Lawyers work in a variety of fields. Lawyers counsel, strategize, solve problems, write, advocate, negotiate, and mediate. Some of the areas they work include, but are not limited to:
Private practice in large, mid-size, and small law firms
In-house counsel for private businesses
Government/Public Service
Public Interest
Judiciary
Academia
Non-traditional
Currently, the practice statistics paint the following picture:
75% of American lawyers are in private practice; of these:
62% work as solo practitioners or in offices of five or fewer lawyers
18% work in offices of between six and 50 lawyers
20% work in firms of more than 50 lawyers
7.5% of the profession work for government agencies
8.5% work for private industries and associations as salaried lawyers or as managers
1% work for legal aid or as public defenders
1% work in legal education
2.5% work in the judiciary
4.4% are retired or inactive
