Perhaps what makes the work of family lawyers particularly challenging compared to work in other areas is having to support people through what could be one of the most difficult parts of their lives.
Your clients could be working through a divorce, child support dispute or the creation of their will. None of these activities are particularly easy or enjoyable, which means that you need to be patient, calm and caring towards your clients.
That’s not to say this isn’t rewarding work, however. You might end up helping to improve the relationship between two families, or allow a client to have a successful adoption. In this work you really have the opportunity to make a positive difference that can impact many lives.
What you need to know
If you choose to work with family lawyers, you will most often be working with the FLA 1975, a piece of federal legislation. Other matters, like de-facto relationships, will be covered by the state’s specific legislation.
Having a strong, emotionally-stable and extroverted personality will help you in this field of work, as you will be dealing with emotionally distressed clients almost constantly. You may often be working with people who have experienced violence and abuse, which can be difficult for everyone involved.
People with the right disposition – i.e. those who are people-oriented and compassionate, this part of working as family lawyers can be immensely rewarding. But for those who do not enjoy working with interpersonal matters, it may feel draining and overly stressful.
Another benefit of this field of work is that you are able to continually expand on your education. Even after you become a qualified legal practitioner, you can obtain further certificates in order to improve your qualifications. Additionally, you are always learning new things firsthand through experience.
What happens when you graduate
Upon joining a firm of family lawyers, new graduates will have several key responsibilities. They are usually required to go to client meetings and take notes, prepare briefs and accompany solicitors with more experience at court. They may also have to draft documents such as court applications, correspondence and settlements. What graduates quickly learn is the ability to remain neutral whilst dealing with emotionally heavy situations.
Career prospects
Legal work tends to remain pretty independent of any fluctuations in the economy. Since 2008, there may have even been a slight uptick in the number of solicitor positions due to an increased number of people facing relational and financial repercussions seeking legal advice.
You have several options when it comes to deciding on which particular area you want to work in. It could be divorce proceedings, custody arrangements or estate planning. Alternatively, you could choose to work with more generalised family lawyers who provide advice on a broad range of issues (similar to a GP at medical centre). Regardless of what you choose, it is unlikely that this relational unit will stop being a major part of our culture anytime soon, meaning that it should be a stable area of legal practice for many years to come.
Some of the other kinds of legal work you could practice besides that of family lawyers include:
- Criminal
- Environmental
- Bankruptcy
- Maritime
- Corporate
- Entertainment
- Civil rights
- Immigration
- Health
- International
- Intellectual property
- Tax
- Employment
- Real estate.
Conclusion
Working with family lawyers is likely a good idea for people who are ambitious, enjoy working with people in difficult emotional situations, are able to professionally detach without a loss of empathy, are able to think quickly, have good negotiation skills and can make strategic decisions. To seek help from family immigration attorney Dallas TX search for top and reputed law firms.
