Legal Professionals
Legal professionals interpret and apply laws to resolve disputes, protect rights, and ensure justice within the court system and alternative resolution settings. These professionals work in courtrooms, law firms, government agencies, and mediation centers, where they research legal precedents, prepare legal documents, represent clients, and make or facilitate decisions on various legal matters. Their expertise spans from litigation and legal counsel to judicial administration and conflict resolution outside traditional court proceedings.
🎬Career Video
🤖AI Resilience Assessment
AI Resilience Score
Score 3/6: balanced factors means AI will assist but humans remain essential
How we calculated this:
42% of tasks can be accelerated by AI
+3% projected (2024-2034)
EPOCH score: 17/25
📋Key Responsibilities
- •Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses.
- •Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.
- •Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case.
- •Represent clients in court or before government agencies.
- •Evaluate findings and develop strategies and arguments in preparation for presentation of cases.
- •Advise clients concerning business transactions, claim liability, advisability of prosecuting or defending lawsuits, or legal rights and obligations.
- •Examine legal data to determine advisability of defending or prosecuting lawsuit.
- •Prepare, draft, and review legal documents, such as wills, deeds, patent applications, mortgages, leases, and contracts.
💡Inside This Career
Legal professionals spend their days immersed in the intricacies of law, whether they're researching complex regulations in quiet law libraries, conducting heated negotiations in corporate boardrooms, or presiding over formal hearings in courthouses. Their mornings might begin with reviewing case files and legal briefs, analyzing statutory language, or preparing for depositions and trials. Throughout the day, they draft legal documents ranging from contracts and motions to judicial opinions and settlement agreements, ensuring every word is precisely crafted to withstand scrutiny. Many find themselves switching between solitary research and writing tasks to collaborative discussions with colleagues, clients, or opposing counsel.
The work environment varies dramatically within this field—some legal professionals spend most of their time in traditional office settings, poring over documents and precedent cases, while others divide their time between offices and courtrooms, hearing chambers, or mediation centers. A single day might involve interviewing witnesses, conducting legal research on emerging issues, facilitating settlement discussions between disputing parties, or evaluating evidence to make binding decisions. Technology plays an increasingly important role, with legal databases, video conferencing for remote hearings, and digital case management systems streamlining many processes.
Collaboration is essential, whether it's working with legal teams on complex litigation, consulting with experts to understand technical evidence, or coordinating with court staff to manage case schedules. Legal professionals regularly interact with diverse groups—from individual clients facing personal legal challenges to corporate executives navigating regulatory compliance, and from law enforcement officers to community members seeking resolution to disputes.
📈Career Progression
What does this mean?
This shows how earnings typically grow with experience. Entry level represents starting salaries, while Expert shows top earners (90th percentile). Most workers reach mid-career earnings within 5-10 years. Figures are national averages and vary by location and employer.
📚Education & Training
Requirements
- •Entry Education: Doctoral degree
- •Experience: Extensive experience
- •On-the-job Training: Extensive training
- !License or certification required
Time & Cost
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Find jobs and training programs for legal professionals- Median salary: $143K/year
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💻Technology Skills
⭐Key Abilities
🏷️Also Known As
📑Specializations
This career includes 5 specialized roles with different focuses and compensation levels.
| Specialization | Median Pay | AI Outlook | O*NET Code | Find Jobs | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $148,910 | 🟡 | 23-1023.00 | View details | ||
| $145,760 | 🟡 | 23-1011.00 | View details | ||
| $111,090 | 🟠 | 23-1021.00 | View details | ||
| $71,540 | 🟡 | 23-1022.00 | View details | ||
| $57,490 | 🟠 | 23-1012.00 | View details |
🔗Related Careers
Other careers in legal
🔗Data Sources
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