what do lawyers do?
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What Do Lawyers Do?. Office of Career Services 1L Tuesday September 4, 2012. Legal Practice Settings. Private Practice – Law Firms Public Interest Organizations Businesses Government Judiciary - Judicial Clerkship Academia Alternative to Practice of Law. Private Practice Attorneys. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
OFFICE OF CAREER SERVICES1L TUESDAY
SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
What Do Lawyers Do?
Legal Practice Settings
Private Practice – Law FirmsPublic Interest OrganizationsBusinessesGovernmentJudiciary - Judicial ClerkshipAcademiaAlternative to Practice of Law
Private Practice Attorneys
Phillip H. CorboyCorboy & Demetrio
Dan K. WebbPartner, Winston & Strawn
Aaron GoldsteinAttorney for Rod Blagojevich
Josh SavianoPaul Pfeiffer, The Wonder Years
Joel BrodskyAttorney for Drew Peterson
Jose BaezAttorney for Casey Anthony
Private Practice - Law Firms
Destination of choice for most law gradsWork for a variety of clients
(individuals/businesses)Most join as associatesPartnership after 8-10 years. Partners generally have an ownership interest
in the law firm and manage the law firm.All shapes and sizes (large to solo)Life influenced by billable hours/billable rate Some lawyers specialize in one or more practice
areas while others engage in general practice
Specializations or Practice Areas
Administrative Civil Litigation Constitutional Corporate Criminal Environmental Family Immigration Intellectual Property Labor & Employment Real Estate Securities Tax
Public Interest Attorneys
Barack ObamaSargent ShriverPeace Corps, Job Corps, Head StartRalph NaderConsumer Advocate & LawyerMorris DeesSouthern Poverty Law CenterMahatma Ghandi
Public Interest
Many in legal aid organizations – private non-profit agencies designed to serve disadvantaged people
Medical benefits for AIDS patients, represent the poor in landlord-tenant disagreements, negotiate child visitation rights for individuals who cannot afford a private attorney.
Government Attorneys
Lisa MadiganIllinois Attorney General
Eric HolderU.S. Attorney General
Pat Quinn Anita Alvarez
Cook County State’s Attorney Tom Dart
Cook County Sheriff Fidel Castro
Former Cuban President
Local, county, state and federal governmentProsecutors (District or State’s Attorneys)Federal Prosecutors
Department of Justice in DC U.S. Attorneys Offices throughout US
State Attorneys General (Lisa Madigan)Public Defender and Federal DefenderGovernment Agencies (fed, state, county, city)Legislative Bodies and United States Congress
Government
Federal Government Organizational Chart
State of Illinois Organizational Chart
Cook County Organizational Chart
The Judiciary
Justice Ruth Bader GinsburgUnited States Supreme Court
Justice Robert R. ThomasFormer Chief Justice, Illinois Supreme Court
The Hon. Virginia KendallU.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
The Hon. Thomas More DonnellyCircuit Court of Cook County
Judicial Clerkships
Work for county, state and federal judgesResearch the law presented to the judgeDraft memos and opinions for judgesOften short-term after you graduate for one
or two yearsSome are permanent clerk positions which
allow longer-term employmentSee judicial clerk 2011 employment data
Business Attorneys
Savannah GuthrieTODAY on NBC
Andy LansingPresident & CEO, Levy Restaurants
Andrew BerlinCEO, Berlin Packaging
Jackie Taylor HolstenSr. VP, Holsten Real Estate Development
Jerry Springer Mark Smithe
General Counsel, Walter E. Smithe Furniture
Michael ChoGlobal Head, Anti Money Laundering Compliance, Northern Trust
Business
Employed by a single client, usually a corporation as an “in-house” attorney.
Advise on legal activities related to the company’s business
Supervise litigation being handled by an outside law firm
Employment issues or lobbyist monitoring and influencing legislation
Many are offered these positions while working for a law firm
Attorneys in Academia
Prof. Charles Murdock Taught at DePaul, Notre Dame,
UC Hastings, and Loyola Consultant to the SEC Deputy Attorney General of Illinois
Prof. Richard Michael Appellate Division, Illinois Attorney
General General Counsel, Loyola University Law Clerk to former Illinois Supreme
Court Justice, Daniel Ward
Academia
Teach in law schools, colleges and other educational organizations
Work in administrative capacities at universities and colleges
Alternative to Practice
Henri Matisse Ben Stein John Grisham Geraldo Rivera Michelle Obama Andrea Bocelli Laura Caldwell Tony LaRussa
Alternative to Practice of Law
Many lawyers today are choosing to not practice law after they graduate from law school.
They work in jobs as diverse as: Program administrator, career counselor, admissions
professional, journalist, mediator, executive director of non-profit, fundraiser, alumni relations, mediator, legal publisher, law firm marketing professional, consultant, trust administrator, financial planner, tax consultant,