Challenges in Pursuing Law

The filed of law has attracted many students across the globe for many reasons. However, many students choose this industry without even releasing some of the major obstacles that they will see when they start pursuing the profession. Becoming a lawyer is no easy task, nor is climbing up the ladder in the profession, especially for fresh graduates. Like any other line of work, becoming a successful lawyer needs time, effort and a lot of patience. But once you become a successful lawyer, like any other law profession, you will be rewarded heavily.

This article explores some of the challenges that you will face while pursuing law, especially in the beginning but also throughout your journey of becoming a successful lawyer. Candidates who enrol in various law courses to make a career as a lawyer must go through this post.

Challenges Faced in Pursuing Law

Here are some of the major challenges that come in the way of every law aspirant who wishes to become a lawyer.

No Fixed Working Hours

One of the first things that you will realise after joining the profession is that there is no set period of work time. There will always be something or the other that can come up so the lawyer may be forced to stay back at the office or even complete work at home. With a profession that requires them to be on their toes, lawyers have to work late hours many times trying to come up with different statements and points just to make sure they win the case.

Working as a lawyer or a litigator demands that they not only work hard but spend hours working in order to be successful as lawyers. The people who pursue the profession really require a lot of dedication and passion to pursue it as after some time, they will feel drained out and tired. The freshers who join the profession may find it difficult to adjust in the beginning considering the amount of pressure. Over the years, people start getting used to the fast and chaotic style of work.

Role of Money

When you have completed your undergraduate or postgraduate law studies and start looking for a job, you may not always find a job that pays well. As a junior litigator, your seniors will make you do all the time-consuming work while you don’t even earn enough. This is especially true for the first few years of working as a junior litigator. However, this is also the time for you to venture out and do your own work while you are working as a counsel trainee.

There are many ways and small jobs that you can do alongside the counsel trainee programmes. You must also realise that as long as you are a trainee, you will always be replaceable and there are thousands of graduates who wish to work and have an opportunity to begin their career somewhere.

A Lot of Hardwork

The profession of law works on one principle: prove yourself and you are on the path of success. If you want to be successful, you need to prove your own worth. This is necessary for you to catch the attention of the right community of lawyers which will help you boost your journey to success. In short, there is nothing you will be able to do if you do not prove your worth, and for that, you need to work really hard not only in front of lawyers and seniors but also in front of your clients. Many people in the profession of the law, state that the best way to grow is to be a part of a community of successful lawyers. As part of these communities of successful lawyers, the freshers will be able to seek guidance from the seniors in the group.

Constant Need for Motivation

The mark of a successful lawyer is his/ her will to not lose the cool. Being attentive and constantly motivating oneself is the only thing that can help you stay focused. However, it isn’t all gloom and despair as this way of life becomes normal for an experienced litigator. It becomes easier as time goes by and you learn to control yourself and manage things in a much better fashion.

Low Gratification

When it comes to witnessing the result or the rewards for the work that a lawyer has been doing, they have to be extremely patient. For a fresher, who has always been used to seeing results rather quickly, waiting for months or even years will seem challenging. They need a lot of patience so as to see the results that they have been working towards. Working long hours is not the only factor that a fresher will need to work upon. This can be considered as one of the most difficult challenges to overcome since many give-up before they get a break.

Expectation vs Reality

When you join your first litigation job, you may expect to be allowed to sit in different client or court meetings as well as senior briefings, which is the dream job for most people. However, that is not the case most of the times. While the freshers expect a job that requires them to use their mental capabilities, they are handed over with work that might seem quite boring and monotonous. Most of the graduates who have just started working are asked to file various drafts, make thousands of trips to the photocopying machine, wait for hours in the basement of the court trying to get certified copies of documents, along with many other clerical and/or administrative work that needs to happen for legalities of a case.

This is where the expectation and reality of the work clashes and makes the fresher question the line of work that he/she has joined. However, the graduates need to understand the importance of every work that has been allotted to them, as their dedication towards completing the task in hand as well as their efficiency will build up their reputation with their seniors.

Constantly Updating Yourself With New Information

It doesn’t come as a surprise that a lawyer should always be updated on all the facts and figures that are related to the area of social, political as well as legal knowledge. General Awareness should be one thing that they should always be updated with. Many times lawyers and litigators get together and carry out discourses and conversations. If you are unable to join in the discourse at all or are not able to provide any feedback or answer, you may face a lot of problems.

The biggest issues arise when the workload has been high for many days, resulting in inadequate sleep and rest which is required for the mind to work properly. However, you as a litigator cannot define that as an excuse to not be updated on the latest facts and figures that keep releasing every day. For this, the litigator will have to read and read as much as he/she can.

Also Read: Skills Required to Become a Successful Lawyer

Pros of Pursuing Law

Now that you are aware of the challenges, let’s find out the pros of being a lawyer.

• There are financial rewards in any profession, but financial as well as emotional rewards are at the top of the list for most law students. Obtaining a legal degree may not ensure rapid success or a large salary as a fresher, but you can expect decently increased wages in the coming years.
• Studying law is often misinterpreted as limiting employment opportunities to the legal field. However, lawyers are sought for in disciplines such as academics, social work, business, and industry.
• While the job can be difficult, the lawyer is in charge of scheduling, workload, and fees of his services. It is one among those job profiles that allow such time freedom.
• A lawyer is revered by all. While a fresher might not be as much acknowledged as his seniors, the way the senior lawyers are respected and their advice is valued by clients and peers, will motivate the new law aspirants.

Details About Pursuing Law in India

Go through the links below to catch every possible information on pursuing law in India.

Top Law Colleges to Become a Lawyer

A lot of factors come into play when you are working towards becoming a lawyer. One of them is the college or university from which you complete your degree. There are many leading law colleges in India that offer UG and PG law courses. Check out the list of some popular law institutes below.

Also Read: Confused Between LSAT India and LSAT Abroad? Here’s What You Need To Know

These are some of the common challenges that almost every other upcoming lawyer faces in the first few years of joining a career in this field. However, with a lot of hard work and determination, any fresher who is passionate about becoming a lawyer will be able to pursue the profession, no matter how difficult it may seem at times.

Keep visiting CollegeDekho for more updates and information on law admissions in India. Fill our Common Application Form or dial the toll-free number 1800-572-9877 to speak to our counsellors and get help in finding the best college for yourself. You can also post your queries or concerns through the QnA zone.