What does it take to be a good lawyer? How to start a career as a lawyer

Many people who have a liberal arts education and do not want to work for a rich "uncle" are faced with huge amount problems that prevent you from working for yourself. In this article, we will look at all the obstacles that stand in the way of an aspiring self-employed professional, using the example of the legal profession.

Where to begin?
So, you are a person who has a higher legal education, as evidenced by an appropriate diploma, at least a few years of work experience in the profession (the more experience, the better), but you are tired of fulfilling the senseless instructions of the authorities, who do not want to hear that they the actions are illegal or the wife fully complies with the norms of the law. You want to earn money on your own, working only for yourself, but you do not have enough Money to open your own law firm, what to do?

First you need to register as a private entrepreneur (hereinafter - PE). To obtain the status of a private entrepreneur, you need to apply to the relevant registration authorities located at the place of residence with an application for registration and a package of documents.
Before contacting the registration authority, you need to complete the following steps:
- in accordance with established form fill out an application;
- contact a notary to certify your signature on the application (on average, notary services will cost you 1,500 rubles);
- pay the state fee (the state fee is 800 rubles).

In addition to the application for registration of an emergency and a receipt for payment of the state duty, you must have the original and a copy of your passport (another document that proves your identity), as well as a copy of the certificate of registration individual(INN).
If you do not want to deal with the registration of an emergency on your own, you can contact the relevant specialists who, for additional fee(on average, the services of intermediaries will cost, taking into account the state duty, they will amount to 4,500 rubles) they will do everything for you.

After the state registration of the state of emergency, with all of the above documents, you need to contact the tax office, which is located at the place of registration.
Additionally, you will need to open a bank account for a private entrepreneur, which costs approximately 1000 rubles.

How to attract clients?
So, you are registered as a private entrepreneur who can provide legal services, now you need the most important thing - to find clients!
One of the simplest but most effective ways to build a customer base is advertising. It is best to place your advertisement in several places (local newspaper, internet, etc.). For beginners and little-known lawyers, in order to interest clients, it is necessary to indicate in the advertisement that you give free consultations and only you have a system of social discounts for the services provided for pensioners and less protected miles of the population. Providing free consultations and discounts will help you develop and develop your communication skills, turn on the “radio”, which will make advertising and, accordingly, attract customers.

The next step you will need to take is to connect your acquaintances in the courts, the police, the prosecutor's office and other authorities who could advise you and the services you provide. People, especially the older ones, are accustomed to turning to civil servants for help, because they believe that the entire system of power and justice is connected. For showiness, it is best to distribute several dozen of your business cards to your friends.

Let's calculate the possible expenses and profit for the first quarter independent work.
Costs for state registration private entrepreneur and related costs (subject to self-registration):
800 rub. (state registration) + 1500 rubles. (notary services) = 2300 rubles.
Advertising expenses:
Placing an advertisement in a newspaper - 300 rubles. for one post. If the newspaper is published 4 times a month, then 3600 rubles will have to be paid for the quarter.
3600 rub. + 900 rub. (printing 1000 business cards) = 4500 rubles.
In total, the total expenses for three months of independent work are approximately 6,800 rubles.

Possible profit for the first quarter of work.
To calculate, let's take the simplest example - a civil case of a non-property nature (not a divorce) with one court session.
Study of case materials - 1000-1500 rubles.
The average price of drawing up a statement of claim is 2500 rubles.
One representation in court is approximately estimated at 3,000 rubles.
And now let's calculate, 1000 + 2500 + 3000 = 6500 rubles. - this is the minimum cost of your services in one case.
Considering that there can be about ten cases per month, your income for the first quarter of work will be 195 thousand rubles - and this is just the beginning. By improving your skills and increasing your customer base, you can raise your profits by dozens, or maybe times.

There are many lawyers, few good lawyers, and even fewer professional lawyers - everything is in your hands!
It is important to remember that water does not flow under a lying stone. Do not listen to anyone, if you see the goal - get up and boldly go to meet her.
I wish you success in all your endeavors!



