First of all, what does a litigating lawyer do? He goes to court and represents (argues) his client’s cases, as opposed to or in addition to doing paperwork and documentation.
In case you are wondering, you would go to litigating lawyer, if,
~You have been accused of a crime
~Your tenant is not paying his rents on time
~Your neighbor is creating a lot of nuisance
~The Municipal Corporation has not passed your proposed plan for a new house for no apparent reason
~You want a divorce and custody of your child
~The doctor forgot the scalpel in your stomach during surgery
~Your employee has not given you your due salary
~You have been served a notice from the income tax department regarding a hearing on tax irregularities
~Your name has not featured in the CLAT allotment list despite getting a high rank.
Seeing a number of black robed men and women swarm around like a cloud of bats, may give one the impression that the world is overpopulated with litigating lawyers. But the fact is, in spite of having over 5,00,000 registered advocates in India and over 15,000 new entrants, enrolling into the bar every year, the need for lawyers is only rising. This can be attributed to the increase in the number of disputes, which can be attributed to the rise in commercial activities. With globalization and liberalization, requirement for lawyers it is likely to gather momentum.
On the downside, one’s career growth when it comes to litigation cannot be charted, and there is always a shroud of uncertainty with regards to one’s salary, job security, promotions etc. How much you earn and how much you grow is entirely dependent on your performance and skill. Phrases like ‘survival of the fittest’, ‘dog eat dog world’ etc. takes a whole new meaning. A beginner will have to survive on a paltry salary or sometimes none at all. But, once you acquire and hone the necessary skills, even the sky is not the limit to how much you can grow and how much you can earn, almost reminding one of the famous quote from ‘The Godfather’ by Mario Puzo – “One lawyer with a briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns…”. Moreover, for generations, a career as a lawyer has been a hallmark of prestige, not to mention the opportunity to help the society in a way that no other profession accords.
To quote the famous American politician, diplomat and lawyer, John William Davis, “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures—unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men’s burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”