more experience, you become more knowledgeable and efficient. When you're new, you're frequently stressed because you're new! It's all new to you! The longer I practice, the less stressed I get about not knowing things, making a mistake, or anything else. Lots and lots of things are fixable.
One aspect that I do not think is avoidable re: stress/work life balance is law school. There is so much work. So much information. Student orgs. Internships. All your lectures. Applying for the bar starting in 2L in my state. Researching and writing your note (kind of like a thesis). Working for money if you need to for living expenses (I did). Plenty of social opportunities, but countered with lots of responsibilities. Coursework is challenging, everyone is super competitive. Law school is not like undergrad and not like any other grad school experience.
So in summary: it depends (a favorite lawyer answer, btw). It's definitely something to be cognizant of during and after law school when seeking employment. Something to ask about in the interview process - then gauge if HR/interviewer is being genuine about how demanding the role is. I don't care if the firm throws a pizza party every Friday if I'm spending the entire weekend in the office as well!
Sanya Sharma
7
Answers
Buford, Georgia
Updated
Sanya’s Answer
Being a lawyer can indeed be both rewarding and intense. If you enjoy problem-solving and helping others, it can be a fulfilling career. However, the job is often demanding, with long hours, high pressure, and a lot of reading and writing. That said, many lawyers manage to maintain a good work-life balance. It depend on the type of law you practice and how you manage your work-life balance. While some areas of law can be intense, if you choose the right practice and manage your time well, you can definitely have a fulfilling career while also making time for family and social life.
As someone who was an immigration lawyer before joining consulting, I can say that immigration law offers a good work-life balance. I worked around 40-50 hours a week and was able to manage my workload efficiently. It’s a great area of law if you’re looking for a fulfilling career without the extreme stress found in some other legal fields.
As someone who was an immigration lawyer before joining consulting, I can say that immigration law offers a good work-life balance. I worked around 40-50 hours a week and was able to manage my workload efficiently. It’s a great area of law if you’re looking for a fulfilling career without the extreme stress found in some other legal fields.