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In the 1990s, the demand for lawyers increased in Russia. During this period, the country was in great need of qualified personnel. It was then that the question of building a truly legal state arose. Law faculties were gaining popularity among young people. To date, the excitement has subsided somewhat, but this does not mean at all that good lawyers remain unclaimed. On the contrary, in universities studies a large number of students who want to connect their lives with jurisprudence, but not all of them become true professionals. Is just one education enough to achieve high results? Of course not! To do this, you will need to study well, and develop certain qualities in yourself, and get a job, as well as make useful contacts. Students are encouraged to take this advice seriously.

How to become a lawyer, or rather, a professional in your field? This is the question we will try to answer. The article will describe step by step actions that will help novice lawyers to realize themselves in life.

Step one - choosing a profession

After leaving school, each person thinks about choosing a profession. Very rarely is it spontaneous. As a rule, already from the school bench, students dream of who they will become in adulthood. Some dream of fighting for human rights, others want to eradicate crime. But there are those who have heard about the high salaries of lawyers, and therefore they choose this direction. Motives, of course, can be different and cannot be condemned for them. However, one must understand that the specialty is chosen not for one or two years, but for life.

Novice lawyers can realize themselves in different areas of activity. For example, work as a notary. These specialists cover many areas of jurisprudence. They provide services for registration of inheritance, are engaged in the purchase and sale of housing and other legal affairs. Also, having a legal education, you can work as a lawyer. In order to succeed in this profession, you must have special qualities. The lawyer will protect human rights, defend his views. For this direction, one must not only know the laws, but also be able to use them.

Many aspiring lawyers dream of becoming a prosecutor. Getting to this position is not easy. A person of this profession must be fair, not hesitate in making decisions, and also have impartial views and not know what pity is.

And these are just the main professions. In addition to them, having received such an education, you can get a job in any large enterprise as a consultant. Such employees draw up agreements, contracts and other documents.

So how do you become a good lawyer? Where to start your career? Where to look for a promising job? Next, we will present a rough plan that will help you plan the future correctly to achieve your goals.

Step two - planning for the future

Having studied all the features of the profession and made the final choice, you can start planning for the future. After all, many want to build their career in such a way as to be a successful lawyer. How to do it? First, get an education at a prestigious university. It is necessary to select an educational institution carefully, since in order to work in the police as an investigator or prosecutor, you will need to graduate from a military department or with in-depth physical training. For those who are going to become a notary, the training will be much easier. You can enter any institute or university that has a law faculty.

Such a science as jurisprudence is currently taught in Russia in more than 300 higher educational institutions. It will not be difficult for future lawyers to choose the right university. Most importantly, when choosing, the main criterion should not be the price of education, but reputation educational institution. Although this will play an undecisive role when applying for a job, it will be a significant trump card for the applicant. Now the education that students receive in state universities is valued.

Step three - admission to the university

When wondering how to become a good lawyer, many mistakenly think that everyone necessary knowledge they will receive at a university or institute, so they begin to prepare immediately before entering a university. And this is wrong. While still at school, it is important to know what subjects to focus on. For example, a future lawyer needs an in-depth study of social science and history. Grades in these subjects can be decisive for admission to a university. There are situations when two applicants with the same USE score apply for one place. Then the administration recommends for enrollment the one who has a higher score in the certificate in social studies.

Also, for those who plan to study law, it is important to know the Russian language thoroughly. To pass this exam, the applicant must be ready for one hundred percent. Do not forget about physical training. If the future lawyer plans to work in law enforcement agencies, then he must be ready to pass the standards for physical. culture.

Step four - personal qualities

In order to become a good lawyer, you also need to work hard on yourself, that is, develop special qualities in yourself. Future professionals need to have the following traits:

  • Punctuality.
  • Pedantry.
  • Persistence.
  • Sociability.
  • Responsibility.
  • Observation.
  • Firmness and decisiveness.
  • Scrupulousness.

Each of these qualities will help a person successfully build a career as a lawyer.

Step five - self-education

If a person is thinking about how to become a good lawyer on his own, then he must understand that this will not be easy. Success in the profession can only be achieved if you engage in self-education. For achievement highly qualified it is necessary to live under the motto: "Study, study and study again!". For a lawyer, it is important to constantly improve not only the educational, but also the cultural level.

