Of course, to pursue your career as a lawyer, attorney, prosecutor or corporate advisor, you need to complete your Law degree first. During your studies, if you need any help completing your law degree or preparation to pursue degree or admission, LawMind is right here to help you with this. For instance, you can meet online LNAT tutors here. Now that you know how the law degree is structured and how you can best survive it, you are probably wondering what it is all about. So, let’s take a look at what job opportunities are like after studying law.
Law jobs
And yes, we all know – money alone does not make you happy – but still, the earning potential of a lawyer is certainly one of the reasons why some students decide to study law. That shouldn’t be the only reason, of course, but it’s certainly very useful as a small motivation.
The “classic jobs” for fully qualified lawyers …
For the classic jobs that you probably have in mind when you think of law, you need a degree as a fully qualified lawyer – we have already explained to you above how to get there.
Judge
What is right and what is wrong? A judge answers this question. This applies to large disputes such as corruption lawsuits, but someone has to make this decision in a neighborhood dispute in court. In addition, the judge prepares the court hearings and conducts the files.
Gross monthly earnings *:
- 0-5 years: $63,815
- 5-10 years: $74,668
- After 10 years: $84: 454
Prosecutor
As a public prosecutor, you review criminal law matters and represent the public interest in court. You lead the entire process from the search warrant to the indictment to the execution of a sentence.
Gross monthly earnings *:
- 0-5 years: $61,024
- 5-10 years: $91,013
- After 10 years: $151,406
Lawyer
Your job is to support and represent the interests of clients – i.e., companies and private individuals. You will provide assistance in court and answer (civil) law questions.
Gross monthly earnings *:
- 0-5 years: $57,310
- 5-10 years: $70,772
- After 10 years: $88,252
Notary
As a notary, your task is to notarize contractual agreements (e.g., marriage contracts, wills …).
Gross monthly earnings *:
- Entry: $54,000
- Later: $84,000 – $120,000
You work independently, so you earn per job.
* The salaries are based on average values and refer to the gross monthly earnings.
Even if the earning potential here is very good, you can expect a short financial lean period on the way there. In the legal clerkship, you can expect gross earnings of around $1,000 – $1,500, depending on the federal state. And well, the revision course for the 1st state examination is not exactly cheap either …
For the professions as a judge or public prosecutor or if you want to work in one of the top law firms, you usually need very good grades in your studies and an above-average state examination.
If you are actually one of the selected few (approx. 0.1%) with a “very good” state examination, you can start a starting salary of> $100,000 in top international law firms.
… but there are also many other options
But do not worry – you will not only find a job as a fully qualified lawyer with “distinction” – there is a need for lawyers almost everywhere!
It mainly depends on your chosen focus – examples would be: labor law, tax law, insolvency law, construction law, traffic law, family law, copyright, competition law, food and product law, internet law, banking and finance law, energy law and much more Choosing your area of specialization already think about what possible suitable jobs would be.
Here are just a few examples of areas in which you could make a career:
(International) companies
International business relationships of larger commercial and industrial companies often result in complex legal issues. This is where you come in! You can help the company to comply with legal requirements, e.g., by negotiating, drafting and reviewing contracts and providing legal advice to management and other specialist departments (often as a staff unit). But training for employees could also be part of your area of responsibility.
Tax advice
Your task is to support companies and private individuals with their tax returns – i.e., preparation of a legally valid tax return, taking into account aspects that optimize the tax burden. For this, however, further training as a tax advisor is required.
Auditing
Large companies are legally obliged to draw up a balance sheet. It is the job of an auditor to check these balance sheets. A further check is required for this as well.
Public administration
In the public service, too, lawyers are always sought, especially for senior positions.
Banks / insurance companies
Banks and insurance companies in particular need “watertight” contracts, legally compliant terms and conditions – and this is exactly where you can help with your legal expertise!
Organizations / Associations
NGOs and interest groups, e.g., human rights organizations, need lawyers to formulate and pursue their claims.
Of course, the question of salary also arises here – but unfortunately there is no general answer.
In the public service, for example, you are paid according to the federal or state salary law. In the private sector, you can expect an average gross annual salary of $50,000 as a starting salary. A starting salary > $86,000 is also possible in commercial law firms.
And now? Our conclusion
So, you see – studying law is a lot more diverse than initially thought. So no, you don’t have to memorize any norms!
If you were worried like “Will I even get in with my cut? And if so, where?” You now know! There are many ways to study law, even if you don’t have a high school diploma in your pocket – you just have to be flexible about the location.
The path to becoming a (full) lawyer is certainly not the easiest and you need a bit of persistence – but it’s worth it! After completing a law degree, you usually don’t have to worry about being without a job.
After graduation, you have a number of career options open to you, and this does not only apply to the demigods with honors. It’s best to think about what your dream job is as early as possible and choose your focus accordingly. Here, too, the selection is very large!
None of that scared you off and you want to continue studying law? Go for it! We at LawMind support you on your way, so that at least learning becomes a little more efficient.
