How an attorney spends their day can vary immensely depending on what type of law they are practicing. Each area of law has different priorities and responsibilities that lawyers need to focus on. While most of us picture sensationalized trials as shown on television series like Boston Legal or Matlock most attorneys spend much of their time communicating, dictating, planning and traveling.
An attorney, no matter what area of expertise, must spend a great deal of their time talking to clients either through face to face meetings or on the phone. They must make sure that they have all the information they need whether defending a client in court or preparing the sale of the client's house all attorneys must be able to communicate well. They will spend a lot of time either communicating with their client, with other lawyers, with business associates or with their support staff in order to get the job done. Some of this will be done in phone conferences, dictated letters and correspondence or meetings.
This also means that attorneys need to plan their time wisely. Many people think that being a lawyer is a nine to five job but it is often a career that requires many after hour preparations. Attorneys can sometimes have eighteen hour days and spend up to three thousand hours on just one case that they are dealing with. Whether it is preparing for a case in front of a judge, ensuring documents are ready for a business deal or getting a call in the middle of the night from a client who has an emergency legal need. Attorneys often have to call the office before even starting their day to see what has come up overnight and what is on their agenda for the day. Sometimes they are not able to make it into the office at all because they are in court all day or need to meet with hospitalized clients. There are meetings with other lawyers, clients, court officials, real estate agents or other associates that need to be conducted, often outside of the office.
Attorneys often spend a lot of time dictating correspondence into a Dictaphone for their support staff to transcribe. The legal field is full of paperwork and many letters, affidavits, motions for court and file papers accompany each situation. While it is usually a legal assistant that actually types and photocopies the paperwork, the attorney must dictate what is to be included. They will take notes of their own while meeting or speaking with the client or others and then gather their thoughts and decide the proper legal documents that must then be prepared by support staff.
Attorneys need to study throughout their career so that they can tender the best advice for their clients. They need to know the latest rulings in courts and precedence for their cases. They need to have the most up to date counsel to offer and since the law is constantly evolving their knowledge needs to as well. Research and gaining information on similar cases is an important part of representing a client and so even when an attorney is not engaged in speaking with their clients or others involved in the situation, they spend time preparing themselves to provide the best counsel possible by knowing what the most recent information available is. There are thousands of cases that a lawyer may have to go through in order to find the right information to help their specific client with their specific case.
An attorney's day does depend on what area of law their client needs help with. A real estate lawyer will spend time making sure that all the paper work is done, that all inspections are valid, and attend property closings often having to spend a lot of time travelling from one property to another. A contracts lawyer will spend more time in the office looking over contracts or preparing them for signing by all parties involved. Some attorneys focus on immigration and spend a great deal of time dealing with the government, preparing paperwork and dealing with other countries officials as well. Some attorneys work for a company as legal counsel and will direct and advise all executives on the proper way to proceed with business. Family practice lawyers will spend a great deal of time interview their clients, gathering information, preparing divorce and custody papers, and preparing for court. Criminal or defense attorneys will spend most of their time preparing motions, summons, gathering information for court and planning their case to present before a judge.
Every attorney needs to be an expert at his field, spend a great deal of time studying information and the rest of their time relaying the information necessary to their clients and others. They are a vital part of society that spends their days advising the rest of society on how to get through the major events of their lives.
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