These days many Law Firms are looking for employees who can start work right away. This means that legal employers want people who are experienced and can start legal work the moment they are offered an opportunity. So, where do these legal firms expect the employees to have experience from? Where can one gain career experience in Law after they are done with their Law training? What are the best ways to gain this kind of experience? Well, we asked a Fort Lee lawyer these questions. And we shall discuss this here.
These are the best ways and places to gain Law career experience:
- Do Contract Work
Contract workers are very common nowadays. Almost all sectors have contract workers who get employed on temporary terms. As a lawyer, you can get experience from working as a contract worker. Many Law Firms are employing contract workers so that they can cut down on their costs. Here, you take up tasks such as document review and all other roles that can be done online or on a contractual basis. The same Law firms are also hiring contract paralegals, attorneys, litigation support workers, and so on. As such, an inexperienced attorney can take up this kind of worker and as they gain experience on the job, they can also earn some money as they wait for formal employment.
- Try Temping
A temporary employee, also known as a temp is a person who is placed in a kind of employment that is short-term in nature. A legal staffing agency can place inexperienced attorneys on temporary work so they can gain experience while they perform their roles. Since one is not an employee of the company they work for, they will not be paid any benefits. These workers generally earn less than permanent staff because a substantial amount of their hourly pay is taken up by their legal staffing agencies. While these workers may not earn as much as the permanent employees, they get to experience the work as legal officers. Sometimes even the companies or Law firms they work for could eventually absorb them.
- Take up Legal Secretary Positions
These are some kinds of temporary positions that a new lawyer can take up to gain work experience. This is more of an administrative position than a legal one. However, the fact that you will work for and hand in hand with an attorney means that you can gain substantial career experience while you work here. If you are familiar with computers, clerical duties, and software, you can work as a legal secretary.
- Part-Time Legal Jobs
Many Law Firms have high turnovers or part-time legal jobs that one can do and gain the necessary on-job experience. These are positions such as data entry clerks, file clerks, copy room personnel, and so on. You can also work as a messenger, court filers, and so on. Even though these jobs are not high-paying, they at least give you a chance to experience work as a legal officer. This can later on influence the kind of positions you get permanently.