Lawyers don’t always get a good press, but in fact the legal profession offers many opportunities for ethical job seekers, explains Barney Jeffries.
 
Why won’t sharks attack lawyers? Professional courtesy. How can you tell when a lawyer is lying? His lips are moving. Where can you find a good lawyer? In the cemetery.

It’s fair to say that lawyers don’t have a great reputation as ethical people. But is this harsh verdict a just one?

Many lawyers would argue that their role – upholding the law and seeking justice for their clients – is fundamentally ethical in itself. Others are driven by strong moral convictions to pursue particular causes close to their heart. Lawyers often fight for the underdog, stand up for human rights, give representation to the voiceless and challenge injustice.

Recruitment drive

If you’ve ever considered a career in the law, now could be a great time to start. Leading lawyers have recently launched a recruitment drive aimed at countering some of the negative perceptions surrounding the profession. The Bar Council and a group of big City law firms have both announced plans to encourage applicants from a wider range of backgrounds to pursue a career in the law.

There’s far more to being a lawyer than standing up in court shouting “Objection, your honour!” Barristers – the ones who wear the wigs – make up only a small proportion of the legal profession. If you want to make a positive difference as a lawyer, there are many different paths open to you.

Ethical specialisations

You could specialise in a particular area, such as human rights, asylum claims or environmental law. There are also opportunities to work in-house with NGOs or not-for-profit organisations. Even some of the less likely sounding specialisations, such as commercial law, offer ethical opportunities. You could, for example, use your legal knowledge of international trade laws to argue for a fairer deal for developing countries.

Some law firms take on legal aid clients, who could not otherwise afford a lawyer. The lawyer’s fees will be lower than with private clients, but they may be making a positive contribution to social justice.

Many lawyers also take on “pro bono” work – meaning “for the public good” – for charities or other good causes. They offer their time and expertise for free. Yes, really – a lawyer working for nothing. It does happen.

Here, two lawyers in very different roles explain how the law can be a great ethical career choice.
 
Adam Zellick is a barrister at Fountain Court Chambers, a specialist commercial law firm in the City. Adam studied law at Cambridge and completed his Bar Vocational Course (BVC) at Inns of Court School of Law. Before joining Fountain Court, he was a research assistant at the Law Commission and then a supervisor in law at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.

Adam Zellick: "We give representation to those who need it most."

As much as, if not more than any other career, the Bar provides the opportunity to make a difference. The pursuit of ethical values and of justice is the whole job. It is what we do every day, day in day out, without fail. The rule of law forms a vital part of a working democracy, and it is the work of barristers to protect and preserve society’s most crucial ethical values.

We give voice and representation to those who need it most and who otherwise would have none. Barristers have the privilege of doing this to earn a living and the Bar as a profession is heavily committed to pro-bono work.

All briefs are ethical briefs in that the ethics and principles of high quality legal representation apply to every client. Our “cab rank” rule means that a barrister cannot refuse a case just because the client’s position is distasteful. This ethical requirement rightly ensures that no-one should ever be left without proper legal advice and representation.

As a career choice, the Bar gives unique opportunity to act in support of ethical causes and to fight against injustice. As just two examples, I have represented detainees and victims of torture in Burma’s jails and I have worked on the legal issues surrounding Guantanamo Bay. 

It is possible as a barrister to devote as much time as you choose to serving good causes. Barristers at the independent Bar are also self-employed so have great independence to choose their areas of work and to shape their commitments. Barristers have particular legal skills and talents and can devote them to securing just results for those who are crying out for justice and for whom their lawyer is their only hope. 

The work makes a difference because it is through legal process that change and justice can be delivered. I believe that few careers are harder work but few can give better ethical job satisfaction. 

Tom Brenan is a solicitor for the Environmental Law Foundation (ELF), a national charity that helps people use the law to protect and improve their local environment and quality of life. Tom studied law at Kingston University, graduating in 1993. He qualified as a solicitor in 1997 then spent six years working as a legal editor. After time out travelling around the country by bicycle working on farms, smallholdings and woodland projects, he joined ELF in September 2005.

Tom Brenan: "It's certainly possible to have an ethical career in the law, but it may not be easy."

I wanted to make a difference when I entered the law, but I didn’t originally think of environmental law as the place to do it. At the time it was considered a commercial discipline. It’s only comparatively recently that people have seen the potential for the law to be used to protect the environment.

Our work generally revolves around the impact of development, and concerns issues such as habitat destruction and loss of green space. We help people who don’t know where else to turn to, and often don’t have much in the way of funding – whereas the developers tend to have a lot of money behind them.

My job involves giving initial advice over the phone or in writing. It may be a question of telling people how to obtain information, or advising on whether there are grounds to challenge the local authority over a planning decision. Other cases we’ll refer to one of our network of specialists. 
 
We have a cross-disciplinary network of around 170 lawyers and consultants who work with us on a pro bono basis. They come from a wide-range of backgrounds, from small niche firms to big City firms. There’s increasing pressure on firms to do pro bono work, but a lot of people approach us as individuals too.

The increased awareness of environmental issues is a definite motivation, and has raised interest in this area. After all, lawyers are human too!

If you’re considering a career in environmental law, it’s important to gain practical experience, as the reality of practice isn’t always what you’d learn in law school. ELF offers an internship scheme, where people at different stages in their career can gain an insight into environmental law in the UK.

It is certainly possible to have an ethical career in the law, but it may not be easy. There are pressures, financial and otherwise, and a limited number of opportunities.

Fountain Court Chambers
www.fountaincourt.co.uk

Environmental Law Foundation
www.elflaw.org