In the courtroom, there is a balancing act that few understand the workings of. Like a car, the process of law doesn’t work well without all the parts. In the world of enforcing the rules, the judge usually gets the bulk of the attention since he/she is the one who ultimately decides the fate of the case at hand.
However, without the help of several others, his/her job would be impossible to do well. It is those positions that we will concentrate on. Considering a legal career? Read on for other available options. “The Robe” isn’t the only star in this show.
Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators
When most people were growing up, when it came to fighting, our parents taught us a few things. The first thing was to try and avoid the prospect of a fight in the first place. You know. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you just couldn’t seem to shake the situation, the next step was to try to talk it out.
This was the arena before the battlefield. Many fights were won and lost here before the first punch was ever thrown, if it was ever thrown. In the legal system, arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators have the responsibility of attempting to help plaintiffs and defendants solve their dispute before it ever enters the courtroom.
Are you good at helping people see another person’s side of a problem and assisting them in finding a place of compromise that leaves everyone satisfied? If so, you could, with a bachelor’s degree, you could bring home $60,000 a year for your trouble.
Court Reporters
How many times have you wished that there had been a witness to what you said or something that was said to you? Having a recording would have worked just as well. The point being, there are times in which being able to prove what was said could save you a lot of trouble.
That is the whole role of a court reporter in the legal world. Their entire responsibility rests in the ability to accurately and quickly type every word spoken in trials, depositions, and other legal proceedings.
Occasionally this position can be called upon to help with the hearing impaired in the case of closed captioning or real-time translation. Do you have the talent to type as fast as the Flash runs with the accuracy of your 11th grade English teacher? If so, you could rack up about $51,000 a year.
Paralegals and Legal Assistants
One the most favorite time periods of old that people enjoy studying and making movies about is the medieval times. The time of Sir Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table, fair maidens, and peasants. In medieval days, knights almost always had help.
Equal today to what we might call an apprentice, the squire spent his time serving the knight and learning from him so that someday he might become a knight, himself. Why does this matter? Being a paralegal or a legal assistant is much the same job description. A lawyer, especially a well experienced one, could possibly execute his job well without the assistance of a paralegal, but it isn’t very probable.
The legal assistant of today has a duty to help out his/her commanding lawyer with anything and everything they might need to fight and win a court case. If the gift of helping comes naturally to you and law is your life, you could bank around $50,000 every 52 weeks.
If the law of the land is something that suits your fancy, make sure to look at all the positions involved. You could underestimate your own talent if you assume the judge is the only position with promise.