5 Things You May Not Know About Lawyers

31 Jul 5 Things You May Not Know About Lawyers

Posted at 20:53h in BLOG by Jeff Rasansky 0 Comments

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The justice system depends on a number of professionals in order to operate effectively. Lawyers are your point of contact when it comes to having your case heard in court. Unfortunately, lawyers often get a bad rap due to their portrayal in the media and a general public misunderstanding of how some facets of the law work.

1.) Most Presidents & Other Leaders Used to Be Lawyers

If you dug around, you’d also notice that most of our community leaders, politicians and presidents actually have a background in law. President Obama graduated Magna Cum Laude with a law degree from Harvard. He also served as president of The Harvard Law Review. Other politicians who had a law degree include Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, Bill Clinton, Franklin Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Gandhi, Alexander Hamilton, Janet Reno, Hilary Clinton… The list goes on and on. In fact, 27 of our 44 US presidents were former lawyers.

2.) Lawyers Protect Your Rights as a Citizen

As much as everyone loves to bash lawyers, the truth is that without someone working to protect your rights, you’d lose them. Given the fluid nature of the justice system, it’s virtually impossible for a non-lawyer to keep up with all the new laws, changing case law, and other changes in the justice system. Obnoxious lawyer ads on TV have made it seem that all lawyers are over-the-top caracatures who only care about getting as much profit as they can without really caring about the needs of the individual. Most personal injury lawyers attend to their client on a one-on-one basis, making sure that their demands are taken care of in a timely and concise manner. The attorneys you see with the crazy commercials are more often than not operating as a high-volume settlement mill. When choosing a lawyer, it’s a good idea to do some research before settling on one. Ask around for recommendations from friends and family instead of calling the lawyer you remember from the daytime TV ads. In an increasingly digital world, it is essential to be aware of the various threats that exist online, from identity theft to cyberstalking.

3.) Law Degrees are Intensive

Law school lasts 3 years. Given the short amount of time that would-be attorneys spend in post-undergrad studies, some would think that law school students have it easy or that law school is not so comprehensive. However, what most people don’t know is that the average law degree includes intensive studying, reading, retention, testing, and demonstration (mock trials). Additionally, lawyers are required to attend Continuing Legal Education (CLE) every year if they’d like to keep practicing, as well as perform a certain quantity of pro bono work every year. Learning the law is not as easy as learning a book. Books don’t have all the answers, laws overlap, and case law is often more applicable to many situations. All these things make the law profession a demanding one.

4.) Lawyers are Tested on ALL Areas of Law

In order to pass law school, would-be lawyers such as a patent lawyer or a criminal lawyer are tested on ALL areas of law. This includes family law, patent law, tax law, criminal law, personal injury law, etc. You cannot simply study one individual area of the law. It’s important that a personal injury or criminal lawyer have knowledge on a number of fields regardless of the area in which they’d like to practice. The bar exam covers all of these fields and is a requirement if you’d like to get your license to practice law.

5.) Contingency Fees Make Lawyers Available to Those Without Money

The last misconception that people have of lawyers is that it costs a fortune to hire one. While there are certain types of lawyers who are expensive and charge on an hourly basis, personal injury attorneys generally work on a contingency fee basis. What this means is that you can hire a lawyer free of charge initially, and you only have to pay if you are awarded a monetary award. In fact, many types of cases which can result in a monitary award might be open to a contingency-fee agreement (e.g. unpaid wages, trade school fraud, etc.). If your lawyer doesn’t win the case, you won’t owe him or her a single cent. A contingency fee agreement gives you the confidence and peace of mind knowing that you’ll get the representation that you need without the scepter of lawyer fees hanging over your head for the duration of your case. Aligning your goals means that your lawyer will not waste time, and his or her goal is to get you the maximum settlement amount or trial award.