We have 15 types of lawyers in this guide with roles and responsibilities, salary they earn which is to help you choose the best lawyer you want to be. For your to adequately prepare for a future in the legal profession in Nigeria, it is essential to have strong knowledge of legal terminology and various career opportunities within the law or legal field.
If you are able to go to law school and who get a robust knowledge in any of the law professions available in the legal system, you can see the career pathway that suites most effectively with your qualifications.
In this article, we explain and distinguish the various types of lawyers and present you with 15 different law-related career options. We also provide details about the average salaries and responsibilities associated with each career. See below;
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Types of Lawyers in the Legal System Career?
What are the different types of lawyers? That will be a simple question of a layman who want to go into the law career. But first, who is a lawyer?
A lawyer is a professional who works within the legal system and helps clients with legal matters and proceedings by offering advice and assistance. Paralegals, on the other hand, work as assistants to lawyers or attorneys and provide support in various legal tasks. They often serve as a starting point for people interested in exploring the legal field.
While the terms lawyer, attorney, and counsel means the same thing are sometimes synonymously, there are a few differences among these three types of legal professionals.
- Lawyers typically work in law firms or private practices, where they offer guidance and advice to clients regarding their legal matters. They then provide recommendations on how to proceed with a case.
- Attorneys are like lawyers who give advice to clients, but they usually do more than just talk. They often go to court and speak on behalf of the client in legal proceedings.
- Counsels are lawyers who work for a specific company or organization. Unlike lawyers in law firms, they exclusively represent and provide legal assistance to that particular company or organization.
These three titles for lawyers offer different job opportunities and come with varying salary levels for those who hold them. You can subscribe for past questions and answer to help you prepare for interviews for jobs.
15 Types of Lawyer Jobs in the World Today
The following is a list that talks about different kinds of lawyers and other law-related jobs. It will explain what they do and give you an idea of how much they can earn.
1. Associate attorney
National average salary: $78,510 per year
Primary duties: An associate attorney is a beginner-level job typically found at law firms. They help with tasks like picking juries, representing clients in court, and assisting with contract negotiations or resolving business disagreements. Associate attorneys can work in various areas of law, such as corporate matters, real estate, family issues, or copyright cases.
Additionally, associate attorneys often assist with contract negotiations and resolving business disputes. They can help draft contracts, review legal documents, and provide advice on legal matters related to business transactions. In cases where businesses have disagreements, associate attorneys may participate in negotiations to find resolutions or assist in legal actions if necessary.
They have the flexibility to work in different areas of law based on their interests and the firm’s practice areas. They may specialize in corporate law, real estate law, family law, copyright law, or other areas, depending on the firm’s focus and their personal expertise.
The associate attorneys are entry-level lawyers at law firms who have responsibilities such as jury selection, representing clients in court, assisting with contract negotiations, and resolving business disputes. These types of lawyers can work in various areas of law based on their interests and the firm’s practice areas.
2. Associate general counsel
National average salary: $85,913 per year
Primary duties: An associate general counsel is a lawyer who helps people or organizations with legal matters. They can go to court to represent their clients and give advice on what to do if something goes wrong. They work with a team, usually at a law firm, to gather evidence and make a strong case for their client in court.
In addition to courtroom representation, they provide legal advice to clients. They offer guidance on how to navigate legal situations and what actions to take if problems arise. Their knowledge and experience help clients make informed decisions to protect their rights and interests.
In summary, an associate general counsel is a lawyer who assists individuals or organizations with their legal matters. These types of lawyers can represent clients in court, provide legal advice, and work collaboratively with a legal team to gather evidence and build a strong case.
3. Bankruptcy paralegal
National average salary: $54,767 per year
Primary duties: Bankruptcy paralegals work with bankruptcy lawyers to help people understand their financial situation. They provide advice on whether someone qualifies for bankruptcy and what type of bankruptcy would be best for them.
