A Day in the Life of a Lawyer - What Does a Lawyer Actually Do?

Summary

The transcript reveals that a lawyer's daily routine is not as dramatic as portrayed on TV. Instead, it's filled with mundane office tasks like reading and responding to emails, attending meetings, and spending a significant amount of time reading and writing legal documents. While some may envision a career filled with courtroom drama, the reality is more administrative and less action-packed. Despite this, the profession remains rewarding for many, with a focus on the behind-the-scenes work that supports the legal system.

Takeaways

• 🏢 A lawyer's day is not vastly different from other office jobs, involving routine tasks like email management and meetings.
• 📚 The expectation of a law graduate might be filled with legal activities, but reality includes mundane tasks like any other profession.
• ☕ Starting the day with coffee and checking emails is a common routine for lawyers, setting the tone for their daily priorities.
• 💻 Lawyers spend a significant amount of time in front of computers, reading, filing, and responding to emails.
• 🗣️ Regular client and administrative meetings are part of a lawyer's schedule, requiring effective communication skills.
• 📞 Phone calls are a significant aspect of a lawyer's job, especially as they gain more seniority and client interactions.
• 📖 The majority of a lawyer's day is spent reading and writing various legal documents, translating instructions into actionable items.
• 👥 Surprisingly, a lot of time is dedicated to the internal workings of a legal office, such as administrative tasks and internal discussions.
• 🏡 A lawyer's day ends much like any other, with the routine of going home after work, emphasizing the normalcy of the job.
• 🌟 Despite the routine, a career in law can still be rewarding, highlighting the importance of finding fulfillment in the day-to-day tasks.

Q & A

What is the reality of a lawyer's daily routine compared to common perceptions?

The reality is that a lawyer's day-to-day work is not vastly different from other office jobs, contrary to the glamorous portrayals in media. It involves routine tasks like reading and responding to emails, attending meetings, and spending a significant amount of time reading and writing legal documents.

How does the speaker describe the common misconception about lawyers' work?

The speaker points out that many people, especially those fresh out of law school, might believe that lawyers spend their days constantly citing cases and writing submissions, akin to what is often depicted on television. However, this is far from the typical experience.

What are some of the routine tasks that lawyers are likely to perform on a daily basis?

Lawyers often spend their days checking and managing emails, attending client and administrative meetings, making phone calls, and engaging in a lot of reading and writing, such as translating instructions into legal documents or writing submissions based on case studies.

How does the speaker characterize the setting in which lawyers work?

The speaker dispels the myth of lawyers working in large, ever-expanding offices with important conversations happening while walking quickly. Instead, lawyers typically work in front of computers, similar to many other office workers.

What is the likelihood of a lawyer engaging in high-stakes, dramatic legal scenarios as seen on TV?

The speaker clarifies that for the majority of lawyers, such dramatic scenarios are rare. Most do not find themselves waking up judges at night, rushing to urgent court applications, or crafting sassy responses to unlikely predicaments.

How does the speaker describe the proportion of time spent on reading and writing in a lawyer's job?

The speaker emphasizes that a very large proportion of a lawyer's day is spent reading and writing, translating various forms of information into legal documents, which is a significant part of the job that may surprise many young lawyers.

What administrative tasks are lawyers likely to be involved in, according to the speaker?

Lawyers are likely to be involved in various administrative tasks such as internal discussions, prioritizing work, sorting out administrative issues, and filing emails, which are essential for the smooth operation of a legal office.

How does the speaker suggest that the day of a lawyer typically ends?

The speaker indicates that a lawyer's day, like most office workers, ends with going home to have a break, suggesting that the work-life balance is similar to that of other professionals.

What is the speaker's overall assessment of a lawyer's career despite the mundane nature of the daily tasks?

Despite the routine and administrative nature of many tasks, the speaker suggests that being a lawyer can still be a rewarding career, implying that there is satisfaction and fulfillment beyond the everyday grind.

Are there exceptions to the described daily routine of lawyers as mentioned in the script?

