When adults ask children about what they want to be when they grow up, typical responses are a doctor or a lawyer. For some reason, a lot of people think that being a lawyer is an excellent job. A lot of films and TV shows portray lawyers as good-looking, articulate, and affluent.
Most people do not realize that lawyers have various specializations. In Townsville, there are personal injury lawyers, business lawyers, financial lawyers, and employment and intellectual property lawyers, among a few. Nonetheless, practicing law is a noble job that can help a lot of distressed individuals with their legal concerns.
Common misconceptions about lawyers
Thanks to popular films and TV shows like Erin Brockovich, Law and Order, and Legally Blonde, we somehow got a glimpse of what it is like to be a lawyer. However, being a lawyer is not all glitz and glamour. Not everyone can see the realities of being in this kind of profession.
For one thing, you would not want to engage in something that you do not understand. This also applies when choosing a profession. Read on to learn about the common misconceptions about lawyers and the truth behind them.
1. Being a lawyer means living a luxurious life.
On-screen lawyers often wear designer suits, live in bachelor pads, and drive expensive cars. However, this is not always the case in real life. In reality, lawyers usually spend a lot of their working time planning and researching for their cases. In other words, it’s not every day that they get to live the glamorous life. They also work hard for the money, just like everyone else.
2. A lawyer’s life is exciting and full of drama.
Real-life lawyers are not overly emotional when defending a case, unlike ones you see on screen. Often, legal dramas can be overly dramatic, but it doesn’t always mean the same situation in real life.
3. Lawyers work alone.
Most people also think lawyers tend to work alone. In reality, lawyers usually specialize in multiple law practices such as family and divorce laws, business and intellectual property laws, and more. Aside from that, a sole lawyer does not take the credit for winning a case. Most cases are results of the collaborative efforts of the legal team.
4. You can get rich working as a lawyer.
On one hand, this can be true only if you work in large law firms. However, it might not be easy to get hired in such mega-law firms. For one thing, such law firms only hire applicants who graduated from popular law schools. The rest of the lawyers usually work in small or private law firms as well as for government law firms. In other words, being a lawyer does not guarantee financial success.
These are some of the misconceptions about lawyers and the truth behind these myths. On-screen lawyers are way different from real-life lawyers. However, being a lawyer is a noble profession. They work to protect the legal interest of clients and get the compensation that their clients deserve.