Lawyer Essays - Legal Professions, Practice Of Law, Legal Ethics

Lawyer A day in the life of an attorney. Its said that its the last job you'll ever want. (source 1) Over thirty percent of lawyers who receive their law degrees are not practicing law regularly ten years after graduation. Attorneys can work up to eighteen hours a day and more than three thousand hours in a year on cases. (source 1) Lawyers also spend time in law libraries or record rooms, in the homes and offices of clients, and sometimes in jail cells. (source 22) Some courts, such as small claims, family, or surrogate, may have evening hours to provide flexibility to the community. Criminal arraignments may be held at any time of the day or night. Court hours are usually 9:00 - 5:00 with a one hour lunch break for most lawyers and judges. (source 22) Many of them spend their first few years finding out if they want to focus on transactional work or not like a district attorney, prosecutor or probate lawyers. (source 1) The number of people in the profession of an attorney are about 656,000, the percentage of them that are male is 70%. The percentage of women is 30%. Average hours worked per week is about 50,average starting salary $49,000, after 5 years $80,000, after 10-15 years $115,000. (source 1) Lately salaries for lawyers have gone up. Law firms such as Elkins L.L.P announced this summer it would offer rookie attorneys $90,500 starting pay. (source 2) We are all competing for the same law students. (source 2) Now most of the other firms in Dallas decided that they must raise their salaries by 20% In order to attract first rate lawyers. (source 2) These firms exceed more then 400 lawyers. (source 2) For the first year,an inexperienced lawyer may be paid $75,000. (source 2) The strong economy and growing demand for lawyers in some corporate-law areas, such as finance, litigation and health care, are driving the fee to increases, Crocker said. (source 16) The key is getting the top talent. If your firm doesn't follow suit your firm will slowly disintegrate. All of the smaller firms are the required to raise their salaries also. (source 2) 46% of respondents rate them low to very low in honesty and ethical standards. (source 3) 70% of lawyers polled in 1992 said if they could they would choose another profession. (source 4) Other studies show lawyers job satisfaction is dropping.There is a much higher level of alcholism, drug abuse, and symptoms of depression than those of the general population. (source 4) There is also dirty work that lawyers must do. Some of that work includes listening to the secrets of clients that practitioners would rather not hear but which they must listen to and listen to very carefully. Lawyers as a group have a lot of cynicism and unease, often with good reason. (source 6) Whether the defendant is a accused Unabomber, a nanny or an Oklahoma City bombing suspect, the public craves insight into the latest sensational tale. But when people tune in to television's lawyer-commentators, insight isn't always what they get. (source 10) Legal Issues