Legal Adviser

Legal advisers are lawyers who are employed by large companies or organizations to provide legal advice and services to both the organization and its employees.


Lawyers are generally divided into attorneys and advocates:

Attorneys are general legal practitioners who offer their client services on all legal aspects, including company law, criminal law, taxation, estate planning and personal advice. Attorneys represent their clients in magistrates’ courts and generally prepare cases for presentation by an advocate in the High Court.

Advocates specialise in giving legal opinions and presenting cases in court, and participate in litigation only when they have been instructed or briefed to do so by an attorney.


Personal Requirements

  • honest and have integrity
  • able to think analytically and rationally
  • objective and able to distinguish facts from irrelevant detail
  • excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
  • discretion, diplomacy and tact


Employment

  • business firms
  • central, provincial or local government
  • law schools
  • legal aid societies
  • self-employment, in private practice


Getting Started

  • arrange to speak to a legal advisor to obtain first- hand information about this field
  • try to obtain vacation work in a law office
  • join a debating society and take part in discussions


Programmes


Related Occupations


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