In order to be able to write and speak correctly, you need to read a lot, and not detective stories and romance novels, but classic works. They are the best trainer for the brain.

Do not forget about logic. At present, such literature is sufficient for development. The ability to think logically and build chains is the key to the successful completion of any business.

Step Six - The Foundation for a Successful Career

How to become a good lawyer in the future? It is necessary to ask this question even in your student years. Many young people, while studying at a university, have fun with friends, thereby losing precious minutes, hours, days that could be used to create a solid base. But it is she who will become the foundation successful career.

If a student feels that jurisprudence is the area without which he cannot imagine life, then he will replace entertainment with studying judicial practices, getting to know the laws, building strategies for prosecution or defense. And if there are like-minded people, then it is possible to reproduce trials, playing the roles of a prosecutor, lawyer, judge. This will help you move in the right direction.

On the one hand, not many will agree with such a development of events, since the student years pass quickly and the time when you can have fun without cares will not return. Tell me that this is only suitable for "nerds"? Well, now think for a moment, what do you want to be after graduation? A simple ordinary lawyer, of which there are a dime a dozen, or a true professional? If the answer is obvious, then something will have to be sacrificed for the sake of a secure and stable future. A few years of sitting behind books is not the biggest price to pay to achieve a high goal. And then it will not be necessary to ask the question: “How to become a good lawyer?” After all, the answer is obvious.

Step Seven - Practice

Modern system education allows third-year students to get an internship. Of course, you can find a familiar notary who will write a certificate and affix seals, but this will not help you become a successful lawyer. It is better to give preference to such vacancies, even on a voluntary basis, where you can really work in your specialty, gaining experience. These skills will be useful to the student in the future.

Step Eight - Useful Connections

No matter how strange it may sound, useful contacts can even help you become a good lawyer. "How it works?" - you ask. Just imagine for a moment that future prosecutors, judges, lawyers are studying next to you. Getting to know them and even friendship can help you quickly move up the career ladder. And for those who see themselves as a lawyer, it would be nice to organize their own office. After all, it will be much easier to open your own business together than to break through on your own.

Step nine - perspective work

How to get started as a lawyer? Of course, with work experience. But this is where a lot of people have problems. If there are no acquaintances and relatives working in this field, then it is almost impossible to get a job as a lawyer immediately after graduation from a prestigious organization. It is better, as they say, to start from the bottom. What does it mean? Consider any vacancies, even the lowest paid ones. The chance that a small organization will hire a lawyer without experience is much higher than a large law firm.

You will have to work on enthusiasm for 2-3 years, after which, with a good recommendation, you can try your hand by sending resumes to prestigious companies. The only thing you need to understand is that those who live in small towns may face employment problems. They do not always have vacancies, so it is important to be ready to move to another city.

There are many recipes for successful legal practice. Great competition in the market for such services forces lawyers to use all new techniques and methods to achieve success. But all the ways to achieve a high result are similar. And below we will look at generally accepted practical advice - how to become a successful lawyer?

Education and constant updating of knowledge is the basis of the professionalism of any lawyer. University education with good level teaching in itself is already an advantage. For example, when hiring, large law firms give preference to graduates of well-known educational institutions.

A huge amount of legislation is difficult to master in detail, so specialization in any branch of law is another condition for success. It is better to decide on the direction of your activity while still studying at the institute, having already begun to thoroughly study your specialization there.

Modern legislation is subject to constant changes, and legal practice is impossible without a systematic replenishment of knowledge related to the adjustments of legislative norms. Careful tracking of changes in legislation is a mandatory rule of a successful lawyer.

Extensive legal experience

Theory and knowledge of laws without practice are unable to lead to significant results. Starting a career with work in government, law enforcement and judicial bodies provides a novice lawyer with the opportunity to gain good professional skills, master the litigation process, understand the mechanisms of work of various government structures and, which is important in our time, to gain acquaintances and connections with officials and colleagues.


Personal qualities necessary for successful work

The list of character traits of a successful lawyer must necessarily include such qualities as logical thinking, the ability to understand people, perseverance, diligence, scrupulousness and pedantry, unemotional perception of the situation and decision-making.

