Attorney Responsibilities

An individual who has a passion for serving the people by making them aware about their legal rights thereby helping the society, can definitely take up a career of an attorney. Attorney responsibilities comprise providing legal advice and representing the client in the court during legal proceedings. The role and responsibilities vary depending on the field they specialize in. Attorney helps the client in identifying the problems, understanding the client's point of view and making him aware of his rights and responsibilities. He acts in the best interests of the client.

Key Responsibilities of an Attorney

The basic function of the attorney is to defend the client. They should be able to advocate, advise and counsel the clients on the legal aspects. They may be engaged in providing legal advice and work as legal advisors; they can even work as advocates. Let us understand in detail the key responsibilities that need to be performed by an attorney:

1. To conduct thorough research and put together pieces of information that will assist in gathering the evidence to be used during the legal proceeding and justify the client
2. To comprehend the information mentioned in the papers of the disputing party or contracts
3. To convince the client to reach a settlement level
4. To keep in constant touch with the clients and provide them with an expert legal advice
5. To prepare and present the cases in court after conducting a detailed research
6. To be able to defend the client by confidently cross questioning the witnesses

He should be able to interpret the laws and apply them according to the demand of the situation keeping in mind the clients interests. He should be able to analyze and have a vision about the possible outcome of the client's case. Based on his research he should be able to evaluate, develop legal arguments and strategies while presenting the cases in the court. He should be able to supervise and lead a time of legal assistants. He may also be responsible for creating wills, deeds, power of attorneys and other legal documents.

Essential Skills

To ensure success as an attorney you need to have the following skills:

1. Should be able to maintain complete confidentiality
2. Should have strong interpersonal, communication skills
3. Should be confident while making presentations in the court
4. Should have excellent ability to conduct research
5. Should possess an in-depth knowledge of the legal terminologies and ensure proper application of legal laws
6. Should have strong judgmental, time management and organization skills, multitasking ability and have strong work ethics

Educational Requirements

A four year bachelor's degree or a three years at a law college is the minimum requirement to be eligible to qualify for the post of an attorney. Additional courses in foreign languages,economics, math, government, public speaking etc., would prove to be helpful. They need to pass a written bar examination and can specialize in the field of their choice such as tax, corporate law to name a few. They can get relevant work experience during the practice trials or by working under the supervision of faculty members or lawyers.

Work Hours and Salary Details

The work hours of an attorney normally last for forty to forty five hours per week. He may need to extend his work hours if he needs to conduct research or interact with the clients regarding the legal proceeding. Salaried lawyers are found in government, non profit organizations, law firms or may be employed in insurance companies, banks and any other business. The salary is dependent on the educational background and relevant work experience. Some may even be self-employed after getting sufficient work experience.

Career Prospects

The career prospects for attorney are really bright and are expected to grow by eighteen percent in the coming years. The opportunities will be more with the growing demand for legal consultation and advice in various sectors like banks, health care, intellectual property, etc.

Effective implementation of the attorney responsibilities, a track record demonstrating the brilliant success rate in winning the cases, backed with relevant academic background will surely prove to be an asset while applying for the job of an attorney.