Lawyer
Job Description
Lawyers specialise in different areas of the law such as family law, helping people resolve the legal aspects of family relationships, including divorce and parenting arrangements, or property law, providing expert legal advice on residential and commercial property settlements and disputes. An Employment Lawyer is concerned with the rights of employees and employers in the employee-employer relationship, or you may choose to work as an In-house Lawyer, where you may be responsible for drawing up contracts with third parties, mediating disputes, ensuring compliance obligations are met and handling all the other legal affairs for the organisation that employs you.
Careers Ladder
Qualifications
Given the broad nature of this profession formal qualifications are required. Below are the steps you may need to take to become a Lawyer in Australia.
- Apply to the local Law Society for a Practising Certificate.
- Complete 18 to 24 months of supervised practice at a law firm. It may be preferable to complete this in a law firm that specialises in your chosen field.
- Complete a Bachelor of Law (LLB) undergraduate degree or a Juris Doctor (JD) postgraduate degree. Both courses are 3 or 4 years long.
- Complete Practical Legal Training (PLT). This can be completed in less than a year.
- Gain admission from the relevant state or territories Admissions Authority within 5 years of graduation.
- Apply for a Practising Certificate from the local Law Society.
Attributes
- Analytical
- Communicator
- Confident
- Educated
- Interpersonal
- Meticulous
- Resilience
- Resourceful
- Thoroughness
Key Skills
- Admissions
- Litigation
- Law
- Personal Injury
- Relationship Management
- Negotiation
- Investigation
- Trustworthy
- Conveyancing
- Meticulous timekeeping
Future Prospects
You may like to think about moving on from this career, some transferable skills can be utilised in roles such as;