Day in the life of
Lawyer – Michael Foster
You work for the client and it becomes difficult because the client is going through a very tough and difficult time in their life. For me, I practice personal injury law so my clients were typically injured because of the negligence of a third-party. Most of the time these injuries cause them to miss extended time off work while they recover. This means for a lot of people, they are unable to earn an income and bills are piling up. The client is stressed, hurt, and distraught and you are their go to person to assist them in rebuilding their lives and trying to compensate them for everything they’ve been through. This is very stressful for everyone involved, including the lawyer whose job it is to recover damages. Sometimes you have to have difficult conversations with your clients that there is no source of recovery (i.e. the party who caused the accident has no insurance or assets to collect from). This is difficult for everyone involved.
I also probably work 60 hours a week and there is no real time off. Even when you are on vacation, clients and potential clients will call you and need answers. I have to return these calls promptly and sign up new clients even when I’m on vacation. You are not only their lawyer but their counselor and have to be there for them.
Lawyers
represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. May specialize in a single area or may practice broadly in many areas of law.