Attorney: your questions, answered

It depends heavily on whether you litigate or do transactional work. A litigator's day is research on Westlaw or Lexis, drafting briefs and discovery requests, prepping a witness for a deposition and fielding calls from opposing counsel about deadlines. A transactional lawyer spends the day marking up contracts in Word with track changes on, running diligence checklists and getting on calls to negotiate terms line by line. Both spend a surprising amount of time on email. Court appearances happen, but for many lawyers they're occasional, and a lot of hearings are short status conferences, not trials.

The usual route is a bachelor's degree in any subject, then law school to earn a Juris Doctor, then passing your state's bar exam. Most states also require the MPRE, a separate ethics exam, and a character and fitness review that looks at things like debts and past arrests. Many states use the Uniform Bar Exam, which makes it easier to move your score between them, but some don't, and a few states allow other routes such as studying under a practicing lawyer. Rules differ by state, so check with the bar admissions office where you plan to practice before you pick a school.

The pay figures on this page give you the range. What moves you within it is mostly where you work, not how good you are in your first few years. Large firms in big cities pay far more than small firms, government offices or legal aid, and they expect far more billable time in return. Practice area matters too: corporate, tax and intellectual property tend to pay better than family law or criminal defense. Later on, the big jump comes from owning clients, either as a partner who brings in work or as in-house counsel with a seat near the leadership team.

At some jobs, yes. Big firm associates often work late nights and weekends when a deal is closing or a trial is coming, and the billing target means the hours are baked into the job, not just the busy seasons. Government, in-house and many small firm roles are steadier, though they usually pay less. The part that wears people down isn't always the hours. It's being on call for a client's emergency, and the feeling that any hour you're not billing is an hour you'll have to make up.

Pick based on how you like to fight. Litigators like arguing, deadlines set by a court and a clear winner at the end, and they don't mind conflict with the lawyer across the table. Transactional lawyers like building things, getting two sides to yes and catching the problem in a contract before it becomes a lawsuit. A good test is your summer or clinic work in law school. If motion practice felt like a game, try litigation. If you enjoyed redlining an agreement until it was airtight, lean transactional. People do switch, but it's easier early.

For junior roles, your writing matters more than almost anything. Expect to hand over a writing sample, and make sure it's short, clean and something you wrote yourself. Law school grades and journal experience still open doors at larger firms. For lateral hires, partners want to know what you've actually done: how many depositions you've taken, whether you've run a deal from term sheet to closing, which courts you know. Say it plainly on your résumé. "Assisted with litigation matters" tells a hiring partner nothing, while naming the motion you drafted and the result tells them a lot.

Absolutely. Plenty of lawyers never argue in front of a judge. In-house counsel review contracts, advise on employment issues and manage outside firms. Estate planning attorneys draft wills and trusts. Regulatory and compliance lawyers help companies follow rules set by agencies. Corporate and real estate lawyers close deals. If public speaking makes you miserable, you can build a full career on drafting and advising, and many lawyers prefer it.

Your license and training carry further than you'd think. Lawyers move into compliance, contract management, policy work, legal operations, recruiting and teaching. Some go into business roles at former clients, where knowing how deals break is a real advantage. Others stay in law but trade a big firm for government or a smaller shop with saner hours. Keep your license active if there's any chance you'll return, because letting it lapse can mean extra paperwork or even another exam, depending on the state.