The Profession of a Lawyer

One of the most popular professions among the young people of our country is the profession of a lawyer. The profession of a lawyer is very interesting and diverse. Our country is building a rule-of-law state, and a lawyer should play a very important role in this process. The profession of a lawyer is quite necessary for regulating social relations in the state.

Graduates of different law schools can work at the Bar, in the organs of the Prosecutor's Office, in different courts, in notary offices, in legal advice offices, in organs of tax inspection, in organs of militia, as well as in different firms, companies, banks, enterprises, etc. They can work as advocates, judges, notaries, investigators, prosecutors, jurisconsults, inspectors, customs officers, traffic officers, and other workers of law enforcement agencies.

To be a good specialist a lawyer should know many laws and their proper application. So, would-be lawyers study many subjects important for their future work. They study theory of state and law, civil law, civil procedure, criminal law, criminal procedure, labour law, criminalistics, criminology, and many others. Besides, any lawyer is expected to know human psychology as throughout his/her career a lawyer will meet different people: children and adults; the sick and the healthy; the poor and the rich; educated and uneducated persons; people of different nationalities, languages and religions; victims, witnesses, suspects; first offenders and recidivists; prisoners and general public. A lawyer has to deal with a variety of people and situations. That's why the profession of a lawyer may be considered to be very difficult and noble at the same time.

As for me, I decided to become a lawyer because of the family tradition. My father graduated from the Sverdlovsk Institute of Law many years ago and he has been working as a prosecutor since. He told me much about the profession of a lawyer, about his work, about all the pros and cons of being a lawyer. I am sure in my choice. And I want to become a judge and work in a court. I know that under the Constitution of Russia I'll be able to work as a judge only after graduation from a law higher school, at the age of over 25, having five-year experience in law, and after passing the qualification exam. In this case I can be appointed judge of a district court. In performing my duties I'll have to be guided by law. In deciding a case I'll have to examine all the case evidence, interrogate the defendants, interview victims and witnesses, hear the experts' findings, examine the physical evidence and do many other things. And I'll have to pass sentence which must be lawful, grounded and just.