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If you are interested to become a public interest lawyer then there are many things that you need to consider before you take the final step of moving ahead. Helping people who are less fortunate is a noble cause but it definitely asks for perseverance and grit. It is not as easy as you think. The amount of effort which you will put in will be more than the rewards which you will get in return. But the satisfaction that you will receive for acting as the support of the unfortunate and less privileged will be even equal to the money you will receive working as an attorney with a big legal firm. The people will understand your words better for they know that you are working for a cause. Money is not the sole criteria here. Public Interest lawyers may not even earn anywhere close to what the same lawyer may earn with a law firm. But the kind of satisfactions and the support of the masses which you will receive will make up for the same.

A. Harrison Barnes, the owner and creator of Hound.com, asks you to first decide why you are interested in the area of public interest law. Unless you are not clear in your mind with your priorities will not succeed in continuing with Public Interest Law for a long time. Some lawyers are simply interested in earning money so they do not go in for public interest law. They do not wish to “spoil” their life by simply working at a place where they will not get enough money for the kind of efforts the put in. Public Interest Law is best suited for the lawyers who are more interested in working for a good cause than simply working for money. If this is what you believe then you can surely be a good Public Interest Lawyer feels A. Harrison Barnes.

You should be aware of the fact that a local or federal government lawyer’s job is not equivalent to the job of a public interest lawyer. A government lawyers seeks to enforce current laws whereas a public interest lawyer may try to change these laws or even work in areas that do not cover them. A. Harrison Barnes gives you a real life example to better help you understand how public interest law works. A famous attorney single handedly took on an automobile giant accusing them of knowingly producing automobiles that were not safe. He believed that the existing law and federal did not completely address the automotive safety rules and hence the automobile company was getting away with their mistakes,

A civil rights lawyer will have to step back if asked by his or her superiors but a public interest lawyer only listens to what his or her conscience has to say and thus works accordingly. No authority can stop a public interest lawyer in their track. This enables you to action against what you feel is wrong or what is against the society with regards to any action of any organization or person.

Public interest law is basically performed for a charitable trust or organization but there are exceptions to this case as well. They take up clients or volunteer for any cause without the thought of pay because the client or the groups of people associated with the case are not given protection under the current law. This does not mean that they do not get paid for their services or the efforts that they put in; in fact they are driven with the single track intention of representing and helping those people who are not protected or who are not represented in the proper way since the case which they want to file cannot be fought under any particular law. They are filled with satisfaction when they know that their efforts will eventually help their clients receive justice.

A. Harrison Barnes says that public interest law is countercultural in the sense that at times it attacks the myths and assumptions upon which all cultures are made of. They have to handle at times cases that are against the regular norms of a culture. If they see or find any norms which exist in any culture or society which go against the people they will stand up and fight for the people. They are driven by a sense of purpose and justice rather than money. This is the main distinguishing factor between a criminal or a trial lawyer and a public interest lawyer. They exist and work on the fine line that separates a perfect “utopian” society and the stark reality which actually exists.

Public interest lawyers even need to work on both sides related to abortion and death penalties. They have to fight either as a pro-abortion lawyer who argues for the right of an individual, as it is a personal choice to terminate pregnancy or may have to become an anti-abortion lawyer who argues that killing is murder and no individual has the right to take a life. In the very same way when it comes to cases pertaining the death penalty, there are lawyers who argue against the death penalties for they are of the firm view that no one has the moral right to take the life of an individual, no matter how heinous the crime. On the other hand there are lawyers who advocate the death penalty because they feel that it is the moral responsibility of the society to do away with people who have taken the lives of other people.

Public interest lawyers are often employed by organizations which cannot pay a hefty salary to such lawyers. If such lawyers earn a huge sum of money then they are accused of profiting from the meek and the underprivileged. Simply put, the lack of money, cultural expectations and the views of the society ultimately force many lawyers to abandon the public interest law field. However, the lawyers who survive are self motivated and they put the society and the affected people before themselves. Such lawyers feed off the satisfaction which is earned by helping the people in need.

So before you take the decision and look for recruiters who will help you with public interest law jobs, A. Harrison Barnes suggests you to evaluate the duties one has to perform. You need to understand that the pay you will receive for your efforts will be minimal because the organization you would work with will not have enough money to pay you for your efforts.

A. Harrison Barnes speaks from experience when he says that public interest lawyers are seen as altruistic who work in the interest of the society.

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