5.5 Employment Opportunities Related to Law

General Overview of Law-Related Employment

Each chapter of this book offers students some insight into the employment opportunities related to the topics addressed within the respective chapters. Accordingly, the following is a brief overview of job opportunities related to law and the legal profession. The specific jobs explored for Chapter 5 are: 1) lawyers, 2) Limited License Legal Technicians, and 3) paralegals. Students should be aware that each state sets its own educational, licensing, and practice requirements for each of these three career fields. Students are encouraged to go online and review the specific requirements for the state or states in which they might be interested in obtaining employment.

Requirements for, and duties of, three jobs related to law

Lawyers

Generally, those interested in becoming a licensed attorney must obtain a four-year undergraduate degree, apply, be admitted to and graduate from a law school, and then take and pass a comprehensive state bar examination for each state where they intend to set up a legal practice. Oregon became the first state to eliminate the bar exam requirement while California and Utah are also considering an alternative (Kaur, 2023). On March 15, 2024, Washington joined Oregon in dropping the bar requirement (Rosciglione, 2024). Below are several links with information offering insight into the processes and protocols for becoming a lawyer. The information is grouped into three broad questions or topics:

  1. Is Law School “Right” for Me?
  2. How Do I Do Well on the LSAT?
  3. How Do I Do Well in Law School?

For a “glimpse” into the various aspects of Student Life at a major law school, see University of Washington’s Law Student Life, where you will find information about UW Law School Student Resources and the following specific topics: Diversity, LGBTQIA Resources, Student Ambassadors, Student Organizations, UW Law & the Military, and Wellness.

Limited Liability Legal Technicians (LLLT)

The position of Limited Liability Legal Technician (LLLT) is a relatively new career field. An LLLT does not practice law at the same level as a fully licensed attorney; however, LLLTs work at a professional level higher than a paralegal (Speck, 2017). In 2012, Washington became the first state to implement an LLLT program; unfortunately, in 2020, Washington became the first state to cancel its LLLT program (Rigley, 2020). Several states still maintain their LLLT programs; however, the trend seems to be “wait and see” regarding whether LLLT programs will be expanded or canceled (Byers, 2018-2019).

Here are some links to articles that explain what an LLLT does, the education and practical requirements necessary to become an LLLT, and the licensing and reporting requirements of the position.

For a discussion of the requirements to become an LLLT in Washington, see Does Washington State’s Limited License Legal Technician (LLLT) Designation Mean Paralegal Licensing Is On Its Way?. For a discussion of Washington’s decision to cancel its LLLT program, see Washington, State That Pioneered Licensed Legal Technicians, Cancels The Program.

Paralegals

The specific duties of a paralegal can vary tremendously depending on the type of law being practiced (civil v. criminal v. corporate), the nature of the employment (solo practice v. law firm) and the particular legal interests of the individual. Specific duties often include preparing legal documents, conducting interviews, assisting with legal proceedings and engaging in various office and administrative work (Parker, 2023).

Here are links to some articles that explain what a paralegal does, the educational and other requirements to become a paralegal, the licensing and reporting requirements of the position and the general range for salaries for paralegals.

Ethical Dilemas in Criminal Justice

Question? How “fit” is “fit enough” when it comes to obtaining, and maintaining, employment in the legal profession? Said another way, how ethical does an applicant have to be to achieve a personal history background sufficiently suitable to obtain employment in the legal career field?

The individual state bar associations (e.g., Kentucky Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association) are empowered by the Supreme Court of their respective states with the responsibility/authority to license attorneys, limited-license legal technicians, and paralegals. Each state bar association sets its own requirements for obtaining a license for these positions, and each association determines the restrictions/limitations/prohibitions on becoming licensed. For each state, there exists a Fitness Board/Committee (see link below) whose job is to investigate applicants’ background/personal history to determine if they are suitable to serve as a licensed professional (see link for the background criteria investigated). Much like a background investigation for other jobs in the Criminal Justice System (police officer, corrections officer, probation/parole officer), these background (fitness) investigations are comprehensive. Fitness Board/Committee recommendations are not binding (the state Supreme Court makes the final decision); however, the recommendation carries considerable weight. In addition to making fitness for employment recommendations to the state Supreme Court, the state bar association also investigates and makes recommendations relating to professional misconduct and ethical violations of lawyers (“Florida Supreme Court,” 2024), prosecutors (Operle, 2023), and even judges (Trevas, 2023).

Exercise: After reviewing the fitness standards and the assessment/evaluation process (see links below)…do you feel “fit” for obtaining employment in the legal career field?

Duties of Fitness Board/Committee:

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Introduction to Criminal Justice Copyright © by Wesley B. Maier, PhD; Kadence C. Maier; William M. "Bill" Overby, MCJ; and Terry D. Edwards is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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