Success accompanies those lawyers who subordinate all personal qualities to one goal - customer orientation, readiness to solve problems that have arisen at any time, using all available experience and knowledge.


Team management and team organization skills

Law firms and firms that occupy leading positions in the market legal services, as a rule, are well-organized teams of professionals, managed by high-class leaders who use advanced technologies in administration.

The ability to correctly determine the strategic and tactical directions of the company's activities, objectively assess the capabilities and potential of each employee, competently build an administrative structure is the main factor in the success of these companies.

Another rule of success - bringing closer to yourself successful people, you increase your chances of achieving a good result.


Luck

talent to be in necessary place V right time and use the current situation to the maximum advantage for business. Success rarely comes by accident. He chooses the most persistent and purposeful people who are ready to work hard and deny themselves personal affairs to achieve their goal.

All of the above conditions for success must certainly be combined with love for the chosen business. And most importantly, it is easier to achieve success than to keep it.

What do you think, what skills, knowledge, personal qualities character must have a successful lawyer? Share your opinion, and perhaps experience in the comments to this article.

Good luck and see you in the next article.

Sometimes to really helpful advice learned well, you can "turn" it into harmful, mirroring its meaning and meaning. In addition, it sometimes helps to see the shortcomings in your work, and at the same time to practice wit.

On the eve of April Fool's Day (April 1), family lawyer, chairman of the Bar Association "Center for Legal Expertise", managing partner of ENSO law firm Alexey Golovchenko and Managing Partner of Muranov, Chernyakov & Partners Bar Association Alexander Muranov gave their colleagues similar "harmful" advice. Of course, all of the above should be taken with irony and humor.

How can you be guaranteed to lose a case in court?

Forget that you have a court session, mix up the time. You are the main star at this event, they won't start without you. Lose the power of attorney, do not prepare for the court session, impromptu is the best friend of a lawyer. While waiting for the court session, reveal "all the cards" to the opponent's lawyer - tell us what defense tactics you have chosen and what evidence you have. He'll probably freak out and give up.

Alexey Golovchenko:

In order to be guaranteed to lose the case in court, it is best to sue the state or the municipality. Ideally, you need to sue for violation of the terms of payment of the state contract or for inflated amounts of taxes.

Don't forget to skip court sessions regularly! Then the opposite side will do everything for you.

Alexander Muranov:

A lawyer must firmly believe that it is guaranteed to win a case in court only with the help of such tools as corruption or administrative resources.

Are there universal ways in which a legal adviser or lawyer can lose a client with a high degree of probability?

A: Avoid communicating with the customer after taking the money. Be rude to him, be rude at a meeting, scare him more often. Say that he requires too much of you for the pennies that you took from him for solving a very difficult task. Let him know how lucky he is to work with such important bird like you, constantly demand extra payment. Hide from him and do not answer his calls.

Alexey Golovchenko: Do not respond to customer inquiries or return calls or emails. It is strictly forbidden to coordinate with him the position on the case and receive from him feedback. Do it yourself - the client likes independent lawyers.

Alexander Muranov: As you know, the less we love a woman, the easier she likes us.

If the client is a woman, then you need to show her your disposition as annoyingly as possible.

If the woman herself is a lawyer, then the recipe, paradoxically, is the same: to demonstrate her feelings to the client as persistently as possible.

How should one approach writing an article or organizing a seminar (webinar) on legal topics so that the author will certainly be ridiculed in a professional environment?

: Take the text of the speech at the seminar, which was prepared two years ago, and boldly go to speak, because it is not in vain that they say "repetition is the mother of learning." The fact that during this time the legislation has changed or the highest judicial instances have taken a different position on the issues of the seminar does not concern you.

Alexey Golovchenko: It is necessary to begin the speech with the words: "we live in rule of law in which there is a system of separation of powers and an independent judiciary. "Next, it is worth talking about the fact that any citizen has a 100% guarantee to defend their rights and legitimate interests in a court.

Alexander Muranov: Propose as a topic the following: "The Constitution as the source of supreme legal force."

The first job allows young lawyers to get used to the profession and gain initial experience. How should a former student who has just left the university act so that he is not hired for a long time in his specialty?

