reddit what does a lawyer actually do

Do lawyers work for the money or the client?

But although some of us work for the money, it doesn't mean we don't care deeply about our professional ethics, clients, and that everyone gets the treatment in court they deserve. A good lawyer will always do their best for their client, and always listen to that client as well.

What is it like to be a lawyer?

It’s a noble and prestigious profession that serves a critical purpose in our society. And Ferro makes an excellent point that if you don’t know a lawyer — if you are not pretty much related to one — it’s really hard to get a sense of what being a lawyer is really like.

Why is it so hard to know what lawyers really do?

And Ferro makes an excellent point that if you don’t know a lawyer — if you are not pretty much related to one — it’s really hard to get a sense of what being a lawyer is really like. But the difficulty in knowing what lawyers “really do” is a fault with the legal profession, and a fault that law schools do not help you overcome.

Are lawyers the most creative legal thinkers?

But for most lawyers, their skill is not in being the most creative legal thinkers in the world. Their skill is serving up solutions perfectly tailored to their clients specific needs and desires, and then showing up to battle having put their client’s s**t together.

Sometimes it feels like there are way too many barriers put in place to becoming a lawyer

I get it, some of you might say “For a good reason.” Yes, clients’ lives are in their hands. Of course, lawyers should be qualified. But I’m talking about the sheer amount of things you need to do from little to big, whether needed to get a job or required by your school each semester to be “on track”.

Biglaw hiring committees suck and I need to rant

I'm a mid-level associate in the DC office of a Biglaw firm and I'm on the hiring committee as an interviewer, which means I conduct interviews and submit my vote for candidates but I don't participate in the final decisions.

The curve

For current and former Law School Redditors. Ask questions, seek advice, post outlines, etc. This is NOT a forum for legal advice.

Also don't go because you like "analysis," or because you want to "help."

A couple of days ago, Shane Ferro offered her advice on how to choose whether or not to go to law school. She wrote, in pertinent part: “A lot of people who are lawyers will tell you that you should only go to law school if you want to be a lawyer. This is bullshit advice unless you happen to know intimately what it means to be a lawyer.”

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What is the job of a lawyer?

A lawyer's job is about argument. Very specific arguments. You see, America, like all English colonies, is a common law count. What that means is that courts, not legislators, get to interpret exactly what a specific law means. Judges write out what they think laws mean or how a law applies to a certain situation.

Why are trials so boring?

Seriously. There is a reason most trials are boring, and it’s because all lawyers are taught to do in law school is read and then write about the things we read. A huge hunk of a lawyer’s day — when we aren’t arguing cases or talking clients out of doing really dumb things (“No, you can’t fire that person cause they’re old;” “Yes, they will catch you if you ‘sort of’ break your probation terms"; or being told amazing, ridiculous stories) is taken up with writing pleadings, memos, and letters about what the law means and how it applies. You may think that the law is just what's in the statute books, but you’d be very very wrong.

What does it mean when the media gets things wrong?

When the media gets things wrong, it means that the general public has an inaccurate idea about what lawyers do, which makes our jobs harder, because clients have unrealistic expectations. So here I am to explain to you some of the realities of lawyering — or at least lawyering as I experience it.

Why is trial by surprise not allowed in federal court?

Once). In federal court especially, the rule precludes "trial by surprise" because parties have to provide exhibit and witness lists to each other weeks in advance. Furthermore, there are extremely stringent rules about how a lawyer can ask questions and about what.

Do we consider ourselves crusaders for justice?

Not all of us consider ourselves crusaders for justice. Yes, many bright-eyed, bushy-tailed young people embark on law school with a dream of making the world a better place, but often, after law school, comes the crushing reality of rent and those extra crushing student loan payments.