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Attorney Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

Last updated: April 15, 2023

An Attorney, or Lawyer, is a legal professional who advises and represents clients in relation to their legal rights in civil and criminal cases. Their duties include meeting with clients to discuss the various aspects of their cases, performing research to gather pertinent information for each client case and attending all pretrial hearings and hearings to represent the client in a court of law.

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Attorney duties and responsibilities

There are primarily two tiers of Attorney job descriptions that are inherent to the legal position. You need to be specific to the one that is relevant to your system. Listed below are the general duties and responsibilities of Attorneys.

  • Providing legal support and guidance
  • Advising clients on the best behavior while charges are pending, including confiding in family and friends and social media use
  • Meeting with clients at the remand or an office to critically discuss the pending charges and strategize on how best to defend
  • Finding ethical solutions to legal matters
  • Communicating with clients to understand their legal concerns and needs to help provide them with essential pieces of advice
  • Strategizing on how to resolve the clients’ cases in a favorable and cost-effective manner
  • Enlightening clients about legal options and making them know the possible outcomes or threats
  • Developing ideal arguments and representing clients in civil and criminal legal proceedings
  • Staying informed about any current legislation
  • Building trustworthy relationships with clients
  • Preparing legal documents such as dispositions, pleadings and contracts in a timely and accurate manner
  • Assisting clients with the execution of agreements such as plea bargains with the regional attorney’s office
  • Collecting retainers from clients and executing contracts
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Attorney Job Description Examples

What does an Attorney do?

Attorneys perform a number of legal duties on behalf of their clients and work in various law fields such as constitutional law, criminal law and corporate law. Attorneys advise clients on various legal strategies and ongoing litigations, research various aspects of their cases to support their clients’ claims, create case strategies that best meet the client’s goals and appear in court before a jury or judge to defend a client’s interests and rights. Their job is to represent and advise their client in a way that best supports their client’s legal situation.

Attorney skills and qualifications

Any potential candidate for the position of Attorney needs a set of skills and qualifications to enable them to deliver in the event they are considered for the post. Here are various skills and qualifications you may want to consider when writing a job description.

  • Willingness to meet personally with clients
  • Ability to handle a high caseload
  • Admittance to the bar requirements in the region of jurisdiction
  • Experience or expertise in a specific branch of law
  • Commitment to abiding by the set laws and behaving ethically
  • Excellent interpersonal skills
  • Strong critical thinking skills
  • Excellent public speaking skills
  • Adaptability and attention to detail
  • Ability to work on a case independently
  • Ability to work with a team of attorneys to develop strategies for a case
  • Ability to communicate in writing and verbally effectively

Attorney salary expectations

On average, an Attorney earns $89,278 a year. This salary estimation is generated from those posted on Indeed.com by 5,269 anonymous users and employees over the past three years. An Attorney’s typical tenure is 1-3 years. Depending on the region or location of your firm and the qualification and experience of the new hire, you may find it appropriate to upscale or downscale the salary.

Attorney education and training requirements

A candidate for the position of Attorney requires a Bachelor’s Degree in Law-related field. They also need to possess a Juris Doctoral degree from an accredited school of law, which, in essence, puts them at a competitive advantage.

Attorney experience requirements

To be hired as an Attorney for the firm, the candidate needs a minimum of five years of experience as a practicing criminal or civil defense lawyer. The candidate must also be well conversant with the regional Attorney’s office.

Job description samples for similar positions

If you’re writing a job description for a related position to an Attorney, see our job descriptions for these similar roles:

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Frequently asked questions about Attorneys

What personality should an Attorney have?

Attorneys regularly interact with clients and members of the legal system such as judges and other lawyers. Good Attorneys typically have outgoing personalities and are not afraid of public speaking. They are also confident in their ability to represent their clients and deliver convincing statements on behalf of their clients in court.

What makes a good Attorney?

Strong Attorneys are dedicated to defending their client’s legal rights. Common characteristics of a good Attorney include:

  • Excellent judgment skills and the ability to draw logical and reasonable conclusions from the information available to them
  • Good analytical skills and the ability to turn large amounts of information into manageable and usable data to be used for a case
  • Quick and effective research skills to prepare quality legal strategies for clients and perform in-depth research to support a case
  • Strong communication skills and the ability to articulate information effectively in various forms including through speaking and writing
  • Solid listening skills to effectively obtain all necessary information from clients and other people important to a case

What are the daily duties of an Attorney?

Attorneys perform various tasks on a day-to-day basis. These tasks include advising clients on various legal concerns; meeting with other Attorneys to discuss aspects of legal issues and verify ideas for legal proceedings; drafting, preparing and reviewing legal documentation like deeds, leases and contracts; acting as a trustee, guardian or agent for an individual or business; speaking on the phone with clients and other individuals relevant to a client’s case, and studying different legal data like regulations, statutes and the Constitution to verify and determine case ramifications.

Job Description Examples

Need help writing a job description for a specific role? Use these job description examples to create your next great job posting. Or if you’re ready to hire, post your job on Indeed.

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