Advocates are legal advisers and representatives of a person or a group. They are not necessarily lawyers but they are experts in specific legal areas. Advocates often work with civil cases where they read contracts or disputes from another group which is also represented by another advocate. Their aim is for a settlement favorable to their client’s interest.
Scrutinizing and drafting contracts are among the responsibilities of an advocate. Since they represent a group with specific interests, part of their job is to research for facts that would be favorable to the group. This also includes gathering physical evidence that would also help with their claim. An advocate also attends court sessions when the dispute between two parties is not settled.
A law degree is essential in this type of work. More often than not, this job is done by a lawyer so a state license is highly recommended. Clients can work with individuals with legal knowledge but they often look for a person with actual education and someone who passed the bar exam. Paralegal training and studies is a good alternative to a law degree.
An advocate can work for various law firms or aim for a government position. In this these positions, they will be required to have legal education and passed the bar examination to be employed. Their work with law firms and government position are often in prosecution or defense. This is also the same for large companies and most small businesses as they wanted someone who can represent them in court. On the other hand, those who have paralegal education can give legal advice and represent individuals and smaller businesses in small civil disputes.
Many lawyers and experts in the law have opted to work on their own. They have become successful in working with different clients at the same time as they continue to win cases or achieve settlement in favor of their clients.
More Job Descriptions