My Career Plan to Become a Great Lawyer

Even though we cannot control our future, it is essential to make a career plan to be successful in the future. Hence, in the next few paragraphs, I will explain my 6-year career plan to become a great lawyer. When I was receiving my primary education, I was close to my uncle who was a lawyer. I saw him studying and researching about his cases. A few years back, an old person who seemed poor came to my uncle’s office. He expressed his gratitude towards my uncle because of helping him to win a case to get justice for his son. That day I saw tears of joy flowing out of that old man’s eyes as well as my uncle’s. From that day onwards, I knew that my passion was to be a lawyer which will make me feel proud of my job. All these years, I have read many news articles and have heard many stories about global issues like the murder of the prominent journalist, Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia and the discrimination against the LGBT community. I have read how some people have taken their rights for granted and how they have violated the basic human rights of other people. Hence, I decided to help them. I believe I will be able to take matters into my own hands and support innocent people by pursuing a career as a human rights lawyer. 

Human rights are the rights which every person is entitled to regardless of their nationality, race, religion, language, sex or any other social status. Thus, even though some laws can differ from one country to another country, human rights law is universal and consistent. Furthermore, in this career, you will have to go through some deplorable and disturbing stories. Not many people can go through them and succour to those in need. However, I am confident that I can give those guiltless people an opportunity to pursue joy and happiness in their lives. I can get people justice instead of just feeling bad for them by being a mere spectator. A human rights lawyer’s duty is to promote and protect the fundamental rights of citizens in a country. Human rights lawyers must defend people whose basic human rights have been violated or taken away from them. Therefore, they generally have to spend time investigating the evidence of a case, interrogating clients and eyewitnesses, and studying and researching local and international human rights laws. There are necessary skills that I must improve to make an impact in the field of human rights. 

First of all, human rights lawyers must especially have excellent written and oral communication skills as they often have to interview clients and eyewitnesses. Hence, they should have exceptional speaking skills. Furthermore, they need to have strong researching and investigating skills to know the law of the land, history of similar cases and to fully understand all the important details of a particular case. Human rights lawyers should also have a good analytical mind to solve their cases. They should be able to think logically without considering only the superficial values of a case. Additionally, in certain cases, human rights lawyers might have to represent some clients. Thus, debating and negotiation skills are also essential to find the best possible solution for their clients. Human rights lawyers also contribute to the process of promoting peace between individuals and communities by making the public aware of human rights laws by gaining media attention. As a result, innocent people will not get negatively influenced by people with ulterior motives. Thus, evidently many public justice issues are related to human rights law. 

I did my GCE (O/L) examination at Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo in December 2018. Soon after that, I applied to the Law Foundation Course at APIIT because I realized that the GCE (A/L) examination is not a guaranteed way to become a human rights lawyer. That is due to the poor education system in Sri Lanka. Thus, currently, I am doing the law foundation program at APIIT and will start the degree program in September 2019. Then, I will be able to complete the LLB degree by the end of the year 2022. Since I want to practise as a lawyer in Sri Lanka to serve the citizens of my motherland, I will join the Law College in Colombo after the completion of the degree. Then, I will study for 18 months in the Law College as a law graduate and pass all the required exams. After that, I will complete the six months in apprenticeship by working under the supervision of a practising attorney and by undergoing the practical training sessions held by the Sri Lankan Law College. 

Finally, I will be admitted and enrolled as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. Thenceforth, I will start practising as a human rights lawyer in Sri Lanka. By that time I will be 22 years of age. A human rights lawyer’s job is considered to be an honourable job as they play a crucial role in securing justice and upholding human rights. Especially in a developing country like Sri Lanka where a majority of citizens are affected due to the lack of knowledge of their rights. As a human rights lawyer, I expect to help individuals to get the best possible solutions for the violations of their rights. It will be my professional responsibility to provide legal services to those unable to pay. Additionally, I plan to spread to legal awareness across the country through lectures, interactive programs and posters. I will contribute to society by also doing Pro Bono work as a human rights lawyer. 

Consequently, as a human rights lawyer, I will be contributing to other professions as well. In the field of business, I will help to increase awareness about labour rights and labour equality. In marketing, I can work to create awareness, promote organizations, fundraise, and more. Furthermore, I will contribute to journalism in human rights which will be focusing on getting information and stories to the public and mobilizing people through spreading accurate information. Which will in return change the world to a much better place to live. To sum up I look forward to making a strong impact in the field of law by learning and improving myself throughout my journey as a human rights lawyer.