For a while now, I have been thinking about exploring the possibility of being a lawyer. I have always been interested in public speaking and protecting the innocent people that are harmed by crimes. Once we were given the opportunity to explore a career, the idea quickly popped into my head.
History and Development
Ever since the dawn of civilized people, there has always been someone to stick up for the rights of another. Whether it was the Greek orators who were acting as “friends” or the Roman orators, who practiced as a profession, there was always someone to defend another. Today, we call these people lawyers, or attorneys.
In ancient Greece, the idea of someone defending another was very basic. The primitive forerunner of the lawyer was called an orator. Most of these orators came from Athens, which was the most democratic of all Greek city states. While modern lawyers collect fees, orators could not charge or collect a fee for defending someone, as this was against the law. In most cases, the orators had to play the role of a “friend” and that one was simply being a good neighbor by helping his fellow man, as this was the only loophole. (History of Legal Profession) Thus the real idea of the lawyer came about with the Greeks’ contemporary, the Romans.
Unlike the Greeks, the ancient Romans legalized the profession, but those who practiced the profession had to pay a minor fee. Just as their Greek counterparts, the Roman orators were educated in rhetoric, not law. However, some orators specialized in law, and were known as jurisconsults. These jurisconsults learned law, not as a part of their profession, but as a hobby. They would give their views on legal issues, and would also meet with judges, to come to ...
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Historically, the right to counsel was only guaranteed in federal criminal court (Wice, 2005). A person charged with a crime in the state court did not have the right to legal representation. Law scholar Professor Mason Beaney explained this by saying, “only a few states guaranteed the right to appointed counsel…In most jurisdictions counsel was appointed in none but the most serious cases, often only when the crime was punishable by death” (Wice, 2005, p. 3). Many defendants, who were poor, illiterate, and uneducated had to face the justice system without legal assistance (Smith, 2004, p. 579). Los Angeles County started one of the first public defender programs in 1914, spreading slowly to other counties (Neubauer & Fradella, 2011, p. 176). By the 1960’s, less than a dozen states still refused to provide attorneys to defendants unable to afford one (Smith, 2004).
People are represented in court by two kinds of lawyers, court-appointed lawyers and public defenders, which mean "hired lawyers" (Green, 2001). People that have higher income can hire their own lawyers. The lower and middle-income people are mainly the ones who rely on court appointed lawyers. These people don't have the money to hire a lawyer. Court appointed lawyers are not working in your best interest for many reasons.
Throughout modern civilization, the American republic is widely known for its dependency upon the realm of business. Equally as vital, looms the ever-present hand of the American law system. “All beings have their laws: the Deity…man his laws” (Montesquieu,1), this statement serves true in founding that law is consistently a necessary portion in society because all society desires law. As a consequence of the continual presence of law, careers aimed to interpret the crevices of laws, and to defend them, are synonymously as necessary in society. Absolutely, the gain of America’s economy is a direct reflection of the lawyers who protect them. Lawyers are a necessity to the nation; serving their purpose as defenders of the law. The system of corporate law is undoubtedly the cornerstone of corporate finance, and as citizens begin to thrive more immensely in a capitalistic nation, legal representation will be the trailblazer to the continuation of the American system of corporations. As I embark upon the journey of excellence into the world of corporate law, I endeavor to change the way business is defended, upheld, and represented.
Underlying the assumption is the role of lawyers as adversarial advocates and loyal agents who advise clients through zealous advocacy. The defendant lawyer in the Parramatta Local court, irrespective of personal opinions and the poor respondent attitude from his clients, represented the defendants with due care aiming to protect their rights. This portrays lawyer advocacy to facilitate client partisan interests with greatest avidity, a behaviour directly connoting their
Justice was dilatory, expensive, uncertain, and remote. To the rich it was a costly lottery: to the poor a denial of right, or certain ruin. The class who might profit most by its dark mysteries were the lawyers themselves. (Plucknett 73)
In his article “The Concept of Discourse Community,” John Swales describes a discourse community as a group of people that “have a broadly agreed set of common goals, contain certain mechanisms of intercommunication among its members, have acquired a specific lexis, and have a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content discoursal expertise” (Swales #). An example of such a discourse community is the legal profession. The legal profession has the common goal of understanding and applying general principles to particular factual situations. In doing so, lawyers use language, concepts, and methods that are unique to their community. In order to become a recognized member of the legal community, a person must graduate from law school and pass the bar exam thereby demonstrating an in depth knowledge concerning all areas of the law and the specialized rules, methods, and jargon used by lawyers to communicate about legal principles.
Lawyers are known for their desire to support justice. But not many are willing to risk their reputation, career, and children to fulfill their desire. Mostly when it is for a case that goes against their community and their tradition. Even if the accused is innocent. In the classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus is faced with a similar situation and has to take on the case of an innocent young black man named Tom Robinson, and his choice is correct. This is important because the justice that may be gained from this case outweighs the risks associated with it.
My major is Paralegal Studies and I expect to graduate with an Associates of Arts degree in December of this year. Many years ago, as an investigator for both a private company and a county agency, I was introduced to the legal field. Recently, I was awarded the opportunity to attend college, so I decided I wanted to reenter the legal profession as a paralegal. The paralegal profession appeals to me, because I enjoy the processes of developing a case, as well as its legal aspects. A paralegal is involved in a case from the beginning to the end; from the initial client interview to assisting the attorney during the client’s trial or the settlement process. My goal is to become a paralegal for a solo practitioner or a small firm in my local area who represent clients in different areas of the law.
“Summary.” Occupational Outlook Handbook. United States Department of Labor, 2012. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Web. 8 Jan. 2014.
A professional lawyer has been known to win legal cases. A criminal defense lawyer with a great
This concludes my summary of lessons gleaned from the course BSL 301 Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis referencing Honigberg, G. "Gilbert Law Summaries: Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis" 10th ed. BarBri Group, 2006.
However, law is not my sole academic interest. I am also drawn to subjects involving the big bucks- that is, economics. I became familiar with money at an early age by selling Girl Scout cookies to the locals. I took it a step further as a teenager with a job at Wendy’s, where I have learned firsthand about productio...
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of the practice of law is learning to be a lawyer. Virtually every new lawyer today is a graduate of law school, a much dreaded, but fulfilling journey to practicing law. Modern law schools differ greatly from their earlier counterpart, in that many more requirements and responsibilities exist. In colonial times, students pursuing a career in law would enter institutions for instruction of the law, and would automatically become qualified to practice law in the courts after a few years of study. Today, however, becoming a lawyer takes much more training, rigorous work and effort, and many years of studying in order to take a bar exam of which passage represents qualification. There is much more consideration concerning who is admitted, what kind of curriculums are taught, how exams are offered, what kinds affiliation exist, how much law schools differ from one another, and what it ultimately takes to be fully competent as a practicing attorney.
The test. The test, www.yourfreecareertest.com, that decided our life, what career we fit into. After thinking hard about the questions and answering in full thought, I was matched with law enforcement for 83%. I was elated when I found out that the category contains a criminal lawyer, which is the profession I always wanted to be apart of. As it matches my personality like pieces of a puzzle. I love to organize, be in control, to present my opinions that feel all the way to my heart, and figure problems out while challenging myself with anything thrown at me. As a lawyer, I would be cheerful to go to an office and sit down to help someone out. Also the pay, with a starting salary of $45,00 and an average salary of $114,300 and more.
Career as a lawyer is very respectful as they serve to maintain the law and order. They are responsible for providing justice to the innocent and punishment to the offenders. Career as Lawyer on one side is challenging and risky but on the other side, it is prestigious and honorable as well.