Text 2. The Career of a Lawyer

I’m a first-year student of the Faculty of Economics and Law. My future profession is that of a lawyer, one of the most prestigious professions in modern society. Lawyers have existed since ancient times, developing rules in an attempt to maintain peace and order in communities.

Every day of our lives we are guided by law. It protects us while it restricts us. Some­times it punishes us. Law can be defined as a stan­dard of conduct, which regulates the relation of the indi­vidual to the central government, the relation of the gov­ernment to the individual, and the relations among the in­dividuals. If there is a conflict in these relations, the law also provides an institution, the court system, through which the respective sides can litigate a problem and reach a solution.

So, the scope of the law is complex, and complexity has created the need for specialists – lawyers - whose work is quite diversified. The primary function of the profession and practice of law is to apply the law in specific cases. This function is manifested in the work of the advocate and the judge. In our country justice is exercised on the principles of equality of citizens before the law and the court, regardless of social position, property or official standing, nationality or race.

The duty of a lawyer is not only to punish people for various crimes: from espionage to serial murder and terrorism, but they must do their best to prevent crimes, to fight against evil in the society. Lawyers protect the rights and legal interests of citizens, institutions and organiza­tions. They act as defense counsel in court, represent the interests of a plaintiff, a defendant or of third parties in civil criminal cases. Lawyers should also help those people, who committed an error, and in this case broke the law, to find the right road in their life.

In national economy lawyers participate in drawing up dif­ferent agreements and contracts, which are concluded with other enter­prises; lawyers also inform workers on the current legislation and give help in legal matters, conduct their cases in courts. In addition to this profes­sional group there are nonprofessional legal counsellors who give advice on various legal problems and are often employed by business firms. In almost all civil-law countries there are notaries, who have exclusive rights to deal with such office work as marriage settlements and wills.

All lawyers in the Republic of Belarus are in­corporated in a republican or regional (territorial) bar. Members of the bar work at legal advisory offices, which function in every town administrative district.

The career in law is popular today both because of prestige and salary. But this work is not for everyone. Success as a lawyer is usually a result of years of hard work. The profession demands inventiveness, logical reasoning, and the ability to analyze large amounts of information. To be effective, a lawyer must possess excellent communication skills. This includes a high level of verbal competence as well as the ability to produce written documents that meet technical and logical standards. Besides, anyone interested in a career in law should be aware of the ethical and professional standards that will inevitably affect their future.

If you feel that your skills as a writer, speaker, and leader - as well as your powers of logic - would probably serve you well in a legal career, en­ter the University and get professional education. Then you'll be able to find a job - in court, office of Public Prosecutor, advisory office, no­tary, other juridical bodies or in legal service of na­tional economy.