All in a Good Cause

Dear Oracle

I'd like to do something I feel satisfied with; combining law with some work within human rights or charity work may be the answer. How do I go about finding such a career?

The Oracle replies

The legal profession is first and foremost exactly what it says, a profession. It is important that this becomes your starting point – if you want to do good your value to the cause is primarily going to be related to how well you are equipped as a lawyer. This means you need to find the best training you can. Some specialist work areas may have more or less relevance in the long run but a good solid legal grounding is an imperative.

The second thing to realise is that you are very unlikely to make a huge amount of money as a 'do-gooder'. Clearly money isn't everything but remember that a legal training will usually lead to a fair amount of debt. Indeed you may well find that your ideal job which sounds like it would be working in house for a worthwhile organisation barely exists. Instead you should consider working for a firm that does civil rights or charity work (see the recent LC.N feature on "Practising Charity Law") but bear in mind that these firms have to operate as businesses first and foremost so you may well end up working as hard as your college mates raking it in in the city. And bear in mind that firms or sets of chambers specialising in 'worthy' legal areas act for both sides so an environmental lawyer is as likely to be working out how to get around the law to let a polluter pollute and a criminal defence lawyer who wants to help the innocent will deal with a majority of clients who are guilty! You might also consider working for the government through the Government Legal Service – an opportunity to influence the system from within!

Pro bono work is one way in which you can really ensure that you are helping and baking a difference. You work as a normal lawyer in a normal job and then give up some of your other time to support causes you believe in. The Solicitors Pro Bono Group (see www.probonogroup.org.uk) is a good source of information. Another very important part of the volunteer sector are drop-in legal centres and Citizens' Advice Bureaux (see www.nacab.org.uk), both will have some full time employees but rely on people giving their own time.

In summary your intentions should be warmly commended and there are clearly people within the profession doing good honest uncompromising work but jobs like that are not all that abundant and to find them you might need to travel a circuitous route.