A securities attorney is a legal representative, who gives legal advice to his clients over issues related to securities. The matters involved may be transfer of securities and stocks, horizontal merging between companies, insider trading, and so on. Security lawyer deals with variety of clients and their job may be either legal counseling, conflict resolution, protecting companies while during the audit process, handling litigations and guide organization to form new policies for securities.
Such lawyers, like other types of lawyers, should always be informed about the new laws being introduced by the federal bodies or constitution. Securities lawyers stay updated with the new laws and legal rules confined to securities. These lawyers often affiliate with large organizations or serve corporate clients, who are involved in securities market. A few securities lawyers work for government agencies and litigate cases for the government or assist the government in enforcement.
Education Educational requirement for a securities lawyer is the same as other lawyers. They too need to earn a Juris Doctor degree and obtain a state bar license to practice law in any state. Although, there is no pre-law school requirement for a securities law studies, courses focused on English, history, government, philosophy, and economics can be beneficial. Such courses will build general aptitude, analytical skills, researching and thinking ability, and writing skills.
After earning a bachelor's degree or an undergraduate course, you go on to a law school and can select between a three year fulltime program and a part time program spawning over five or more years. The first year of law program is dedicated to teach the basic legal system and in the following years, you can take courses related to securities laws, business laws, tax laws, and administrative laws.
Job Description Securities lawyers can begin their practice after obtaining their license from the state bar association. Their job responsibilities involve representing clients in the matters related to mutual funds, stocks, and other financial instruments.
A securities lawyer can be divided into three types on the basis of type of practice. Transactional lawyers review the securities documents and guide client about the beneficial securities that offer better returns. A regulatory practice involves maintaining the integrity of a deal. Such lawyers help individuals and corporate in disclosing the required financial information in timely manner. A Litigation lawyer will be involved in representing a company to defend it against the flaws in regulations and enforcements of securities laws.
Career Prospects and Salary The career prospects are growing for all types of lawyers, and securities lawyers are no exception to this. 13% growth is estimated in the job openings for securities lawyer over the next decade. The salary of a securities lawyer differs according to the location and organization he serves. However, the average salary is stated to be around $110,000 per year.
A securities lawyer is a legal professional, who is of immense help to deal with the complex laws related to securities. Individuals, who are interested in the working of stock market and finances, can choose securities law as their career. Guiding about mergers, transfer, issuance of stocks, and private sale of securities are under the job responsibilities of a securities lawyer. These lawyers have competitive career prospects in the following years.