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The legal profession is one of the most competitive careers, and it offers plenty of benefits if you choose it. However, as much as becoming a lawyer comes with incredible benefits, it also has some challenges.
If you are considering pursuing a career in law, you must be able to have tolerance for these challenges that come with this profession and know how you can overcome them. In addition to that, you need to be conversant with social sciences journals of law to be up-to-date with any reviews on laws. With that sad, let's look at some of the challenges lawyers face today.
1. Long working hours
Fewer staff and huge workloads means extended working hours for lawyers. The demands for universal law practice also means that certain lawyers must be available to clients all through. Currently, lawyers work longer and harder because clients are now well informed more than ever; they know what is expected of the lawyer. So it is normal to find a lawyer working for more than 55 hours a week.
2. Competition
Today's lawyers face one of the most competitive professions across the world. The competition is as a result of new technologies and the huge number of people studying law. This has forced many lawyers to settle for less when it comes to fees or some lawyers have even changed their career path.
3. The stress
Client demands, crazy deadlines, changing laws, billing pressure, and long working hours make the practice of law one of the most stressful jobs worldwide. The stress and demands of practicing law has led to high levels of career dissatisfaction among many members of the bar. A recent study done by American Bar Association found that depression is very common among lawyers.
4. New technologies
There's no doubt how technology has impacted the practice of law. This has forced lawyers or law firms to become proficient in different technology platforms. This involves integrating billing software, document review, management tools, and presentation into their practice. This has led to more work on the lawyer's side. In addition to that, some companies can now use these technologies to deliver legal services, instead of hiring a qualified lawyer. This has made the job market for this profession to shrink.
5. Clients are not willing to spend money on legal services
In the past, jobs related to law were considered the most prestigious jobs on the market. But this narrative has changed. Although some of the jobs in the legal field still pay attractively, most lawyers are far from getting the enormous amount. That could be because many clients are hesitant to spend money on legal services. In fact, some individuals or entities are not willing to spend a dime on legal services. They rather take their chances with new technologies or DIY legal solutions than hiring a lawyer. Some of these technologies offers the same value, but at a lower price. And if you come across an individual or entity that is willing to spend money on legal service, they won't spend much money.