Yes, the speaker acknowledges that there are exceptions to the routine, indicating that some lawyers may have different experiences, particularly in specialized fields or under unique circumstances.

What advice does the speaker offer to young lawyers about their expectations of the legal profession?

The speaker advises young lawyers to be aware that the reality of their work may be quite different from what they have imagined or seen on television, and to expect a significant amount of time spent on administrative tasks and reading and writing, rather than the dramatic courtroom scenes often depicted in media.

Outlines

00:00

📚 A Day in the Life of a Lawyer

The paragraph dispels the myth that lawyers lead a dramatically different life from other office workers. It clarifies that a lawyer's day typically involves routine office tasks such as checking emails, attending meetings, and engaging in administrative work. Contrary to popular media portrayals, lawyers do not spend their days in high-stakes courtroom drama but rather in front of a computer, reading and writing legal documents. The paragraph emphasizes that the majority of a lawyer's time is spent on reading instructions, translating them into legal correspondence, and drafting submissions or pleadings. It also highlights that junior lawyers might be surprised by the amount of time dedicated to the operational aspects of a legal office, rather than direct client interaction. The day ends much like any other, with lawyers going home to unwind, suggesting that while the job may not be as glamorous as TV suggests, it can still be a rewarding career.

Keywords

💡Lawyer

A lawyer is a professional who practices law, which involves giving legal advice, representing clients in court, and conducting various legal transactions. In the context of the video, the term 'lawyer' is used to describe the main subject of the discussion, whose daily activities and experiences are being described. The script dispels the myth that lawyers spend their days in court, instead highlighting the more mundane, office-based tasks that are part of a lawyer's routine.

💡Law degree

A law degree is an academic degree in law, which qualifies the degree holder to practice law in many jurisdictions. The script mentions the law degree to illustrate the expectations that law students might have upon graduation, such as engaging in courtroom drama and legal debates, which contrasts with the reality of a lawyer's day-to-day work.

💡Email

Email is a method of electronic communication that allows users to send and receive messages electronically. In the script, email is highlighted as a significant part of a lawyer's daily routine, where they check, file, and reply to emails, which can often disrupt their planned priorities for the day.

💡Meetings

Meetings are gatherings of people for a specific purpose, often to discuss, plan, or make decisions. The video script mentions meetings as a common activity for lawyers, which can include client meetings to discuss legal matters or administrative meetings to handle internal office procedures.

💡Client

A client is a person or entity that engages the services of a professional, such as a lawyer, for legal representation or advice. The script refers to clients as the individuals with whom lawyers have conversations, either in person during meetings or over the phone, and for whom they perform legal work.

💡Administrative tasks

Administrative tasks refer to the organizational and clerical work that is necessary for the smooth operation of an office or business. The video script emphasizes that lawyers spend a significant amount of time on administrative tasks, such as filing emails and sorting out office issues, which supports their ability to perform legal work.

💡Reading and writing

Reading and writing are fundamental skills that are essential for a lawyer's work, involving interpreting legal documents and composing correspondence or legal arguments. The script points out that a large portion of a lawyer's day is spent reading and writing various legal documents, which is central to their professional responsibilities.

💡Submissions

Submissions in a legal context refer to formal documents or arguments presented to a court or tribunal. The script uses the term 'submissions' to describe one of the tasks lawyers perform, which involves reading cases and then translating that information into formal written arguments.

💡Pleadings

Pleadings are formal documents that set out the claims and defenses in a lawsuit. The video script mentions pleadings as an example of the type of legal document that lawyers might create based on client instructions, which is a key part of their role in litigation.

💡Debt claim

A debt claim is a legal demand for payment of money owed. The script uses the example of a debt claim to illustrate the type of work lawyers might do, such as drafting pleadings to recover money owed, which is a common legal service provided to clients.

💡Rewarding career

A rewarding career is one that provides satisfaction, personal fulfillment, and often financial success. The video script concludes by acknowledging that despite the routine and sometimes mundane tasks, being a lawyer can still be a rewarding career, suggesting that there is a sense of achievement and value in the work lawyers do.

