An essential component of the legal and justice systems is employment law. Workers in this field are in charge of looking into workplace lawsuits and defending the rights of coworkers and managers. An employment law career can be ideal for you if you value the rule of law and equitable labor practices. In this post, we define employment law, look at three motivations to work in an employment law career, and give ten examples of occupations you might encounter in this area.
What exactly is employment law?
The connection between employees and employers is the focus of the legal field known as employment law. These rules and regulations control employment relations to safeguard the rights, health, and welfare of all parties. They set the rules for what can be said and done by both employers and employees while on the job or while representing a certain organization. They also describe duties and tasks at work. Concerns like unfair dismissal, salary conflicts, or harassment lawsuits are clarified by employment law. Companies or employees may be defended in court by employment lawyers.
An employment attorney may represent a company, a group of employees, or a single employee. If representing the employee(s), the attorney will be in charge of gathering and compiling data, drafting pertinent paperwork, giving advice, managing conflict resolution via arbitration and discussions, as well as organizing the legal settlement.
Aside from advising organizations and corporations on how to respond to claims, an employment lawyer’s duties also include gathering and researching HR policies that focus on all aspects of the employment contract and, when necessary, conducting talks between the employer and labor unions.
Some areas and subjects covered by employment law include:
- Employment procedures
- Benefits and Compensation
- Processes for dismissal
- Discrimination
- Occupational harassment
- Confidentiality contracts
- Trade unions
- Job safety regulations
- Work schedules and hours
- Minimum wage
- Workplace wellness
- Termination notice periods
Basics of Employment Law
Every stage of a person’s employment is impacted by employment law. As a result, this field of law may be used in a variety of situations that arise during a worker’s and a company’s employment, among which are but not limited to:
- Work Conditions
- Employment Terms & Conditions
- Recruitment
- Data security
- Pay and working hours
- Vacation pay and rights
- Sick day compensation, procedures, and entitlement
- Parental, paternal, and maternity rights
- Safety and health
- Discrimination
What is the purpose of employment law?
Everybody in the workforce is protected under employment law. Without it, there wouldn’t be a definitive authority on the intricate, sometimes-contentious, and multidimensional field of employment.
- Having a legal framework in place enables society to:
- Eliminate prejudice, harassment, and an imbalance of power
- Encourage safe and healthy practices
- Set up a minimum level of benefits and remuneration
3 good reasons to enter an employment law career
Employment law careers can be chosen by candidates based on a variety of criteria, including managerial style, location, corporate culture, compensation, benefits, and corporate mission. An employment law career may suit some candidates’ demands and provide a fulfilling, long-term professional opportunity. Here are three explanations for wanting to work in employment law:
1. Assist others
To assist people, many people choose an employment law career or become attorneys in this area. People in this field frequently can resolve problems, assist clients in overcoming obstacles, promote employee well-being, and defend the rights of coworkers in a variety of businesses. As an employment attorney, you might represent clients in cases involving harassment, discrimination, or damage in the workplace. You might get the chance to promote workplace fairness, create solid legal precedents for upcoming cases, and defend your client’s financial and personal interests.
Below are a few ways that attorneys who specialize in employment law careers might help others:
- Create productive work environments
- Require accountability from supervisors and managers
- Defend the human rights of workers
- Ensure that workers receive the appropriate compensation
- Maintain an open and fair hiring procedure.
2. Make advancements in the business
Several professionals can affect law enforcement tactics and modify policy by working in any area of law. Some candidates choose employment law careers to promote discipline and better uphold the rights of everyone. A position as a law clerk or lawyer may be ideal for you if you have suggestions for improving legislation and reforming policy. Making crucial choices, resolving cases, and developing a strong reputation among legal experts are all gratifying tasks for many people.
3. Find different tasks to complete each day.
Every day, diverse customers are served by employment lawyers and allied experts. They might work in employment law careers including manufacturing, retail, medicine, finance, or education for both employers and employees. They lend their knowledge and work to cases involving various stakeholders and themes. Professionals in the subject of employment law may have a wide range of experiences. You may come across fascinating tales and worthwhile educational opportunities when working in the field of employment law. You can even pick up transferrable abilities that you could use in other legal specialties and occupations.
10 employment law careers
Below are 10 employment law careers for you to look into:
1. Court clerk
National average yearly salary: $35,114.
