Top 10 Reasons To Become An Attorney

Becoming an attorney takes a lot of time and it is a huge financial investment.  It is important to learn about the profession before you decide to start you journey on this career path.  Many people shy away from this career path because of the time and financial commitment.  However, here are the top 10 reasons you should become an attorney:

1. Earning Potential

Lawyers are among the highest paid professionals.  While the median yearly salary for all lawyers was $119,250 in 2019, the world’s top lawyers pull in million-dollar incomes.

Keep in mind that not all lawyers make the big dollars and that it all depends on experience level, firm size, and geography.

2. Prestige

For generations, a career as a lawyer has been a trademark of stature.  An impressive degree, a good salary, and an authority over others have put lawyers in an elite group.  They embody the definition of success.  Today, lawyers still have a distinctive professional standing and a glamorous picture perpetuated in the media.

3. Opportunity To Help Others

Lawyers are in a special position to help groups, individuals, and organizations.

Public interest lawyers fight legal causes for the greater good of society.  They assist those in need of legal aid who may not otherwise have the ability to afford a lawyer.

Lawyers in private practice often work pro bono work to help low-income individuals and under represented parts of the population (i.e. elderly, victims of domestic abuse and kids).

4. Intellectual Challenge

Being a lawyer is among the most intellectually rewarding jobs on Earth.  Lawyers help people, create patent trade secret, and devise approaches to forming a multi-million dollar merger.  They are problem-solvers, analysts and advanced thinkers whose intellect is imperative to career success.

5. Diverse Practice Areas

Since the legal profession evolves, industry segmentation and specialty have contributed to a wide collection of sub-specialties.  Lawyers can concentrate in one or several niche areas which range from employment law and civil lawsuit to market specialties like green law or foreclosure law.

6. Work Environment

Nearly all lawyers work in law firms, government, or corporations.  Lawyers typically work in an office with four walls.  Lawyers in larger companies enjoy lavish offices, ample support staff and many different office perks ranging from gym memberships to box seats at sporting events.

7. Transferable Skills

Even if you don’t practice law, a J.D. can open doors to new opportunities and serve as a stepping stone to a new career.  The skills you develop in law school and as a lawyer can serve you well in many careers like legal consulting, mediation, and academia.

8. Global Impact

Lawyers are in a position to influence change.  This is because they are lawmakers, thought leaders and change agents. For centuries, lawyers have written the laws, ruled the courts and held powerful positions in government. In these functions, lawyers have the ability influence change and to impact policymakers and leaders.

9. Flexibility 

Lawyers have the capability to create their own hours, set their own commissions, choose their clients, and choose their specialty.  The job comes with an inherent flexibility which permits lawyers to attend to personal matters or spend a day away from the workplace if necessary.

10. Additional Perks

A career as a lawyer also provides a lot of other perks. For example, some lawyers travel the country, or the world, to take part in business deals and trials, depositions, arbitration’s.

Other lawyers rub shoulders with sports figures, politicians, business leaders and even celebrities.  Another benefit of practicing law is learning how to think like a lawyer. Studying law sharpens your analytical reasoning and critical thinking abilities.

If you are on the fence about pursing a degree and career in law, you should take into account these 10 reasons before making a final decision.