Bankruptcy paralegal also guide clients on how to file for bankruptcy and provide information about the process. They help gather financial records, complete required forms, and ensure that all the necessary information is properly organized and submitted.
Throughout the bankruptcy process, the paralegal serves as a resource for clients, answering their questions and providing information about what to expect. They may also assist in communicating with creditors and coordinating with the court on behalf of the client.
In summary, a bankruptcy paralegal works closely with a bankruptcy lawyer to help individuals understand their financial situation and navigate the bankruptcy process. They provide advice on bankruptcy eligibility, guide clients through the filing process, and offer information and support along the way.
4. Contracts lawyer
National average salary: $108,771 per hour
Primary duties: A contracts lawyer normally helps people or businesses with contract-related issues. They offer legal advice on whether it’s advisable to agree to and sign a contract. If a client has already signed a contract and needs help, the contracts lawyer can guide them on how to deal with the situation or find ways to address any problems that may have arisen from the contract.
The contracts lawyer’s expertise includes contract interpretation, ensuring compliance with contractual obligations, and protecting their clients’ rights and interests. They can also assist in drafting and negotiating contracts to ensure that their clients’ needs and concerns are properly addressed.
In summary, a contracts lawyer is there to offer legal advice regarding contracts. They can help clients assess the implications of signing a contract, guide them in dealing with contract-related problems, and provide support in negotiating or resolving disputes that may arise from contracts.
5. Corporate lawyer
National average salary: $132,786 per hour
Primary duties: A corporate lawyer is a legal professional who works for a company. Their role involves providing guidance to executives on business decisions that could potentially result in legal problems. These types of lawyers in the cooperate world also represent the company if it faces legal action.
In addition, corporate lawyers use their expertise to create and review corporate contracts to ensure that they comply with the law and don’t violate any legal requirements.
6. Corporate attorney
National average salary: $135,843 per year
Primary duties: A corporate attorney is a lawyer who assists a company by offering advice and guidance to its executives. Their primary role is to help the company implement practices that minimize the risk of legal issues. They may assist in creating legal documents, filing necessary reports, and reviewing employee handbooks to ensure clear guidelines are established.
In addition, a corporate attorney can represent the company in court if legal disputes arise and advocate for the company’s interests during legal proceedings.
7. Employment lawyer
National average salary: $117,877 per year
An employment lawyer is someone you can hire if you’re having problems at work. They can help a company that’s having trouble with one of its employees, or they can help an employee who is having problems with their company. Their main job is to sort out disagreements or conflicts that arise from work contracts.
For example, they can help an employee who feels they have been treated unfairly by their company. They can also defend someone who accuses their company of mistreating them. Bottom line, these types of lawyers (an employment lawyer) are there to support and provide legal advice for both companies and employees dealing with work-related issues.
National average salary: $129,194 per year
Primary duties: A family lawyer is someone you can hire when you need help with family-related issues. They are there to assist you with various matters that involve your family. For example, if you’re going through a divorce, a family lawyer can help you navigate the legal process and represent you in court. They can also help you with child custody battles, which happen when parents can’t agree on who should have custody of their children.
Additionally, if you need to claim child support from the other parent, a family lawyer can assist you in making that claim. In summary, these types of lawyers (a family lawyer) is there to support and guide you through legal matters that involve your family, such as divorce, child custody, and child support.
9. General practice lawyer
National average salary: $50,797 per year
Primary duties: A general practice lawyer is someone who doesn’t specialize in one specific area of law. Instead, they work with clients on a wide range of legal issues and cases. They have knowledge and experience in different areas of the law, allowing them to handle various legal matters. While they may have particular interests or areas they enjoy working in, they are also capable of taking on other types of cases.
So, if you need legal assistance for different matters, you can consult with a general practice lawyer who can provide advice and defend you in different legal proceedings. They are like versatile legal professionals who can handle a variety of legal issues.
