Jobs and earnings of a lawyer.

A lawyer is a person who is very familiar with the law and has completed a master's degree. At the same time, it is the profession with the lowest qualifications of all legal professions, so it is the first step on the road to a further career. A lawyer can opt for different development paths, such as working as a lawyer, prosecutor, bailiff or judge.

How to become a lawyer?

A person who wants to become a lawyer should prepare for hard work during his studies, as well as a lot of memory study. Already during the high school period, it is worth taking care to choose the right subjects for the high school diploma. Usually, law school candidates begin their studies in the 2nd or 3rd year of general high school and focus more and more on the baccalaureate. Some schools also have law classes, where students have more hours in several subjects, and are thus better prepared for the baccalaureate and for college. The subjects to be taken in the extended high school diploma are a foreign language (English is the most common choice), Polish, history and social studies. In addition, sometimes geography and Latin are useful, but they are usually not required.

First steps in the profession

After graduation, that is, after passing all the exams, writing the thesis and defending it, you can get your diploma. Unfortunately, this does not mean the end of hard work at all. After graduation, the graduate is indeed already a lawyer, but he is not qualified as a lawyer, judge or, for example, a legal advisor. This means that he can start working only in certain places. The first option is simply a position in a corporation, law-related or not. In practice, however, you can usually work there already after high school, so specific studies, such as just law, do not make much sense. Another option is to start your own law firm and give legal advice. You can specialize on your own in an area, such as the currently popular intellectual property and copyright law, or corporate law. Specialization is done, for example, during postgraduate studies or during an internship with another lawyer. This way you don't have to do an apprenticeship, but it usually means fewer job opportunities in later years.

Additional requirements and personality

A person who wants to work in the legal profession, for example, as a lawyer, must meet additional requirements, such as:

- full legal capacity;

- Impeccable character;

- enjoyment of full public rights;

- passing the bar exam after completing an apprenticeship.

As for the character traits of a candidate for the position of lawyer, the most important is the ability to take responsibility for one's own actions. In addition, the ability to manage work time effectively, a high level of empathy, communication skills, patience, diplomacy, the ability to prepare speeches, a lack of fear of public speaking, a desire for continuous professional development and a practical approach to legislation are of considerable importance.

How much is earned as a lawyer?

According to the information posted on salary.co.uk and data as of January 2024, the median salary for a lawyer position is:

- 5100 PLN - junior specialist lawyer;

- 6050 PLN - specialist lawyer;

- 7590 PLN - senior specialist lawyer;

- 7130 zlotys - lawyer;

- 5550 zlotys - notary public;

- PLN 11,200 - prosecutor;

- 14,100 zlotys - judge;

- 9650 zlotys - legal counsel;

- 6580 zlotys - court superintendent.

Thus, it can be concluded that a lawyer without an apprenticeship earns within the national average, while by far the highest earnings are those of legal advisors, prosecutors and judges.