CAREER FOCUS: LAW
By: Rose Lauren Mariano

Back when I was young (that’s not too long ago! :P), I can still vividly remember a lot of people asking me what I want to be when I grow up and automatically I answer that I wanted to be lawyer. As I grew older, I deliberately find activities wherein I could enhance whatever potential that I might have by joining the debate team and being a fan of extemporaneous speaking. I still have these dreams, though it would be impossible for me to fulfill it anytime soon as I have a lot of factors to consider. I have asked my mentors and professors for sound advice regarding pursuing this profession and I have always received one constant precaution: that though you and others may think you are a perfect fit for law school, you have to be sure of your decision for going through it is no joke and requires more that a hundred percent of your commitment. I am still thinking twice, and I believe a little research regarding this esteemed career is worth taking.

Law… Such a broad topic; overwhelming to say the least! Law affects our daily lives and our society in various ways and, sometimes unnoticed. Law is divided in to an array of legal subjects, and a few could be seen below:

• Property Law: defines rights and obligations related to buying, selling, or renting real property such as homes and buildings.

• Trust Law: applies to assets held for investment, such as pension funds.

• Tort Law: allows claims for compensation when someone or their property is harmed.

• Criminal Law: offers means by which the state prosecutes and punishes the perpetrator.

• Constitutional Law: provides a framework for creating laws, protecting people's human rights, and electing political representatives.

• Administrative Law: allow ordinary citizens to challenge the way governments exercise power.

• International Law: regulates affairs between sovereign nation-states in everything from trade to the environment to military action

• Labor Law: study of a tripartite industrial relationship between worker, employer and trade union.

• Human rights, civil rights and human rights law: important fields to guarantee everyone basic freedoms and entitlements.

• Immigration Law and Nationality Law: concern the rights of foreigners to live and work in a nation-state that is not their own and to acquire or lose citizenship.

• Family Law: covers marriage and divorce proceedings, the rights of children and rights to property and money in the event of separation.

• Intellectual property deals with patents, trademarks and copyrights. These are intangible assets: the right to protect your invention from imitation, your brand name from appropriation, or a song you wrote from performance and plagiarism.

• Tax Law: involves regulations that concern value added tax, corporate tax, income tax.

• Consumer Law: could include anything from regulations on unfair contractual terms and clauses to directives on airline baggage insurance.

Taking up law as a career not only requires dedication, but also patience and perseverance as well. Law being a broad topic it is requires the potential student to have a previous knowledge with regards to history, sociology and philosophy as a schema could definitely help you cruise your studies with much more ease. It is also important to take into consideration one’s long term goals before enrolling yourself in a law school. Is it something you could truly see yourself in? Or are you pressuring yourself to go to law school for a number of reasons e.g. family lineage? Since this career requires passion, one should remember to take it seriously. Aside from these, another factor that could influence one’s decision is the time and financial matters.

Time, for law school normally takes 4 school calendar years. Some law students could afford to have part-time work, but it hinders them to graduate on time. Financially, since law schools, especially the prestigious ones could be heavy in the pockets. If you are blessed, then this would not be a problem. But it is important to remind future students that being in law school involves a lot of sacrifices – monetary, sleepless nights, social life and stress to name a few. You may want to give up most of the times, as I have heard countless stories from my law school frustrated friends who have heavy books and cases lunged in their already burdened shoulders. But as a lot of lawyers say, all of these will be rewarded once you pass the bar examinations and officially become an attorney.

This experience is considered a peak of their life and all the tireless days and sleepless nights seem to be just a walk in the park as they venture on another phase of their lives. Lawyers have a lot opportunities abound them, be it in the corporate world, international organization, government, academe and law firms. It is almost impossible for a lawyer to be jobless since there are a lot of specializations to choose from. As my professor in Political Science once said, a lawyer is a profession that would never be a fad and fade as long as there are people on earth!

So now I ask myself, do I really want this career, and some of you may be wondering the same thing! But what I great about law schools is there is no age limit, and there are a lot of options to choose from. But first one must pass the super hard (so they say!) entrance examinations and do a lot of self evaluation before pursuing the long road ahead and fingers-crossed, becoming a full-pledged attorney!