Highlights

A lawyer's day is not drastically different from other office workers.

Law graduates often expect to be constantly engaged in legal activities but find their days more routine.

Television portrayals of lawyers are misleading and do not reflect the reality of a lawyer's workday.

Lawyers start their day with routine tasks such as checking emails and drinking coffee.

The majority of a lawyer's day is spent sitting in front of a computer, reading and responding to emails.

Meetings, both client and administrative, are a significant part of a lawyer's schedule.

Phone calls are a common task, increasing with seniority.

Reading and writing constitute the bulk of a lawyer's daily work.

Lawyers often translate instructions into legal documents such as letters and submissions.

The reality of a lawyer's work includes less courtroom drama and more administrative tasks.

Administrative work is a substantial part of a lawyer's day, including internal discussions and sorting out issues.

The end of a lawyer's day is similar to other professionals, with the routine of going home after work.

Despite the routine, law can still be a rewarding career.

The transcript dispels the myth of a lawyer's glamorous lifestyle.

The transcript emphasizes the importance of the mundane tasks that support the legal profession.

The transcript suggests that the legal profession is more about the process than the drama.

The transcript provides a realistic view of what to expect from a day in the life of a lawyer.

Transcripts

- Truth of the matter is,

really, your day as a lawyer

isn't going to look an enormous amount

different from the day of any other person

who works mostly in an office most of the time.

I think it can be pretty easy

to get to the end of you law degree

and think that when you actually got out

into the real world as a lawyer,

you were going to spend all day,

every day doing lawyery things,

citing cases and writing submissions

and other stuff like that,

and if you have convinced yourself

somehow that television has any truth for you,

you might think that you have important

conversations while walking quickly

with attractive people up and down

just unbelievably large offices

that never seen to run out of places to walk.

You will wake up,

you will go to work,

you will drink some coffee,

and you will probably do what everyone does,

which is you will check your email

and see what has come in to frustrate

the priorities you thought you had for the day.

So what is it then that as a lawyer,

you're probably going to do most days?

Well, not surprisingly,

you're going to spend a lot

of time sitting in front of the computer,

you're going to read emails

and file them and reply to them.

There's a pretty good chance

you're going to spend a bit of time in meetings.

That might be client meetings on the one hand

or it might be administrative meetings.

You'll probably spend a reasonable

amount of time on the phone.

That will be more so,

I suspect, as you get more senior

and you're having more conversations with clients,

but not necessarily junior lawyers

can be called upon to make any number

of phone calls during the day as well.

Predominantly, you're going to spend

the vast majority of most days

most of the time reading stuff,

translating it

and writing stuff.

So maybe you're reading instructions

and translating it into a letter to go to another party

and then writing that letter.

Maybe you're reading cases

and translating them into submissions

and writing the submissions.

Maybe you're taking on board the instructions

your client has given you in a shoebox

and turning that into a pleading

to recover some money on a debt claim.

The very large proportion of your day

is probably going to be spent reading and writing.

Now, of course,

it's true that in some fields,

you might have to trace up

and down the court here and there,

you might have to do variations on that theme,

but for the vast majority of lawyers,

they're not waking up judges in the night

and they're not running back

and forth to urgent court applications

and they're not coming up

with sassy responses to unlikely predicaments.

You're probably sitting in front

of a computer reading stuff and writing stuff.

I think what might come as a surprise

to a lot of young lawyers is how much time you spend

doing things more about the machinery of the legal office

than actually about direct client work.

You might be having internal discussions,

you might be prioritising things,

you might be sorting out administrative issues,

filing emails,

that sort of stuff,

that process

that underpins the ability

of practitioners of law to actually

do the lawyering on a day to day basis.

And a pretty normal day in the office

as a lawyer ends as everyone else's does,

you get to go home and have a break.

And there you have it,

that is a pretty normal day for most people

in most cases in most situations in the law.

It's not everybody.

There are exceptions,

but at the end of the day,

it can still be a pretty rewarding career.