They also counsel their clients about their legal rights and obligations and surest particular courses of action in business and personal matters.

Lawyers may specialize in a number of areas, such as bankruptcy, probate, international, or environmental law. Those specializing in environmental law，for example, may represent interest groups or construction firms in their dealings with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other federaJ and state agencies. They help clients prepare and file for licenses and applications for approval before certain activities may occur. Some lawyers specialize in intellectual property, helping to protect clients' claims to copyrights, product designs, and computer programs. Some other lawyers advise insurance companies about the legality of insurance transactions, guiding the company in writing insurance policies to conform to the law and to protect the companies from unwarranted claims. When claims are filed against insurance companies, these attorneys review the claims and represent the companies in court.

Most lawyers are in private practice, concentrating on criminal or civil law. A few lawyers handle only public-intercst cases 一 dvil or criminal — concentrating on particular causes and choosing cases chat might have an impact on the way law is applied. Lawyers are sometimes employed fiill time by a single client. If the client is a corporation, the lawyer usually advises the company concerning legal issues related to its business activities.

A significant number of attorneys are employed at the various levels of government. Some work for state attorneys general, prosecutors, and public defenders in criminal courts. At the federal level, attorneys investigate cases for the U.S. Department of Justice and other agencies. Government lawyers also help develop programs, draft and interpret laws and legislation, establish enforcement procedures, and argue dvil and criminal cases on behalf of the gpvemment. There are also lawyers working for legal aid societies —private, nonprofit organizations established to serve disadvantaged people. These lawyers generally handle civil, rather than criminal, cases.

Lawyers do most of their work in offices and courtrooms. They sometimes meet in clients’ homes or places of business. They may travel to attend meetings, gather cvidcnce, and appear before courts and legislative bodies. Salaried lawyers usually have work schedules. Lawyers who are in private practice may work irregular hours while conducting research or conferring with clients.

Formal requirements to become a lawyer usually include a 4-year college degree, 3 years of law school, and passing a written bar examination; however, some requirements may vary by state. Federal courts and agencies may set their own qualifications for those practicing before or in them.

Although there is no recommended “pre-law” undergraduate major, prospective lawyers should develop proficiency in writing, speaking, reading, researching, analyzing, and chinking logically 一 skills needed to succeed both in law school and in the law. Regardless of m^jor，a mulddisciplinary background is recommended. Courses in public speaking, government, philosophy, history, economics, mathematics, and computer science, among others, are use&il.

Competition for admission to most law schools is incense. Acceptance by most law schools depends on the applicant’s ability to demonstrate an aptitude for the study of law, usually through undergraduate grades, the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), the quality of the applicant’s undergraduate school, any prior work experience, and sometimes, a personal interview. The most prestigious law schools in the United States are those of Yale, Stanford, and Harvard, and certainly their standards of choosing students can be very high.

During the first year or year and a half of law school, students usually study core courses, such as consdtudonal law, contracts, property law, and legal writing. In the remainir^ dme, they may choose specialized courses in fields such as tax，labor, or corporate law. Law students often gain practical experience by participating in school -sponsored legal clinics; in practice trials under the supervision of experienced lawyers and judges; and throu^i research and writing on legal issues for the school、law journals.

After graduation, lawyers must keep informed about legal and non-legal developments that afTect their practices. States and jurisdictions often require lawyers to participate in mandatory continuing legal education. Many law schools and state and local bar associations provide continuing education courses that help lawyers stay abreast of recent developments.

To practice law in the courts of any state or other jurisdiction, a person must be licensed, or admitted to its bar, under rules established by the jurisdiction’s highest court All states require that applicants for admission to the bar pass a written bar examination; most states also require applicants to pass a separate written ethics examination. Lawyers who have been admitted to the bar in one state occasionally may be admitted to the bar in another without taking another examination if they meet the latter jurisdiction’s standards of good moral character and a specified period of legal experience. In most cases, however, lawyers must pass the bar examination in each state in which they plan to practice.

Most beginning lawyers start in salaried positions. Newly hired attorneys usually start as associates and work with more experienced lawyers or judges. After several years, some lawyers are admitted to partnership in their firm, which means they are partial owners of the firm, or go into practice for themselves. Some experienced lawyers arc nominated or elected to judgeships. Others become ftill-dme law school fiEiculty or administrators. Some attorneys use their legal training in administrative or managerial positions in various departments of large corporations. A transfer from a corporation’s legal department to another department often is viewed as a way to gain administrative experience and rise in the ranks of management.

The prevalence of lawyers in politics is an American tradition. And today, lawyers fill more than half of U.S. Senate seats and nearly half of the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. It is somedmes argued that lawyers dominate in politics because of the parallel skills required in law and politics. But it is more likely that people attracted to politics decide to go to law school fully aware of the tradition of lawyers in American politics. Moreover, political office-holding can help a lawyer’s private practice through free public advertising and opportunities to make contact with potential clients. Finally, there are many special opportunities for lawyers to acquire public office in “lawyers only” posts as judges and prosecuting attorneys in federal, state, and local governments.

Statistics show lawyers held about 761,000 jobs in 2006. Employment of lawyers is expected to grow 11 percent during the 2006-2016 decade, about as fast as the average for all occupations. The growth in the population and in the level of business activity is expccted to create more legal transactions, dvil disputes, and criminal cases. Job growth among lawyers also will result from increasing demand for legal services in such areas as health care, intellectual property, venture capital, energy, and environmental law. However, growth in demand for lawyers will be constrained as businesses increasingly use large accounting firms and paralegals to perform some of the same funcdons that lawyers do. Also, mediation and dispute resolution increasingly are being used as alternatives to litigation.

The lawyer’s income is one of the highest in the Untied States. In 2006，the median annual earnings of all wage -and -salaried lawyers were $102,470. The middle half of the occupation earned between $69,910 and $145,600. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of lawyers in 2006 were:

Management of companies and enterprises $128,610
Federal Government 119,240
Legal services 108,100
Local government 78,810
State government 75,840