Lawyers come in different shapes and can use their legal skills in a wide variety of industries. It helps to know these differences as you think about whether law school is the right place for you. This is especially the case because in the media, lawyers are portrayed mostly as litigators, which can distort the profession and discourage many people who could enjoy being lawyers from entering the profession. This distortion in the media can also send to law school many people who would be really happy being litigators, but who instead get jobs in other areas and find that being a lawyer is not as exciting as they expected it to be.
- Litigators: Litigators are the lawyers who are most portrayed in the media, such as in Suits, Boston Legal, and Damages. These lawyers fight for their clients in court. Litigators can also be a diverse group. Some focus on civil cases, where the case is between 2 individuals or companies. While others defend clients in criminal cases. Some work for public interest groups such the Legal Aid Society for indigenous (poor defendants) defense in criminal law cases or the ACLU for civil rights cases. And yet others work for government (such as a U.S. attorney, a state attorney general, or a district attorney) and prosecute criminals (including white-collar criminals who commit fraud, insider trading, etc. - see Preet Bharara). Litigators can focus on jury trials (where soft persuasion and simplifying evidence for jury is important), bench trials in front of judges (where evidence plays more of a role), appellate advocacy (where evidence does not play much of a role and the focus is on making logical arguments about what the law really says), or settlement negotiations. Litigators frequently begin their careers by clerking for a judge.
- Regulatory attorneys: These attorneys keep themselves updated on new laws passed by Congress, and rules based on these laws coming from various U.S. agencies, such as the SEC (securities regulation), the Federal Reserve (banking laws), the EPA (environmental laws), the USPTO (patent and trademark laws), or the USCIS (immigration laws). They interpret regulations and guide individuals or companies on how to comply with the law. They also represent their clients in front of these regulators. Sometimes the skills required can be one of soft persuasion if the matter is small, and on critical matters, the skills required can be quite adversarial, such as for proceedings in the USPTO office. Having a good long-term relationship with the regulator is always helpful.
- Transactional attorneys: These attorneys guide clients on how to structure business deals or otherwise conduct business with various parties while minimizing legal risk. They may identify regulatory obligations and explain legal risks to clients. They will likely prepare and negotiate contracts on deals with the client's counter parties. They may even suggest that the client conduct deals through its subsidiary (child company). Transactional attorneys may generally maintain such subsidiaries, and thus pay their taxes, file their licensing documents, and update their corporate documentation. Transactional attorneys require diverse business and legal skills, including knowledge of various potential legal obligations (that specialist law firms can then explore in depth), listening to clients' needs and flexibility to adapt documents on case by case basis, strategic thinking in designing deals with various potential future outcomes in mind, and negotiation skills. Frequently, transactional attorneys enjoy the relatively non-adversarial nature of their role in which they work with their clients and deal counter parties to build a deal together. Transactional attorneys can work in a diverse array of industries, including banking, finance, technology, healthcare, manufacturing, services, consumer goods, or government (such as advisors to President in the State department or to state or local governments).
- Professors: These attorneys have a passion for law's theory, and frequently have a doctorate or masters in law or a doctorate in a different field. These attorneys may practice for a few years before deciding to enter academia. As Professors, they may teach law to students, research law's impact or influence in particular areas and have it published, and may practice law for select important matters where the law may be evolving. Some Professors may also enter university administration and manage the direction in which the law school should grow or spend it's funds.
- Policy-makers: Lawyers can also make and execute laws. For example, they can draft bills and resolutions for Congress, both as Congressional staff and with a career in politics themselves- as federal, state, or county Senators, Congressmen/women, Governors, etc. Most Presidents are lawyers too.