: At interviews, you must say that you are disappointed in the education you received and do not understand why you went to study law, or even better, say that your mother forced you - HR managers will definitely note your honesty. Do not forget to say that you understood little when you studied at the university, and in general were a rare guest at couples. In the paragraphs of the summary about special skills, indicate: "I write all documents correctly", "I'm afraid to communicate with clients", "I can't work at a computer for health reasons."

Alexey Golovchenko: A graduate should understand that he is a star. He will honor the company in which he goes to work. A graduate always knows the solution of any problem better than anyone, because theoretical professors have taught him what is right and what is not.

Alexander Muranov: To be honest, you just left the university, you feel a lack of knowledge and would like to continue your education at this place of work for the next two years, and without applying for a scholarship. The chances of continuing the search will increase if you also honestly say that you will come to your potential leadership for advice. By the way, in reality, everything happens like this: both training and mentoring from the management. Everyone knows this, but everyone is prudently silent. But if someone honestly says this, then they will most likely not be hired.

At the beginning of a career, professional mistakes are not ruled out, and this is quite natural due to the lack of experience of yesterday's student. But what is the best thing for him to do in order to turn against himself new team and leader?

: If you want to put yourself in the team correctly, teach everyone how to work correctly, show that only you know how to write this or that document or act in this or that situation. Expose the mistakes of your colleagues.

Alexey Golovchenko: It is best to be inflexible in the first months of work - this will be your main advantage. Without a doubt, yesterday's student is a great professional in his field and has at least 30 kg of knowledge and experience behind him, as well as education received at a prestigious university. In this regard, the advice of elders should not be taken into account. Lawyers who have worked in the company for several successful years simply do not understand what they are talking about.

Alexander Muranov A: There are many possibilities. For example, referring to the desire to quickly become a good specialist, turn into a living reproach to everyone: that is, work 18 hours a day, hang the slogan "We live in order to work, and do not work in order to live" over your workplace. A month later, with reference to their employment (everyone cannot but see it), offer all colleagues and managers a reduction in their salaries, so that due to this saving you will be hired two assistants. Another option: a week after the start of work, pointing out that there is no experience, invite all members of the team and especially the management to submit to you a list of their mistakes once a week in order to learn from them faster. Self-criticism will not interfere with them, besides, they will also benefit from the fact that you will learn faster and will not repeat such mistakes.

What should a practicing lawyer do (or not do) in order to move up the career ladder as slowly as possible?

: To do this, you need to overcome only 5 steps:

  1. Lose cases in court more often;
  2. Make mistakes when drafting documents;
  3. Swear with clients;
  4. Do not be interested in changes in legislation;
  5. Learn to live leadership.

Alexey Golovchenko: Do not rush, all cases will be resolved by themselves. No need to pay attention to lost processes - the main thing is not victory, but participation.

Alexander Muranov: If it's about law firm, then everything is simple: immediately become a managing partner. There will be no further movement.

If inside some other organization, then everything is more complicated.

First, you need to do everything possible to the best of your ability to be considered one of the best specialists on such an issue as "doing nothing." But modestly give the palm to someone else, so that in the first place they would fire him, if anything.

Secondly, you need to do nothing - so as not to destroy such a reputation of yours. But again, it is necessary to allow someone to get ahead in this regard.

Which " bad advice"Could you give personally?

: Keep your professional activity! Don't tell anyone you're a lawyer. And forbid your relatives to talk about it.
Never advise anyone. Don't study judicial practice, changes in legislation, do not study in refresher courses. Do not discuss your business with colleagues.

Alexey Golovchenko: Work remotely from a distant sunny country (for example, from Thailand) - this effectively affects career building. And the most The best way to earn good money and develop - not to work at all.

Alexander Muranov: Always be persistent in giving legal advice to those who don't ask. And ask them to pay for the consultation. However, always shy away from legal advice to those who ask. And if you still decide to give - never take money for it, ask better to bring you magnets from trips.

Another tip: always keep promises to the client. But never promise him anything.

It will not help you either in preparing the case or in dealing with clients. After all, the main thing for a good lawyer is knowledge of the fundamental principles of law and a vivid emotional speech, and other nuances do not matter.