A court clerk’s main responsibilities in employment law careers include administrative and clerical work related to courtroom procedures. They create and distribute court orders such as subpoenas, probation orders, release paperwork, and sentencing details. Using calendars and dockets, they also arrange and manage casework. They frequently assist attorneys, judges, and other more experienced legal professionals with court-related tasks. Court clerks are also in charge of taking notes during court proceedings, transcribing talks, keeping track of case outcomes, and setting up fee payments.
2. A legal aide
National average yearly salary: $44,564
A legal assistant’s main responsibilities in employment law careers include supporting a lawyer and assisting with day-to-day administrative and professional tasks. People in this job might compile, organize, revise, and update crucial files, execute legal and case research, prepare documents, and perform other duties. As assistants, they also carry out several tasks like making phone calls, making appointments, and running errands according to the directives of their superiors. This job, which is considered an entry-level role, is frequently chosen by new grads and professionals wishing to start a career in law.
3. Legal front desk clerk
National average yearly salary: $46,161
A legal receptionist’s main responsibilities in employment law careers include working at the reception desk or the information booth in a law office or law business. In addition to receiving emails and phone calls relaying messages to the appropriate team members, and performing other clerical duties, they are in charge of meeting and welcoming guests, signing them in, and leading them to the appropriate waiting areas or offices. Additionally, they are responsible for managing reception and business areas, maintaining the cleanliness of the environment, and responding to inquiries from guests. The majority of legal receptionists excel in communication and organization.
4. Paralegal
National average yearly salary: $51,367
A paralegal in employment law careers is a qualified individual who offers specialized legal assistance. In varied degrees, depending on their position and employer, they support lawyers and other legal professionals. To do research and put together court casework, those in this position work together with paralegals and legal assistants. They might manage cases and meet with witnesses, clients, and court staff, among other things, such as preparing legal documents, performing legal research, and managing cases. Because of their proficiency in problem-solving, critical thinking, and attention to detail, paralegals can examine vast volumes of data and produce insightful conclusions.
5. Legal assistant
National average yearly salary: $53,970
A legal secretary’s main responsibilities in employment law careers include helping a law firm, specific lawyers, or legal professionals with administrative and organizational tasks. They might take on tasks like invoicing, where they create, handle, and send client invoices. Additionally, they might engage in activities like social media promotion which involves highlighting the reputation and pursuits of lawyers in online forums and business websites. Their objective is to maintain productive work so that their supervisors can concentrate on offering legal services and resolving challenging customer difficulties.
6. Legal clerk
National average yearly salary: $55,105
A law clerk’s primary responsibilities in employment law careers include providing supportive services to a judge, lawyer, or another experienced legal professional. They carry out administrative and operational duties to support the success of law offices or courts and to assist their superiors in winning cases. People in this scenario could look into legal procedures to assist narrow down case alternatives. To gather background information on a case scenario, they may also conduct client interviews and use other field investigation techniques. To practice law or serve as a judge, legal clerks frequently look for training and mentoring.
7. A compliance officer
National average yearly salary: $61,105
A compliance officer’s main duties in employment law careers include ensuring that a business and every member of the team adhere to all applicable legal, organizational, and industry rules. Since it is their responsibility to enforce corporate regulations and defend the interests and rights of all employees, they frequently have a thorough understanding of labor law. Compliance officers may set standards and procedures, conduct training sessions, monitor compliance using different metrics, impose sanctions, and carry out efforts to improve quality.
8. Human resources manager
National average yearly salary: $71,410
One of a human resources manager’s main responsibilities in an employment law career is to support an organization’s workforce in terms of their well-being. People in this job are accountable for tasks like recruiting new team members, orienting and training recruits, managing payroll, and benefits, outlining the company objective, creating chances for professional growth, organizing team-building events, connecting staff with services provided by the company, and responding to employee inquiries. Fostering a positive workplace culture, upholding the value of ethical behavior, and ensuring compliance with employment rules and regulations are all part of their duties.
9. Policy expert
National average yearly salary: $77,926
A policy analyst’s main responsibilities in employment law careers include identifying present or potential societal problems and conducting research to come up with policy solutions. They use a variety of techniques, including surveys, polls, interviews, and quantitative, statistical, and qualitative analyses, to gather a lot of data from reliable sources. Policy analysts derive useful conclusions and insights after looking over, compiling, and evaluating their findings. They then offer well-informed advice on how to address policy difficulties to legislators, government officials, and interest groups. They might concentrate on varied topics including labor regulations, environmental conservation, or equity.
