Douglas Healy is a vastly experienced lawyer with many years of legal work behind him. He graduated from the University of Arkansas law school in 2000 and was a Senior Trial Attorney in Springfield before becoming the Chief of Staff to the Chairman of the Missouri Public Service Commission in Jefferson City. He is now a general counsel to the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission, assisting municipalities with their energy and utility requirements and representing a range of industrial, commercial and cooperative clients.
Douglas Healy represents various agencies in regulatory and legal proceedings at the state and federal level, including transmission and RTO policy, generation, contract negotiations and litigation. He chose to become a lawyer and
According to Douglas, people opt to become lawyers for all sorts of reasons. When you decide to enter the field of law, you can open up a wealth of opportunities for yourself. As long as you have the determination, commitment and financial backing that you need, he believes there is no reason why you can’t go far in this field.
Douglas Healy Discusses Why Enter the Law Industry?
One of the main reasons for becoming a lawyer is to help others. There are many fields that you can specialize in when you enter the law sector, and these include family law, human rights, corporate law, environmental law, personal injury law and so on. Lawyers don’t just protect people – they can also protect groups, companies, animals, the planet itself and more. You can make a highly positive contribution to the world when you become a lawyer, and you may get the chance to protect vulnerable people who have no real way of defending themselves without your assistance. The more you achieve as a lawyer, the further you can go.
Flexibility and Transferable Skills
Another thing that draws people to the law industry is the flexibility that it offers suggests Douglas Healy. You may be able to decide your own fees, hours and clients. You don’t always have to stick with the same specialty. When you feel it’s time to move on, you can switch to another area of law. Some lawyers specialize in a variety of fields.
Once you have got several years of experience behind you, you may even be in a position to launch your own law firm – click here. Another great thing about gaining vast levels of legal experience and expertise is that you can always take a break from the profession when you feel this is needed and return to the industry later. You can also pass on your skills and expertise to others to help them start a career in law. Legal professionals have many transferable skills that will prove valuable in other areas. These include education, law enforcement, consultation, media work and more.
Substantial Earning Potential
Lawyers also have vast earning potential. Because their skills and knowledge and valued so highly, they can take home a substantial salary and command considerable hourly rates suggests Douglas. The law profession is one of the most generously-paid in the world, with some lawyers even earning millions. The amount that you earn will depend on various factors, and these include where you are based, how much experience you have, your legal specialty and so on. If you specialize in a niche field and don’t have a large number of competitors, you may be able to charge very high sums.
Fighting for Justice
Some of the most valuable skills lawyers have include their analytical and communication skills, ability to work with people at all levels, research skills and many more. Lawyers commonly enter the profession because they were passionate about ensuring justice was delivered, holding powerful people to account and stopping criminals from getting away with their crimes. When someone has been the victim of wrongdoing, they can help their clients gain the outcome they desire even if they can’t put things completely right. Many lawyers become even more passionate about their job over time.
A Richly Diverse Workload
Another big benefit of becoming a legal professional is that you are likely to handle a diverse range of cases even when you specialize in one specific field. If you want to try something new after specializing in one area, you can move to contract law, employment law, contract law and many others. You will continue to gain new skills and knowledge throughout your career, and there’s little chance you will run out of opportunities. As demand for your services grows, you can pick and choose which cases you want to work on, selecting ones that will allow you to challenge yourself, make the most of your talents, make a huge contribution to the world and so on. Some of the work that you carry out could even play a role in making huge societal and cultural changes. Many lawyers entered the profession because they wanted to bring about important legal changes and have been successful in doing so.
