What a lawyer really does
You read the facts and the law closely, tell clients what is likely to happen, and fight or negotiate for the best result you can get.
FieldLaw and public service
Preparation (O*NET Job Zone)Extensive preparation needed
What the work involves
What fills a typical week for lawyers, built from O*NET occupation data.
- Read and answer client and opposing counsel emails and calls all day
- Draft and review contracts, letters, motions and other legal documents
- Research statutes and case law and figure out how they apply to a client's facts
- Interview clients and witnesses to pin down what really happened
- Write memos that predict outcomes and recommend a strategy
- Negotiate settlements and deal terms
- Track deadlines and bill time in small increments
What the days are like
What people in the job know
- You write every day. Letters, emails and memos are the core of the job, more than courtroom moments. Written letters and memos: 55% every day; E-mail: 96% every day (O*NET Work Context)
- Mistakes can be extremely serious, so precision with words, dates and deadlines matters. Consequence of error: 50% extremely serious; Importance of being exact or accurate: 60% extremely important (O*NET Work Context)
- Conflict and difficult people are weekly events. Conflict situations: 36% once a week or more; Dealing with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous people: 43% once a week or more (O*NET Work Context)
- Long weeks are typical. Duration of typical work week: 66% more than 40 hours (O*NET Work Context)
- Many lawyers rarely speak in public. Trial work is a supplemental task, not the core of most jobs. Public speaking: 24% once a year or more, 24% never (O*NET Work Context); Task 17 (trial work) is listed as Supplemental
How people get into it
O*NET places this in Job Zone 5. Lawyers need a law degree (J.D.), which O*NET respondents report as a doctoral (77%) or professional (23%) degree, and must pass a state bar exam (and in nearly every state the MPRE ethics exam) to practice. Most start as associates at firms, as government attorneys, or as judicial clerks.
The Firstday trial, easy to hard
Three simulated tasks with AI coworkers who message you, react to your work and coach with questions. Nobody scores you.
What the trial can't show: This trial does not cover arguing in a real courtroom, legal research in Westlaw or Lexis databases, billing pressure over months, or the business development side of practice. All clients, laws and cases are fictional, and the user works as a law clerk under a supervising attorney because giving legal advice requires a license.
Reading about it is one thing.
Find out how the work feels to you before you spend on a degree, course or job change. Your first trial is free.
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Job details on this page are built from O*NET OnLine, 23-1011.00. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.