Hey, can anyone give me a couple of good reasons for pursuing a career in business law? Thank you!?

just a thought...

Ok, when I hear "business law" I think of transactional corporate law. That's what i do. I do mostly corporate finance (i.e. venture capital finance), mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, etc. In that setting, I am basically helping the two sides negotiate contracts to implement the transaction. My clients are usually companies, and I am usually negotiating against lawyers who represent other companies, banks or investors. It is adversarial, but at the same time we are all working for a common goal (getting the deal done). Contrast that to litigation, where there is no incentive to work together for a common goal; it is far more adversarial. I also do other work, including drafting agreements that my clients use day to day (employment agreements, sometimes licensing agreements or customer contracts, etc.) and I do some public company reporting work (that means the reporting that certain companies must make to the Securities and Exchange Commission). Oh, and sometimes we have a new client so I will do corporate formation (setting up Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, etc.)
There is litigation that could be called "business law" too, such as securities litigation (class action lawsuits of shareholders vs. the company), commercial litigation (litigating breached contracts, etc.) But I think when most people say "business law" they are not talking about courts or cases or any of that, they are talking about corporate or commercial transactions. Like I said before, corporate transactions are great because there is a feeling of trying to make something happen (the transaction), trying to draft the contract in a way that makes it work for everyone, and avoiding dispute. I am an advisor to my clients, and they are happy to talk to me and accept my help. I have been practicing for 5 years and I have a few clients that I have been with that entire time, and you build good relationships and enjoy watching the business grow and change. Litigators, on the other hand, are only called when something has gone wrong, there is a pending or actual lawsuit, and no one is ever happy to be in that situation. When the case is over, the client says to the lawyer "thank you for your help, I hope that I NEVER have to see you again." It is just really unpleasant. not that business transactions are a cake walk, but I think you get my point.

You should take these classes: corporations, contracts, some UCC classes, securities regulation, and other good extra classes are basic income tax, corporate tax, business planning, accounting for lawyers, contract drafting.... if those are offered.
Hope that was helpful.
Good luck!

CLIVE H

Reason number one - happiness in life - you want to be a lawyer.

Reason two. I should not be telling you this, but I am a cleaner and quite by chance recently while cleaning in one office I found the company lawyer's pay advice slip open on his desk at 6am. His monthly income was in the region of Â£35,000 - he had borrowed Â£1million from his bank - no sweat.

Think about it. Not only do you get happiness, you also get money.

In my job you get happeness and .... well lots of laffs.

Darren R

Yep - if you're good, you can make a fortune. Also it's likely to be a very interesting and involving job, not a repetitive grind.

C3P0

Money, money, money! Thats three reaons for you.

scullion

The work and the money.

The work is incredibly varied, mentally challenging and often critical to the success of the business. Even the top dude needs YOU at his/her side when important issues are being discussed. OK, so it is more routine in some companies .... so get really good and only work for the exciting ones. Good business law people are in great demand so you can often to choose to work in an environment that really flicks your switches.

The money can be excellent if you are good at the job. A few years ago, my 35 year old colleague was earning over Â£100,000, plus car, plus private medical plus bonus of about 15-20%, 6.5 weeks holiday etc (working as part of a large legal team for a well known UK company). Money isn't everything but it gives you choices. Anyway, if you are going to study hard and work hard and be good at what you do, it is nice for your ability to be recognised in financial terms.

The downside: If you want the excitement and the big money, you have to accept that not all excitement comes at a time that is convenient for you .... but it is like a drug so you go for it anyway. It's what you do and you wouldn't want it any other way.

Bigger downside: Like any job, unless you are good enough and determined enough to find the exciting areas of work, you can get stuck on a more average wage doing run-of-the-mill work every day - but even 'average' in law is more than most people earn.

Donnie H

the pay,,,if your this dumb,forget it,

rmurdoch23

money. assured employment.

annabel m

1) it pays well
2) you'll meet lots of wealthy types and might find a good marriage partner
3) its more interesting and less depressing than certain other branches of law (imagine doing conveyancing all your life, or divorces)

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: