The profession of lawyer

The profession of lawyer belongs to the legal sector. Pleadings before a court, advice and drafting of legal documents, mediation, its missions are numerous. The lawyer advises, represents and defends his clients, whether they are individuals, organizations or companies.

 

What does a lawyer do? What is his role ?

 

We often imagine a lawyer pleading in court, but his missions go far beyond that.

 

Her primary role is to support her clients by providing them with legal advice by drafting documents for handling legal cases. When assuming his role as an advocate, his role is to represent his clients and defend their interests in the event of legal proceedings. Its customers can be individuals, called natural persons, or organizations, companies, associations,… called legal persons.

 

There are several categories of lawyers: criminal lawyer (defends people accused of crimes or misdemeanors), tax lawyer (dedicated to companies) and lawyer dedicated to civil cases (who deal with inheritances, divorces, accidents, etc.) .

 

The missions vary depending on the specialty of the lawyer, but the main missions are:

 

Inform and advise natural and legal persons on legal issues in addition to or replacement of a lawyer for example

Assist and advise a client during police custody

Represent and defend individuals, companies or organizations before a judge, during trials before a criminal, civil or administrative court

Assist clients during litigation, negotiations to avoid a lawsuit for example

Like the notary, the lawyer can draft various types of deeds: conclusions of a lawsuit, contract for the sale of an asset, contract for intellectual property, etc.

What are the expected skills ?

To practice his profession, the lawyer must of course have a perfect mastery of the different types of law and actively monitor developments in the sector (ethics, case law, etc.).

 

But he must also have various knowledge, as well as impeccable interpersonal skills:

 

Written and oral expression skills

Great relational ease

Attention to detail

Fluency in English and / or a second foreign language for corporate lawyers

Good use of IT and legal databases

A rigorous professional with great adaptability, a lawyer with a spirit of analysis and synthesis.

 

The advantages and disadvantages of being a lawyer

The most:

 

Attractive salary

Mastery of various fields of law

Variety of files and clients

ConsThe cons:

 

Very selective studies

Ubiquitous competition

Extended hours

How to become a lawyer? What training?

To practice the profession of lawyer, it is necessary to follow a Bac + 5 training in law and compulsory to obtain the CAPA (in training of 18 months). The entrance examination for the Ability of Aptitude for the Lawyer Profession is known to be difficult and is very selective.

 

Bac +5:

Master in Business, Tax, Contract, Insurance, Banking, Patent, International Trade, Competition, Consumer, Environmental, Transport Law, ...

Bac +6:

CAPA (Certificate of Aptitude for the Profession of Lawyer)

Diploma in Business Counsel (DJCE)

Diploma from an Institute of Political Studies (IEP) or an Institute of Business Administration (IAE)

Note: profiles with dual skills are highly appreciated in the world of work.

 

What salary for a lawyer?

As with many professions, the salary varies depending on the type and size of the firm in which the lawyer works, his status (employee, partner or liberal) but also his specialization and finally his experience, of course. This can easily triple in a few years.

 

Thus, on average, a novice lawyer earns between € 1,800 and € 2,700 gross / month. But this increases very quickly as soon as he gains experience:

 

Average salary of a confirmed lawyer (3-5 years of experience): between 3,300 and 3,800 € gross / month

Average salary of a senior lawyer (+ 5 years of experience): between € 3,900 and € 11,000 gross / month

Good to know: the higher the reputation of a lawyer, the higher his fees can be. This is one of the most influencing factors in his compensation.

 

What are the career paths?

At the start of his career, a lawyer often begins by being hired as an employee in a law firm.

 

He can also specialize in a specific field: tax lawyer, criminal lawyer, corporate lawyer, etc.

 

When he gains experience, a lawyer can then become a partner or create his own firm, as an independent, under liberal status.

 

Who employs a lawyer?

In most cases, a lawyer works for a private practice.