A recruitment lawyer is effectively a general practice lawyer who specializes on employment law. Therefore, a person seeking to become a job lawyer will need to first attain the regular qualification required of an attorney. They will need to take a first degree with an arts bias or any other course that will qualify them for law school. This must then be followed with application and acceptance into a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). On completion of law school, one will then need to sit and pass a bar exam to eventually qualify as an attorney.
Before specializing in a particular field of law, it is recommended that one practice general law for 2 years as a junior lawyer before shifting to a niche area and pursuing the requisite additional studies. To be recruitment lawyer after you have done been involved in general practice, you will need to apply to a law school for further studies on employment law. The course will entail undertaking an in-depth study of the Employment Act as well as review of many precedent setting employment related court cases. It is only when one is through with these studies will they be considered a competent recruitment lawyer. But as with all other areas of law, continuous studies are mandatory in order to stay in touch with changes to employment related law.
A recruitment lawyer may either be hired as a corporate lawyer or by a law firm part of whose practice involves the handling of recruitment related cases. For the employer, the job lawyer helps draft the employment contracts that are in accordance to the Employment Act but that are also further customized to be in tune with the demands of the specific employer.
The recruitment lawyer also interprets and expounds on the employment related legislation to both employers and employees and explains the rights and obligations of each party. In the event of a dispute, regardless of whether the lawyer is representing an employer or an employee, the jobs lawyer must review the facts and evidence around the dispute and provide the appropriate legal advice to their client. If a case has to go to court, the lawyer will be called upon to act in the best interests of his or her client.
Due to the central nature of the recruitment process and the employer-employee relationship in virtually all organizations, there are many different environments that recruitment lawyers can work in. Many large employers prefer to have an in-house job lawyer to provide input throughout the different aspects of the recruitment process. The recruitment lawyer will not only oversee the drafting of the employment contracts but will often also advise top management on the legal consequences of any strategic decision that affects employees such as job retrenchments and job reassignments.
Independent job lawyers and recruitment lawyer firms will advise the employees on any legal recourse they might have in the event of an apparent breach of contract or of state and federal employment law. The lawyer will also handle any issues of disputes between the company and its employees. Recruitment lawyers can also work for the government and in not for profit organizations especially those that fight for rights of employees.
So how does one find a job as a recruitment lawyer? You can of course take the conventional route of knocking on doors and dropping applications at firms that interest you. However, one of the best places to get a recruitment lawyer job opportunity nowadays is on internet job boards and one of the top sites for job lawyer openings is LawCrossing.com. You can sign up for free and start to scan through and find the position that best meets your requirements.
