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Law Degree JobsYou have just finished a law degree after four years of hard work and arduous intellectual exertion. You ask yourself, "now what?" Fortunately, law degree jobs are easy to come by. Law graduates have a wide range of opportunities for career advancement and personal growth. These opportunities are not limited to the legal profession but also include other fields such as business, politics, and the academe. According to a 2004 US Department of Labor study, an estimated 735,000 lawyers were employed in different jobs for people with law degrees.(1) About 75% were in private practice or in law firms. Majority of salaried lawyers had law degree jobs in the government, private corporations, or in non-profit organizations. In the Federal Government, jobs or people with law degrees were concentrated in the Departments of Justice, Treasury, and Defense. Salaried lawyers outside the government had law degree jobs in public utilities, banks, insurance companies, real estate agencies, manufacturing firms, and other businesses. (2) These only prove that careers with a law degree are almost limitless. The practice of law has several specializations that provide different careers with law degree for the graduates. These include: Private Practice. This law degree career involves working solo or with a partner in a law firm that provides legal assistance to individuals or corporations. Some private practice lawyers specialize in one or more practice areas while others are involved in general practice. Corporate Counsel. Corporate counsel lawyers are employed by corporations to provide legal advice related to business issues. Government Counsel. These lawyers work for the government by giving legal advice and through representation. Lawyers that are directly hired by the government may have law degree careers in departments, ministries, agencies, and government-owned corporations. Public Interest Law. Public interest lawyers provide legal assistance to low-income groups and marginalized sectors of society. They may also work for advocacy organizations and legal aid clinics. Law school graduates can have a law degree job in general practice while others can choose among the various law specializations that provide different opportunities for law degree careers. These specializations include: Civil Litigation. Law degree careers in civil litigation deal with lawsuits involving disputes between private entities. Civil litigation may involve issues such as breach of contract, malpractice, and damages. Corporate and Commercial Law. Jobs with law degree in corporate and commercial law involve handling business matters such as contracts, liabilities, mergers, and structured financing. Criminal Law. This is perhaps the most publicized law specialization. A law degree job in criminal law involves dealing with crimes against the public. Law degree jobs in criminal law include working as a government prosecutor or as a defence lawyer. Other specializations that provide jobs with a law degree include: environmental law, family law, intellectual property law, real estate law, and securities law. Many law schools have career counseling departments that offer advice and employment listings for new law graduates. (3)
(1) http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos053.htm
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