The law field has continuously been considered one of the most popular career paths.
This is not surprising at all – many are drawn to the glamorous and high-stakes aspects of the profession, often depicted in movies and TV series. Others choose a career in law because of the opportunities to help people in need.
What law graduates should focus on, however, is landing their first job. This often means beating potentially hundreds of other candidates.
The biggest percentage of candidates get rejected on the first stage – the CV and cover letter screening. To be among the accepted candidates, you need to submit a memorable and impactful CV that fully demonstrates your abilities, soft skills, and keen motivation to become a successful lawyer or attorney.
Nowadays, job seekers must also account for automated applicant tracking systems. Their CVs need to be ATS-compliant and have the right keywords.
This is so it’s easier for the algorithm to parse the document and easily identify and extract the relevant information.
However, don’t worry if you haven’t worked in this field so far – you can build a good CV with no experience and still get the position you want.
Is Law The Right Choice For You?
Before you start earning the big bucks, you will have to endure the harsh reality of a legal profession. It can be a high-pressure environment regardless of your place of employment.
Staying up late to meet challenging deadlines and working above the norm could be a common occurrence for the majority of your career.
At the same time, law professionals need to be flexible and capable of taking action almost instantaneously. Last-minute demands from the client or an unexpected offer from the opposing side could decide the fate of a case.
Due to the meticulous nature of the law, lawyers must pay attention to even the most minute details to properly address or register these sudden developments and make them official.
Necessary Skills
Apart from having the appropriate law degree, many law recruiters look for other essential qualities in their prospective hires. We already mentioned the need for immaculate attention to detail.
When it comes to legal proceedings, minor omissions can have disastrous consequences, necessitating impeccable knowledge of the mandatory deadlines, regulations, and procedures.
Another important trait is resilience. Employers look for candidates who have the mental fortitude to give their best even in a highly uncertain and tough environment.
Working on a case means hours of laborious tasks that may not bring a positive outcome. Successful lawyers are capable of taking such results in stride and moving on.
Naturally, interpersonal skills are equally valued. At the start, graduates will be working alongside other team members, senior lawyers, or even partners within the firm.
Depending on the specific circumstances, you may need to adjust your own behavior and priorities to match the other’s particular specialty or style of navigating the law.
Lawyers also need to pick the correct language for the situation. For example, when it comes to contracts, using concise phrases, avoiding ambiguity, and managing to convey the client’s demands in a way recognized by the law is invaluable.
Pick The Right Legal Area
The law is not a homogeneous field. There are numerous different areas, each with its own peculiarities.
Earlier in their career, many aspiring lawyers may struggle to choose the right branch of the law to specialize in.
The legal industry is also constantly evolving and changing alongside the rest of society. The rapid innovation has resulted in unmet demand for legal services. Emerging areas such as cybersecurity and cannabis are projected to grow the fastest.
At the same time, older law fields, including labor, health, and IP (Intellectual Property), may need to be modernized to tackle the current problems brought on by the processes taking place in their respective industries.
Lawyers may need to check the latest trends in the legal industry continually. Even more practice fields may start to either grow or branch off into smaller, more specialized areas. This doesn’t apply only to fresh law graduates.
Established lawyers also need to stay up-to-date with regulatory changes and newly-passed laws, especially in fields such as labor and health that have been under enormous pressure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, entirely new sets of regulations may have to be implemented to address complex technologies and societal phenomena such as cryptocurrencies or NFTs (non-fungible tokens).