Of course, in Russian legislation some changes are made from time to time, but this should not bother you if you are armed with strong theoretical knowledge.

So feel free to use (if, of course, it makes sense at all) regulations that you once saved on your computer. As an option, you can safely take excerpts from the legislation posted on any random sites and forums.

Today - the profession of a lawyer, is considered the most sought-after profession. Its popularity began in the 90s. At a time when the state, more than ever before, in a period of global change, began to need literate, legally savvy people. With such people it is possible to build any state.

Young people, perfectly understanding the situation, more and more began to give preference to legal education. The legal profession has grown rapidly. But this does not mean that today there is no need for good lawyers. Good lawyers are always needed.

Getting an education is half the battle. The main thing is to become a lawyer, especially a good one. Many students of the Faculty of Law and graduates of institutes have one question: how to become a successful lawyer, how to become a good lawyer in order to fully realize oneself, and at the same time receive a decent reward.

After all, in fact, a good lawyer is not always a successful lawyer. Then how do you make sure that you become a good and successful lawyer at the same time?

The first and almost always the main thing is to choose the right university that trains highly qualified lawyers. There are many of them in our country. But which institutions to give preference, that's the question?

The main thing is that the selected university should be a specialized university, and not a university that has legal departments for training lawyers, who are most often found in the country.

It is better to enter where the main specialty is a lawyer, and not vice versa, as it happens that a lawyer is an additional specialty. Here the student will not get enough knowledge to be a good lawyer. Maybe he will be a good manager, a professional economist, but not a good lawyer.

In addition, keep in mind that the employer pays attention to the form of training when hiring a lawyer. Correspondence, and even more so the evening form of education, is in a big minus here. It is believed that a good lawyer with a good legal education can only become one who did not take a course in jurisprudence in his spare time, and the extraction of legal knowledge was carried out as the main one.

In other words, to become a good lawyer, to get enough knowledge, is possible only by studying at a day hospital, when you have to go to classes, like to work, all six or even seven days a week.

But in Lately, the education received as an additional specialty becomes not unimportant in the labor market. For example, universities produce managers - lawyers, economists, lawyers, and the like. It's just additional opportunity in the labor market, but this does not characterize that the manager is a lawyer, a good lawyer.

Rather, it is a good competent manager and only then, a lawyer. Considering the peculiarity of the modern world, it would be foolish to expect to become a good lawyer by graduating as a lawyer as an additional profession.

The modern world needs good competent lawyers, which can be persons who have graduated from law schools of the highest accreditation with stationary form learning.

But here, not everything is so smooth. You can graduate from such a university, but you cannot become a good and successful lawyer.

To become a good and promising lawyer you need:

  1. Decide on a specialization as soon as possible. The sooner you set a goal, the sooner you will achieve it. It is impossible to know everything, but the sooner you start receiving required material by specialization, the more chances to become the best;
  2. Give special attention to the study ofcivil law, gpublic law,head law.
  3. As soon as possible, determine the direction of the type of future activity. Knowing the state criminal and civil law, think right away, as a lawyer, in which area you want to become. This is necessary in order to learn how to filter all the information received, in order to freely accumulate the knowledge gained;
  4. Carefully monitor all changes in legislation;
  5. Quickly and accurately navigate the laws;
  6. Remember, there are no approximate words here, knowledge of the laws is either their exact knowledge, or they do not exist at all;
  7. A good lawyer, because he is good because if he is not sure about something, it is better to remain silent than to say something he does not know about. In other words, you know, speak, no, better keep silent;
  8. Work experience, they also pay attention to it. But what about those who have just graduated from universities? Here you have to devote several years to the work of an assistant. It is one thing to have knowledge and a red diploma, and another thing to put them into practice. So, before you start your career, whether you like it or not, you need a mentor.
  9. Lawyer is a public profession. Therefore, train and learn to speak in public in front of an audience. Speaking in front of an audience at seminars, conferences, a great opportunity to show oneself.;
  10. Learn to express thoughts and convince you that you are right.


And most importantly, remember that a goal must be set in order to begin the path to achieving it. And when making your way, remember, no matter how good a lawyer you become, you, first of all, are obliged to remain a person who will not cease to be respected, loved, and only then respected as a lawyer.