According to the laws, a lawyer is a person who receives the appropriate status in the prescribed manner.
Today, work as a lawyer is promising and well-paid. This profession is in great demand, as many people turn to specialists who can provide highly qualified legal assistance.
How to become a lawyer?
In order to provide appropriate legal services that relate to the protection of the rights and interests of citizens, you need to have not only a
legal education, but also sufficient work experience.
The salary of lawyers reaches 35-100 thousand rubles, which depends on experience and qualifications. How much does it cost to become a lawyer? Parents of the future lawyer will have to spend from 23 to 245 thousand rubles on training, depending on the level and popularity of the institution.
It is worth noting that only those people who graduated from a legal university that has state accreditation become a lawyer. A person who has a degree in the specialty called Jurisprudence can also work as a lawyer.
Legal status of lawyers
The status of a lawyer is regulated by legal acts that take into account all the nuances of obtaining a certificate that gives the right to legal activity.
A lawyer is a person who represents the interests of individuals in labor disputes, in the courts, or in deciding the relevant tax cases. It is worth noting that he is not always the defender of the accused party, as victims can also hire a specialist to obtain legal assistance.
It should also be noted that the types of legal assistance provided by a lawyer can only relate to issues of the corresponding category. So, you can hire a specialist who has perfect knowledge in a narrow field (for example, in criminal proceedings or in civil matters).
If you indicate what you need to become a lawyer, you should also mention the mandatory passing of the relevant examinations in oral and written form. In case of unsatisfactory result, retesting can be passed no earlier than in a year.
Additional conditions for obtaining legal status
If you are interested in how to become a lawyer, then you should know that appropriate education is not enough. Mandatory is the passage, as already noted, of the lawyer's exam, which is accepted by the qualification commission of the institution in which it is planned to work. The written part of the exam includes computer testing. During the oral examination, the future employee is checked for readiness for work, as well as for moral and business qualities.
It is also necessary to have an appropriate work experience. So, a person must work in a legal specialty for at least two years or undergo an internship for a year at any lawyer institution. It is worth noting that in this case only certain specialties are taken into account - a judge, a notary, a lawyer, as well as work in municipal institutions, which requires a legal education. To gain experience, it is recommended that you work as an assistant lawyer or intern. In any case, an employment contract is signed.
The powers of a lawyer
His work in the legal field includes the following:
• providing advice on various legal issues;
• assistance in the preparation of applications and complaints or other legal documentation;
• the lawyer represents the interests of the principal;
• he is a representative in administrative and civil proceedings;
• a lawyer may act as a criminal defense counsel;
• Among its main functions, it should also be noted the representation in tax authorities.
If you want to know how to become a lawyer in order to be able to carry out such a list of work, you should familiarize yourself with the relevant Federal Law and the Code of Professional Lawyer's Ethics.
It should be noted that working as a lawyer without organizing a form of activity is difficult, so you can choose one of the possible options - open an attorney’s office, college or bureau. In addition, you can arrange legal advice.
Legal assistance of a lawyer: features
The main types of legal assistance provided by a lawyer can be characterized as follows:
1. Consultations and clarifications regarding certain legal issues, issuing verbal or written information on legislation.
Lawyers who are not involved in litigation accept citizens. Their work is on schedule, which is drawn up in advance. To increase the level of legal assistance, some lawyers may specialize exclusively in matters of public law, while others are better versed in criminal or family law.
2. Lawyers issue legal documents. So, during the consultation they are obliged to explain the legislation and, if necessary, issue a certificate.
3. They also represent in courts and public affairs organizations, as well as in cases involving administrative violations. The powers of a lawyer are certified by a warrant issued by legal advice, with which they entered into an agreement on the provision of legal assistance.
4. The lawyer takes part in the preliminary investigation, acts as a defender during the trial, as well as as a representative of the civil defendant or the victim.
5. He may also provide other legal assistance. Moreover, the law “On the Bar” does not clearly establish a list of services that can be attributed to this category.
Psychological aspects of the work of a lawyer
When providing legal assistance, a lawyer is obliged to investigate various facts and comprehend them from a protective position, that is, he must be able to use and analyze certain information in order to mitigate his client’s guilt or even his full justification.
In order to comprehend everything and achieve success, a lawyer needs to be able to properly build relationships not only with his client, but also with other people who are involved in the lawsuit - with investigators, prosecutors, and defendants. In addition, it is important to establish psychological contact with the client, as well as to compare the legal and real possibility of providing assistance, which in some cases may take the form of a certain psychological impact.
At the same time, individual psychological qualities, the professional skills of a lawyer, the level of his experience and knowledge, as well as his general and professional culture, and the correct understanding by the advocate of the procedural situation are of importance.
Types of free legal assistance
Free legal assistance is provided in the following forms:
• legal advice, which can be oral or written;
• assistance in the preparation of statements, complaints, as well as other legal documents;
• Representation of interests of citizens in state or civil authorities, as well as in courts in the manner established by the Federal Law.
It should be noted that there are categories of citizens who can use the free help of a lawyer. These are, for example, people with disabilities of groups 1 and 2, people with incomes below the established subsistence minimum, orphans and their guardians (only in certain cases), war veterans, legally incapable persons and their representatives, minors who are in prison and etc.
The provision of free legal aid by a lawyer includes written counseling, as well as the drafting of various legal documents. A lawyer provides free representation of citizens in court in cases where a person is a plaintiff or defendant in court, requires recognition of the right to housing or land, confirmation of incapacity, as well as in cases of forced treatment or after political repression.
Personal qualities that a lawyer should have
In this profession, a person should have good perseverance, since it will take a long time to study various regulatory documents, especially at the beginning of a career, when there is not yet enough work experience. A lawyer must be an excellent speaker and be able to stay confident in public speaking. In addition, professional activities in the legal field require good memory and logical thinking, as well as extraordinary intelligence and analytical mindset. The work of a lawyer also requires, in some cases, the adoption of important decisions instantly (“on the go”).
It should be noted another important quality that a professional lawyer should have - is sociability. It is also important for him to ignore any situations (even when they concern him personally).
I must say that being a lawyer is not easy. So, the legal status does not allow to engage in entrepreneurial activity or to be on the staff of any organization. In addition, he must allocate certain funds for the needs of the bar, as well as make certain entrance fees (informally).
Advantages of lawyers over employees who do not have legal status
How to become a lawyer, we have already considered. Now we give the advantages of legal status over a simple lawyer:
1. A lawyer may not be interrogated to obtain information about which he finds out during the course of a case, and searches in office or residential lawyer premises are prohibited without a court order.
2. An attorney may visit persons held in prisons. He has full access to all case materials and can cooperate with the investigation in favor of his client.
3. He may submit requests to any state bodies and organizations that are required to give an answer within the established time frame.
4. A lawyer may be in the role of an investigative body during the interrogation of witnesses or suspects, as well as other persons who may in some way be connected with the case.
5. Only a person with the status of a lawyer can represent organizations in court without entering their staff.
It can be summarized that the work of a lawyer is quite complicated and responsible. Reviews about this profession are usually positive, because with good experience and high qualifications of the employee, there is always a demand for lawyer services, which brings a good income. The only thing needed is an excellent knowledge of all laws and persistence in the performance of their professional duties.