10. Lawyer
National average yearly salary: $89,681
An attorney in an employment law career, often known as a lawyer or legal advisor, is responsible for representing a client in court. These people look into a client’s case, review it, then present their defense to jurors and judges. To create agreements and contracts between clients, they frequently work together with the opposing attorney. Attorneys come in a variety of forms and have a range of specializations, including those in family law, tax codes, legal principles, and criminal law. Becoming a labor or employment lawyer is among the most popular professional choices for those with an interest in labor law.
The 1996 Employment Rights Act
Employment law is governed by the Employment Rights Act of 1996. This legislation provides a thorough foundation for the contemporary workplace.
The act has many important sections that specify:
- What an employment contract is, what it contains, and what it means
- Pay and salaries for employees
- Disclosures and factors
- Work, education, childbirth, and safety and health
- Childcare
- Dismissal notification
- Laws about wrongful termination
- Redundancy
- Insolvency-related rights of employees
Getting into the Employment Law Career
The most typical path to becoming an employment lawyer, in step-by-step form, is provided below:
- Study a different field and then pass the GDL, a one-year (full-time) or two-year (part-time) legal conversion program, to earn a conventional three-year Law/LLB degree from a university.
- If you want to study as a solicitor, take a Legal Practice Course, and if you want to train as a barrister, take a Bar Professional Training program.
- Gain hands-on, in-house training by joining a law practice that specializes in employment law. While you are still in school, look into interesting and pertinent employment law businesses. Professional experience in this area can assist you in determining if employment law is right for you and will help you land a training contract.
How to enter the field of employment law
There are a few fundamental steps you can take to qualify as an employment lawyer, even though each person’s legal path will be unique depending on their unique experiences. Here are the eight steps to becoming an employment lawyer:
1. Complete your undergraduate studies
Getting an undergraduate education in the subject of your choice is the first step toward becoming getting into an employment law career. When applying to a law school, a bachelor’s degree is a prerequisite. Although there is no mandatory major or career path for students who want to attend law school, it could be advantageous to pick a degree that enhances your legal understanding.
Even more, you should look for extracurricular activities like fellowships or internships while you are still an undergraduate student so that you can gain legal experience. These opportunities can be found in law companies, legal clinics, and government agencies. In your senior year of college, having this kind of experience can help you when you’re applying to law schools.
2. Complete the LSAT
You must apply to law school during your senior year of college. The Law School Admission Test (LSAT), which is conducted four times annually in June, September, December, and February, is the initial step in enrolling in law school. Think about completing the LSAT in June before your last year or in September to be eligible because you must complete your applications in the fall of your final year to be considered for admission the following academic year.
To prepare for the LSAT, it’s crucial to study seriously. When admissions committees analyze your application forms, your test result will be a crucial determinant of your competency. In reality, many institutions are clear about the bare minimum they will take from applicants. You should therefore create score-related goals before the test to increase your chances of getting into the school of your choosing.
To maximize their chances of success on the LSAT, many candidates for law school enroll in LSAT-specific exam preparation classes or create study groups with their peers. It is possible to prepare well for exams using a variety of methods and materials. You can repeat the LSAT to improve your score if you don’t reach your target on your initial attempt.
3. Submit a law school application
Obtain your application papers, take the LSAT, and reach your desired score goal before signing up with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). CAS is used by almost all law schools for their application processes. You might need to gather the following resources to finish your applications:
- Recommendation letters
- Personal statement
- Addendum
- LSAT scores
- Transcript
- A curriculum vitae(CV) or resume
- English proficiency test for candidates from other countries
You can submit these materials to the CAS and submit applications to the institutions you’ve chosen once you’ve gathered them. Applying to several colleges at once is usually a wise move because it can improve your chances of getting accepted. Make sure the institutions you’ve chosen provide degree programs that will enable you to fulfill your ambition of working as an employment lawyer before sending your application. You should also take important criteria like cost and the location of the school into account, as these might help you reduce your options overall.
4. Be committed to your goals.
Create a purposeful plan to maximize your time at school if you’ve been accepted as a law student and accepted an offer. You will have numerous opportunities to expand your portfolio of knowledge and experience while in law school, which lasts three years on average. You can develop your professional focus and get ready for a specialized job by attending law school. To become a great student, you may join a reading group, do well in examinations, and look for opportunities to obtain practical experience. As a result, you would want to create goals and adhere to them.
