Lawyers: Definition, Duties, and Tips for Being a Successful Lawyer

The profession of a lawyer is certainly no stranger to the ears of the majority of Indonesian people. You may often read or hear about it, both in online media, TV and print media. Usually lawyers appear when the media reports on cases that are brought to court or court.

Maybe you or some of your friends around you have dreams of becoming a successful lawyer. However, do you already know complete information about the definition of a lawyer, duties, process, and how to become a lawyer?

1. Definition of a lawyer

According to Law Number 18 of 2003 concerning Advocates, a lawyer is defined as a person whose profession is to provide legal services. Lawyers serve both inside and outside the court. The working area of a lawyer also covers all regions in Indonesia.

Lawyers also have the right and authority to provide advice or defend cases in court. Therefore, lawyers are also often referred to as legal advisers.

2. There are 14 attorney duties

Basically, a lawyer is a representative of a client’s legal interests and tries to solve the client’s problems as effectively as possible. Lawyers also play an advisory role while keeping in touch with colleagues.

Usually a lawyer will prepare various procedural documents, submit cases to court, and so on. The other duties carried out by a lawyer are:

• Analyze and explain legal issues.
• Describe the rules in the law.
• Administer laws systematically.
• Interpret the laws and regulations currently in force, as well as formulate new rules for conditions where there are no laws and established regulations.
• Describe, create, and use legal concepts.
• Elaborate to use awards, assessments, classifications, and theories.
• Lowering the principles in judicial law.
• Deciding or resolving problems or disputes between opposing parties.
• Providing information about the legal system or other legal matters through the media or public speeches.
• Analyze, study, and describe facts and events.
• Reflecting legal values, facts and evidence.
• Predict what the judges will be able to do.
• Authenticate or criticize the political system.
• Learn to transfer and disseminate knowledge.

3. Where do lawyers work?

Actually a lawyer can work in various places. Given that lawyers are capable of multitasking, their work environment also varies.
For example, there are lawyers who work in courts, law offices, and notary offices. But there are also lawyers who work in companies or government agencies, for example the tax authority.

In addition, there are also lawyers who have their own office. Usually there are several colleagues who will deal with lawyers, such as legal assistants, civil law notaries, lawyers, and attorneys.

4. What is the process of becoming a lawyer?

Being a lawyer is certainly not easy. Because someone needs to go through a series of processes to be able to assist clients. Some of the processes are as follows.

• Become a law graduate with a bachelor’s degree.
• Participate in various special education for the advocate profession which are generally carried out by advocate organizations.
• Declared to have passed the special education exam for the advocate profession.
• Doing internship for at least 2 years in the same advocate office.
• Appointed as an advocate from an advocate organization.
• Officially received a copy of the decree on the appointment of advocates submitted by the Supreme Court and the Minister of Law and
• Human Rights.
• Swearing an oath based on each religion held at an open session of the high court in the area of their legal domicile.
• Finally, receive a copy of the minutes of the oath by the high court clerks.

5. How to become a successful lawyer

After going through a series of processes to become a lawyer, you still have full responsibility to guide your clients through the legal system with expertise and wisdom. There are several benchmarks or ways for you to become a successful lawyer, namely:

1. Know the law

This is important to know because the regulations change frequently. In addition, the emergence of new cases every day requires lawyers to stay up to date.

2. Conduct research

If you have a case that has never been handled before, then you can take the time to do legal research and find the answer. As a lawyer, you need to do research to find solutions to new cases or problems that arise every day.

3. Presentri seminar

Participating in a seminar is not only fulfilling the conditions for participation to maintain a license to practice law. But you will get a lot of knowledge about valuable laws.

An example of a seminar that you can attend is a continuing legal education seminar or commonly known as Continuing Legal Education (CLE).

4. Train critical thinking

Apart from the previous methods, you also need to look at legal issues from various sides to get the best solution. Proper analysis of the problem not only helps you to identify the problem. However, it also helps to develop strong legal arguments, so that they can support your client’s position.

6. What professions can law graduates pursue?

(Illustration of panel of judges) IDN Times/Sukma Shakti
Lawyers are only one of the professions that can be cultivated by people who study law. If you are interested, there are several professions inthe field of law that you can work on, including:

• Lawyer
• Company lawyers
• Tax attorney
• Bailiffs
• Law advisor
• Legal assistant
• Notary Public
• Prosecutor
• Public prosecutor
• Judges, and so on.

Thus the information and discussion about the understanding of lawyers, tasks, processes, and how to become a successful lawyer. This explanation can be your additional reference if you want to plan to work as a lawyer.