What are Different Positions in a Law Firm | Everything Explained
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A law firm consists of attorneys and non-attorney staff who handle different tasks to facilitate their clients. A law firm consists of a team of lawyers who may be partners or contractors and perform different legal activities at a single time. While a single lawyer usually handles a single client at a time. There are different positions within the law firm. All these co-workers perform their relevant tasks. You’ll find this article discussing all the queries ‘What are different positions in a law firm?’ The positions of the lawyer within the firm are regarded as lawyer hierarchy.
Position within the firm signals the job that a person performs for his or her firm. A successful firm has different tasks for attorneys or non-attorney staff. If all the firm members fulfill their jobs effectively, the firm will grow gradually and vice versa.
To understand the positions within a firm and their respective deities, one will have to dig into the market deeply. This is a time-consuming task to search each position one by one and gather data about that. To facilitate you, we’ve proposed a brief guide for you.
You will learn all about a law firm till the end of this discussion. So, let’s move on to explore all about the query under discussion.
What are Different Positions and Their Duties within a Law Firm?
Attorney Staff of the Law Firm
There are different categories of lawyers within the law firm. They handle the clients of their concern. Moreover, their experience level is also different. Some will be entry-level, some will have less experience, and some will be highly experienced.
Also, in such firms, the students of the schools are recruited. They gain experience by serving the relevant firm. Here are different positions for the attorney staff within a law firm.
Partner Lawyers
A firm may be the output of the struggle of a group of lawyers. Those lawyers or attorneys who propose a particular law firm are regarded as shareholders or, more precisely, partners.
Out of all the lawyers, one who will have the best working strategies or more experience will be considered the firm’s manager or management officer.
With a team of experienced workers, the law firm may earn handsome revenue for all the partners. Also, they work with clients at a high rate. So, their output will be very high. The firm manager will assign his colleagues a particular task and direct them to work according to the directions.
Associate Attorneys
All members of the firm will not be partners. A few will be the shareholders and creators of that particular law firm, while the others will be working there without any partnership.
They may be fresh graduates or entry-level attorneys. Unlike the partners of the law firm who have very good experience in the law field, the entry-level attorneys will be less experienced. So, firms may hire them on a particular salary or hourly wages.
Keep in mind that associates hardly have any part in the management affairs. They only work according to the directions of the firm. Associates will have to fulfill the duties assigned to them. Based on the experience level, associates are further divided into two types.
Senior Associate Lawyers
As the name suggests, these lawyers will be more skilled and experienced. They know all the facts and figures about the law field. Based on the experience of the senior associate lawyers, law firms mostly assign them some complicated tasks as they can handle them effectively. They are capable of defending their clients in court with strong evidence.
Junior Associate Lawyers
As the name shows, junior associate lawyers will be less experienced and skilled. They have short working tenure within the law field. They may be entry-level or fresh attorneys who will start their journey with the law. Unlike senior associate lawyers, these need particular guidelines to handle any case appropriately. However, they may perform well if directed well.
Of Counsel Lawyer
Highly experienced lawyers within any law firm hold ‘Of Counsel.’ They are skilled attorneys who know how to handle a particular case situation. Also, due to their almost completed tenure within the law field, such lawyers may act as consultants within the firm.
The ‘Of Counsel’ lawyers may also be a part of any other law firm before. Due to the experience of the field, they can guide the new firm properly. Not only attorneys but judges may also hold this position.
Contractors
Hiring someone on contracts is a common business method of the world. This rule is also applicable in the law firm. The firm may hire attorneys on contracts to work for them.
After signing a pact or contract with the firm, the lawyer will have to fulfill his or her duties within the association. Unlike a permanent contract, the contractor lawyers maybe just for a particular task. They may leave, or the firm may kick them off the firm.
Lawyer Clerks
Clerks are those lawyers or law students who are still on their way to the law field. Clerks join the law firms to gain experience in the field or according to the requirements of their respective schools. The firm may pay them or not.
Summer Associates
Like senior and junior associates, the summer associates also join the law firm for a particular time. They are also entry-level attorneys or law students, but they differ from the clerks as they sign a pact with the law firm for the whole summer.
Other Positions within the Law Firm
A firm can run only if it has proper management and a working team. Only lawyers can’t run an association, and the non-legal staff also plays a vital role in the smooth running of the firm. Here are some of the basic positions within a law firm besides the attorneys.
Investigation Team
Based on legal training, the members of the investigation teamwork for the law firm is there to collect evidence about a particular case. They are assistants of the attorneys as they help them dig into the will or case.
Assistant Staff
Such staff members help the attorneys to make the law practice effective and efficient. They may have any legal background, but it’s not necessary.
Administrative Staff
Such staff members don’t handle legal tasks like hearing in the courts or anything else. They only advise the attorneys or other staff members to improve their firm.
Criminal Investigation Team
The job of this team within any law firm is to research the history and practices of a particular criminal.
Marketing Team
The law firm’s marketing team may bring the clients to the firm by marketing their services. Marketers work to make the firm public.
Finance Department
Handling all the lawyers’ fees, clients’ bills, and other financial management is not manageable. The finance team helps the firm by offering its services regarding the aspects mentioned above.
Department of Information Technology
As all of us know that technology is penetrating the world day by day, the IT department of any firm or profession plays an important role in its smooth running. Another post in the law firm is that of an IT expert.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which positions can a lawyer hold within a law firm?
A lawyer can be on any of the following posts within a law firm.
- A management officer
- An associate
- Senior associate
- Junior associate
- Partner
- Contactor
- Clerk
- Summer associate
What are possible non-legal positions within a law firm?
Here are some non-legal positions within a law firm.
- Accountant
- Marketer
- Assistant
- Investigator
- IT expert
- Admin
Who is the most authoritative person within the law firm?
The management officer who assigns all the members their task is the most authoritative person in the firm.
Who holds the records of all cases?
Usually, assistants record all the cases that the firm deals with. They keep the lawyers up to date about the court trials.
What is the duty of an investigator within a law firm?
The investigation team plays an important role in processing all the cases within the court. This team digs all the facts and figures about all the cases. In Particular, they investigate the history of the criminals.
Conclusion
Law firms earn more revenue than practicing law as a single lawyer. Within the firm, you can handle all types of cases. Moreover, a firm assigns tasks to you, so you don’t need to worry about the clients. There are many positions within a law firm. If you are also considering starting your career with any firm, you may choose any position according to your qualification, expertise, and interest.
References
- https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Career/Staff-Attorney/What-Is-How-to-Become
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partner_(business_rank)
- https://www.indeed.com/career/associate-attorney
- https://www.seniorcare2share.com/what-is-senior-associate-in-law-firm/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associate_attorney
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_counsel
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contractor
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_clerk
I’m a driven and accomplished law graduate and post-graduate, passionate about sharing my legal expertise via my blog. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of London (UK) and a Master’s in Law from the University of Derby (UK). Both gave me the foundational knowledge and skills to excel in my chosen career path.
Throughout my academic journey, I have gained extensive knowledge in various fields of Law, including Corporate and Business Law in the USA, Criminal Law, International Law, US Copyright law, and most importantly, American Constitutional law.
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