Lawyer

Lawyers advise clients on legal matters, represent clients before courts and administration boards and draw up legal documents such as contracts and wills. They also plead cases, represent clients before tribunals and conduct prosecutions in courts of law.

Legal practice may be roughly divided into two types: court work and office work. In Canada, when lawyers have completed their training, they are called barristers and solicitors because they are eligible to do both.

Barristers (court work practitioners) act as advocates for their clients in both criminal and civil law suits. Criminal law involves breaches of the Criminal Code of Canada (for example, arson, theft, murder) or violations of other statutes (for example, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, Youth Criminal Justice Act). Civil cases involve non-criminal actions and often are settled out of court. For example, civil cases include:

• personal injury law suits
• family and divorce actions
• contract law suits
• employment and labour disputes
• intellectual property disputes.

In general, barristers acting on behalf of clients:

• research legislation, legal precedents and case law
• gather evidence (interview witnesses, review documents)
• advise clients, initiate legal actions and draft pleadings
• present a client's case or defence in court or before a tribunal, board, mediator or arbitrator
• negotiate settlements
• may act as a mediator, conciliator or arbitrator.

Litigators are barristers engaged in civil work.

Prosecutors are barristers for the Crown who:

• research legislation, legal precedents and case law
• assemble and analyze evidence gathered by police
• advise police regarding charges and keep crime victims informed about legal proceedings
• prosecute criminal cases in court.

Solicitors (office work lawyers) deal with those areas which generally do not require courtroom appearances such as real estate transactions, corporate law, commercial law, administrative law, patents, probate and administration of estates, international law and some aspects of family law.

In general, solicitors:

• act as advisors in legal transactions
• draft legal documents such as wills and business contracts
• handle the transfer of property
• administer estates
• incorporate companies
• negotiate contracts
• act as executors, trustees or guardians in estate and family law matters
• act as trademark or patent agents.

Lawyers and articling students (students-at-law who are registered under the Legal Professions Act and who are completing the required 12-month articling term to gain experience within Alberta Courts system) are notaries public and commissioners for oaths under the Notaries and Commissioners Act (Alberta).

Subject to the Notaries Public Regulations, a notary public may:

• administer oaths and take affidavits, affirmations or declarations and attest the oaths, affidavits, affirmations or declarations
• certify and attest a true copy of a document
• witness or certify and attest the execution of a document
• witness or certify and attest deeds, contracts and commercial instruments, if they are a lawyer or judge.

Subject to Commissioners for Oaths Regulation, lawyers and articling students also are commissioners for oaths and may administer oaths and take and receive affidavits, declarations and affirmations in Alberta.

Legal work can be very demanding and stressful. Lawyers may spend many hours outside the normal working day drafting briefs, researching cases and generally keeping informed about new developments in the legal profession. They usually work as partners or associates in law offices and employ one or more staff members to assist them with their work.

Other working conditions depend on factors such as size and type of law firm. For example:

• criminal lawyers may, if required, spend time conferring with clients who are being detained in remand centres or prisons
• practitioners in international, corporation or taxation law work closely with government officials and professionals such as accountants, economists and business executives
• family law lawyers meet with families in the course of adoption or child custody proceedings
• labour lawyers sometimes visit work sites to investigate working conditions or labour disputes.

Lawyers need the following characteristics:

• the physical and emotional stamina required to cope with periods of stress
• a sense of public responsibility and a strong code of ethics
• the ability to communicate persuasively and promote their services
• the ability to think logically and analytically and respond quickly
• organizational skills and the ability to balance career demands and outside interests
• a high tolerance for confrontation and conflict
• tact and patience in dealing with clients
• an excellent memory.

They should enjoy co-ordinating information, negotiating settlements and advising clients.

Below-average occupational growth is expected in Alberta for 2016 to 2020. Job openings are a result of employment turnover and newly created positions.

Lawyers may be self-employed or employed by a law firm, businesses or federal, provincial or municipal governments. In the past, most lawyers started their careers in private practice, either as members of firms or on their own. Today, a growing number of graduates are pursuing alternate careers working for government, business, industry, nonprofit groups or post-secondary schools.

Lawyers in private practice sometimes become senior partners in their firms. A few are appointed to the Bench or to administrative tribunals. Government legal advisors may advance to positions as department heads or diplomats, and corporate lawyers may become company executives. Lawyers also may combine their training in law with other professional training (for example, in arbitration, mediation, medicine, business, library studies or political science).

Lawyers are part of the larger 2011 National Occupational Classification 4112: Lawyers and Quebec notaries. In Alberta, 88% of people employed in this classification work in the following industries:

• Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (PDF)
• Public Administration (PDF)

The employment outlook in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

• trends and events affecting overall employment (especially in the Professional, Scientific and Technical Services industry)
• location in Alberta
• employment turnover (work opportunities generated by people leaving existing positions)
• occupational growth (work opportunities resulting from the creation of new positions that never existed before)
• size of the occupation.

Over 9,200 Albertans are employed in the Lawyer and Quebec notaries occupational group. This group is expected to have a below-average annual growth of 1.5% from 2016 to 2020. As a result, 138 new positions are forecast to be created each year, in addition to job openings created by employment turnover. Note: As lawyers form only a part of this larger occupational group, only some of these newly created positions will be for lawyers.  

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.

Law Society of Alberta website: www.lawsociety.ab.ca

Legal Education Society of Alberta website: www.lesaonline.org

For more information on career planning, education and jobs, visit the Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) website, call the Alberta Career Information Hotline toll-free at 1-800-661-3753 or 780-422-4266 in Edmonton, or visit an Alberta Works Centre near you.