For my story, one of the secondary characters is a lawyer. As you all know, in novel I'm writing, Alex's father is a lawyer. But how often are lawyers really home? Should I change him (the father) to something else? If anyone remembers, Alex is an abused and neglected teenager who attempts suicide (hense the tittle the suicide note). However, for abuse to happen; I need the abuser to be home. Should I make him a lawyer, or something else? Any thoughts on how I should research this, how often lawyers are home, are helpful. I know I should talk to lawyers, but I don't know any. So if you do, I could use your help. Edit: Thanks for moving it, forgot I should put it in here.
I’m a lawyer. I leave my house at 8.35 each morning and get home by 5.40. It depends on the lawyer though! Some stay in the office until 11pm. Some pull all nighters! It really depends on the sort of law that you practice and whether you are a partner or not. I am pretty strict about getting home because the evening is my writing time. Feel free to ask any questions, and I will try to help.
That's right, I had forgotten that you had mentioned that. What type of lawyer are you? How high up in the court are you? Could you arrest me? (Just joking.) Would it cause a big scandel if you were arrested, or would it just make the daily news? What types of lawyers are home in the evening? Thanks!
Here’s your first surprise: I don’t spend any time at court. In fact, except for lunch, it’s rare for me to leave the office. Oh, and home time, too. The reason? Well, lawyers deal with two types of work. The first type is known as non-contentious. This is what I call “nice law”—so called because the parties involved are trying to get on with each other and work toward a shared goal. Non-contentious work includes drafting wills, distributing a deceased person’s assets (probate), setting up trusts, and transferring the ownership of property. That’s right, boring stuff. The second type is known as contentious work. This is the sort of law you see portrayed on TV—“nasty law.” Nasty because it involves people suing or divorcing or being thrown in jail. If you do non-contentious work, as I do, then you rarely, if ever, go to court. You also drink plenty of coffee to help you keep awake. If you do contentious work then you will sometimes go to court. But again, not as often as you might think. Most cases settle out of court. That said, some lawyers specialise in court work. This type of lawyer is in court most days. Also, most lawyers specialise in just one area of law. I specialise in property law (houses and bits of land.) If someone wants a will drafting, I send him to a colleague. As you can imagine, will drafters drink the most coffee. The lawyers most likely to take work home are the ones who do go to court a lot. This is because they may have to prepare for a case that is being heard by the judge the following morning. Oh, and partners, too. The partners are the ones who own the business. They may also work late at the office. If they are not working late, they may be out schmoozing. The lawyers I know spend plenty of time at home each evening. However, high-flying city lawyers working on big commercial deals will work late into the evening. Sometimes they’ll work all night. Of course, they get paid what is technically known as “Mega Bucks.” If your lawyer is going to be home a lot, ask yourself why. Is he a city lawyer who’s not prepared to sacrifice family life for work? If so, how does his employer feel about that? Does it cause conflict? Does he want to move away from the city and work for a less demanding firm? Is he home on time every evening because the work dried up during the credit crunch? Maybe he’s home but always working in his study? As to whether it would make the news if I was arrested, it depends on the crime! A very minor offence, I doubt it. Stealing money from a client would increase my chances. Of course, if I stripped naked and went crazy with a machine gun, it might even make the news in the U.S. If you get stuck, let me know! Good luck.