You will most likely enroll in core courses during your first year that will assist you in acquiring the background knowledge required for success by all lawyers. You will have the option to enroll in particular elective courses in your second and third years that could aid in expanding your knowledge base in particular legal areas, such as employment law. You might think about enrolling in courses that cover a range of topics linked to work.
You will have the opportunity to sit for the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), which is mandatory for almost all practicing attorneys, during your third year of law school. Taking the MPRE in your third year will allow you to concentrate on studying for the bar examination once you graduate.
5. Strengthen your resume and network
Establishing a network of instructors, peers, and legal associates is something you should concentrate on doing while you are in law school to better prepare yourself for the legal profession. Irrespective of the nature of the law they practice, these relationships could come in handy if you ever need a specialized co-counsel or job prospects in the legal field.
Additionally, you should actively look for opportunities to gain practical experience in the area of employment law while you are still a law student. You can join organizations for students, professionals, and law publications that specialize in employment law.
Furthermore, it’s critical to look for practical knowledge through things like internships that can allow you to collaborate with a judge or attorney who is currently in practice. These internships not only provide you the opportunity to experience working in the legal industry firsthand, but they also frequently provide the possibility to receive course credit. This kind of labor is also available in legal clinics, judicial externships, and practical programs. These experiences will enable you to refine your talents, build your network, and improve your résumé. In some cases, these experiences might even result in job prospects after graduation.
6. Finish law school.
You can graduate from law school after three years of coursework, internships, and networking. Most law students make an effort to land jobs before they graduate to have an employment law career set up right away. While many law students place high importance on this, many of the jobs you can get before you finish law school will require you to successfully pass the bar exam to be licensed to practice in your state. Therefore, as you get closer to graduating and moving forward, it’s also crucial to concentrate on studying thoroughly for the bar exam.
7. Pass the bar examination
As was previously mentioned, being an employment lawyer requires passing the bar examination. Your eligibility to practice law in your jurisdiction, irrespective of your specialty, will be evaluated throughout the two to three-day examination. For the bar exam, you can think about enrolling in test-prep classes or starting a reading group similar to how you would for the LSAT.
Most applicants study full-time during the time between graduating from college and the exam date. It’s crucial to remember that several individuals who attempt the bar exam fail on their first try. As a result, you may retake the test to pass and become a certified lawyer.
8. Look for a chance to work in the field of employment law
You will be qualified to practice an employment law career in your county after passing the bar examination. If you didn’t land a position before graduating, you should use this opportunity to look for employment law practice prospects. While various strategies can aid in your job search, you should strive to make use of the services your Alma mater provides for recent grads.
You might join a professional group to look for employment chances, as they may post particular job advertisements for members. In addition, you may have the chance to network with possible employers via on-campus interviews offered by law schools in collaboration with neighborhood law firms for newly graduated students. If these tactics don’t work, you may always look for a job online or arrange informational interviews with local employers to learn more about the employment market today.
What is the typical pay for employment attorneys?
Employment attorneys’ pay may vary based on geography, job, and other situation-specific considerations. Despite this, employment lawyers earn an average yearly compensation of $118,948 in the United States, along with standard perks like medical insurance and paid vacation. This amount is the typical pay for employment lawyers, though some may make more. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that during the next 10 years, the employment of lawyers will stay constant, with a 4% growth in job prospects.
What abilities are required of employment lawyers?
Employment attorneys require a wide range of specialized talents and a solid foundation of knowledge to thrive in their business. On your path to becoming an employment lawyer, you might concentrate on developing the following skills:
- Communication abilities
- Analytical abilities
- Research skills
- Creativity
- Judgment
- Perseverance
- Flexibility
- Personal accountability
- Time management
- Business skills
Conclusion
We hope that reading this post about an employment lawyer has assisted you in determining if an employment law career is the correct choice for you.
Frequently Asked Questions about employment law careers
- What legal position has the biggest salary?
Trial lawyers are among the highest-paid types of lawyers in the world. There are hundreds of civil litigators working throughout the world, but those that deal with high-profile, high-dollar, and high-stakes cases get paid the most.
- What is employment law, and what are some examples?
Employment law usually concentrates on employment relationships, unemployment benefits, medical and family leave, employment contracts, immigration, as well as the recruiting process in addition to workplace safety, salaries and benefits, and discrimination.
- What is the legal profession’s highest degree?
Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD)
A doctor of jurisprudence degree, which is the top rank of a law degree, is intended for professionals who choose to continue their legal studies after receiving their JD and LLM.