Duties of an Attorney

You are considering a career and have an interest in law and how it is carried out. While there are many careers available in this field, one of the most rewarding is that of an attorney. Here are a few things that a lawyer does for their clients.

Gathers Information

As an attorney, you would complete and send out CA form interrogatory to the opposing party as well as complete them. There are interviews with your clients as well as with witnesses and professionals in that particular field. You should have a love of research because there are reports and evidence to study as well as other materials you will need to be acquainted with. You then need to assemble all the information that you have found into a case you can present for your client. If the information is sparse, you may need to consult them with additional options.

Meet with People

There are many varieties of law to practice yet in almost all of them you will need to meet with clients. The meeting location will most likely be in your office. However, if you choose to defend people, you might have to meet at the jail. You will also need to sit down with experts in the field you are working with as well as witnesses of the event. You must take detailed notes concerning what has transpired so that you can build your case. You might also schedule appointments to get together with other lawyers on the case if more than one of you is working on it or if they have information that you can use.

Present the Case

If the client you are working with must go to trial, you will need to present their case to the court for consideration. If it is a jury trial, you will help narrow down who will serve to hear the case. You will need to keep everyone engaged in what you say as you present the evidence that you have gathered. You will also question the witnesses that both you and the opposing party have called, hoping that what you ask will defend your side. You must be comfortable speaking in front of people as well as keep your composure in stressful situations. There are also the opportunities that you will talk with the judge as well as the other counsel to come to an agreement instead of a verdict. You should think quickly for your client to get them the fairest settlement.

Paperwork

If you are hired by a small firm or go into practice for yourself, you will need to know some accounting. This ability is essential to bill your customers for the time you have taken to prepare and present their case. If you have an accountant or an accounting department that takes care of invoicing, you will need to track and prepare the hours you spend on each client so you can give the data to them. You also need to stay on top of renewing your licensing before it expires.