Protection of rights and interests, compliance with the law, disputes and litigation – all this is impossible without a lawyer. This profession is one of the most popular and in-demand in any country, so a good lawyer always has a chance for a brilliant career. What colleges train lawyers abroad and what applicants need to prepare for.
Why study law?
First of all, it is necessary for those who plan to work in international companies or in the field of international law. The advantage of foreign universities is that they are practice-oriented: students get not only the relevant knowledge, but also the opportunity to intern, including in international organizations such as the WTO, the European Commission, etc. Having received the diploma, the graduates already have experience in the profession and are ready to start full-time work.
How much do lawyers earn abroad?
Of course, the salary largely depends on experience and place of work – whether the specialist is engaged in private practice or works for hire, is part of the staff of a small firm or a large corporation.
However, the legal profession is on the list of the highest paid in Europe and the United States.
The average salary for a lawyer in the United States in 2021 is $3,846 per month. The cities where such professionals earn the most are New York City (a lawyer earns an average of $12,057 per month), Austin, Texas ($8,793) and Los Angeles, California ($6,744).
In the U.K., lawyers earn more: an average of £3,615 a month. If you focus on salary levels, the best British cities to practice law are London (a lawyer earns an average of £5,313 per month), Bristol (£3,852) and Birmingham (£3,486).
What kind of training does a future lawyer need?
Law is a field with many specializations. A bank lawyer and a lawyer have very different jobs! Still, there are qualities and skills that all legal professionals need:
- honesty and integrity,
- analytical thinking,
- discipline and organization,
- eloquence and communication skills,
- a broad outlook,
- the ability to organize information,
- good memory,
- attention to detail.
Lawyers have to do a lot of routine work, such as drafting and analyzing documents and writing official papers. At the same time in their profession there is room for creativity and risk. You will have to multitask and remain calm in critical situations.
The U.S. Lawyer’s Path
Law training varies from country to country. In America it usually takes seven years: first four years of undergraduate study, then another three years of law school, which is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). To become a lawyer in the United States, you must:
Graduate from an undergraduate program. It doesn’t have to be a law program-you can study journalism, political science, or business. The ABA recommends choosing a field of study that provides opportunities to develop critical analysis, argumentation, and communication skills.
Take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). It includes a five-section test and an essay, and assesses how a candidate reads, works with information, and can reason and argue.
Get a Juris Doctor, or JD, degree. There are 205 ABA-accredited law schools in the United States that offer it today. There are many specialties within the practice of law, and the student should choose a program that meets his or her interests – focus on real estate, environmental, tax, criminal, or family law. Students usually take the Juris Doctor course in three years. Many universities offer dual-degree programs, allowing students to earn an MBA, a Master of Laws in Taxation, a PhD in Political Science, etc. in addition to a Juris Doctor degree.
Take the bar exam in your state.
Start building a career.
The lawyer’s path in the U.K.
Those who study law in Great Britain have a different professional path from their American counterparts. It lasts at least six years. You must first complete a bachelor’s degree program in law (or another field), then take a one-year course to earn the Graduate Diploma in Law – GDL, a law degree. What follows depends on what rank you want to become a lawyer.
“Junior” rank solicitors: they prepare case files, work as solicitors, and may litigate cases in the lower courts. To become a solicitor you need to take a course in Professional Legal Practice (LPC) and pass the qualifying exam, which from 2021 will gradually be replaced by the Solicitors Qualifying Exam.
A barrister is a lawyer of a higher level. To become a barrister you need to pass a year of professional judicial training and another year of apprenticeship.