10. Immigration lawyer
National average salary: $66,891 per year
Primary duties: An immigration lawyer is someone who can assist you if you’re facing difficulties in obtaining important documents related to immigration, such as green cards, visas, or citizenship papers. They can help you navigate the complex process and provide guidance to increase your chances of success. If you already have immigration documents but there are problems or complications with them, an immigration lawyer can also help you resolve those issues.
Additionally, if you’re seeking asylum from another country due to difficult circumstances, an immigration lawyer can provide legal support and represent you throughout the asylum application process.
In summary, these types of lawyers (immigration lawyers) specialize in immigration matters and can help you with various aspects, including obtaining immigration documents, addressing document issues, and seeking asylum if needed.
11. Intellectual property lawyer
National average salary: $84,952 per year
Primary duties: An intellectual property lawyer is someone you can hire if you need assistance with matters concerning intellectual property rights and trademarks. Intellectual property refers to things like inventions, creative works, and business ideas that are unique to individuals or companies. A lawyer specializing in this area can help you in a few different scenarios.
They can help you take legal action to protect your rights and seek compensation if your intellectual property has been infringed upon. They can advise you on obtaining proper licenses or permissions to ensure you’re using the intellectual property in a lawful and authorized manner.
12. Litigation attorney
National average salary: $101,002 per year
Primary duties:
A litigation attorney or lawyer is someone you can hire when you’re involved in a civil lawsuit. Civil lawsuits are legal disputes between individuals or organizations, and they can cover a wide range of issues such as contract disputes, personal injury claims, or property disagreements.
The litigation attorney’s main role is to represent and guide their client through the entire process of the lawsuit. This includes the stages before the trial, during the trial, and even after the trial if there’s an appeal.
In summary, these types of lawyers (a litigation attorney) is there to provide legal representation and guidance during civil lawsuits. Their goal is to defend their client’s case and help them navigate the various stages of the legal process, from pre-trial to post-trial events.
13. Litigation paralegal
National average salary: $53,269 per year
Primary duties:
A litigation paralegal is a person who assists trial attorneys in getting ready for courtroom proceedings. They have important responsibilities in preparing for a trial. They handle paperwork, organize files, and ensure that all necessary documents are in order from research on relevant laws, regulations, and previous court cases.
Their main tasks is drafting legal documents. They help create various legal papers that are necessary for the trial, such as pleadings, motions, and briefs. These documents are important for presenting arguments and supporting the attorney’s case.
They handle paperwork, organize files, and ensure that all necessary documents are in order. They gather information from witnesses relevant to the case, asking them questions and recording their statements.
14. Personal injury lawyer
National average salary: $91,422 per year
Primary duties: A personal injury lawyer is someone who assists clients who have been injured due to various circumstances, such as car accidents or accidents that occur on someone else’s property, like a company’s premises. Their main goal is to help their clients seek compensation for their injuries.
The lawyer pleads a case when a person in involved in occurrence such as car accidents or accidents that occur on someone else’s property, like a company’s premises. They gather all the necessary information about the incident, including evidence and medical records, which means they present arguments and evidence to support their client’s claim for compensation.
They negotiate with insurance companies or the responsible party’s legal representatives on behalf of their client to secure a fair settlement. The compensation sought can cover various aspects, such as medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages resulting from the injury.
15. Trademark paralegal
National average salary: $73,565 per year
A trademark paralegal works alongside a trademark attorney and has specific responsibilities related to trademarks.
Their main task is to assist clients in filing claims for names and logos as trademarks. Trademarks are unique names, logos, or symbols that represent a business or its products. The paralegal helps clients through the process of registering their trademarks with the appropriate government agencies.
The paralegal may also assist with administrative tasks related to trademark matters. This can include managing trademark databases, monitoring trademark applications and deadlines, and ensuring that all necessary paperwork is properly filed and maintained.
A trademark paralegal works closely with a trademark attorney to support clients in protecting their trademarks. Lastly, they help with the filing of trademark claims, assist in building legal cases against trademark infringers, and handle administrative tasks related to trademarks.
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