Marriage lawyers, also known as divorce or family lawyers, focus their professional activity on family law, the matter that concerns marriage in all its situations and consequently also divorces. Clients who want to dissolve their marriage turn to marriage lawyers, who deal with dividing the assets and reaching agreements regarding the custody of the children. The level of education and career path is similar to that of all other branches of law, but there are some particular steps to follow if you want to specialize in this subject.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Obtaining the Appropriate Educational Qualification
Step 1. Get your law degree
The essential condition to become an ordinary lawyer is the achievement of a degree in Law at the end of a course of study lasting 3 plus 2 years (three-year degree plus specialist degree, according to the new system) or 5 years (single-cycle master's degree).
- The five-year single-cycle master's degree is characterized by the study of the various legal disciplines and basic economic subjects during the first three years, while from the 4th year onwards you can choose to specialize in a particular subject depending on the their own attitudes and interests.
- With the old system, however, the law degree course lasted four years.
- The law degree does not teach you to specialize in a particular subject, but it does provide you with the basic skills you need to work in the legal field, teaching you to read, write and think like a lawyer.
Step 2. Do an internship at a law firm
Once you have completed your studies, you will need to do two years of practice in a law firm. Look for a law firm that specializes in family law to gain experience in the subject you are interested in.
Part 2 of 4: Obtaining the title of lawyer
Step 1. Prepare for the Bar Exam
To obtain the qualification, you must pass the bar exam, consisting of a written and an oral test.
- The written test has as its object the drafting of an opinion chosen between two matters in civil matters, the drafting of an opinion chosen between two matters in criminal matters and the drafting of a judicial document.
- The oral exam focuses on civil and criminal law, legal system and forensic ethics, plus two other subjects that the candidate must choose.
Step 2. Pass the exam
Once you have passed the qualification exam, you will be officially a lawyer and you will be able to enroll in the Register. From that moment on you will be able to practice the profession.
Part 3 of 4: Gaining Experience
Step 1. Look for work in a law firm
You will be able to gain a solid foundation and experience by working in a large law firm specializing in divorce or family law. Dealing with a number of cases regarding this matter and working closely with experienced attorneys will help you learn how to become a marriage attorney.
- You can decide to go on your own and open a law firm. However, it is expensive and it could be very difficult to acquire customers without experience and without already being established in the industry.
- Remember, in college you are not taught how to practice law, but simply how to think by putting yourself in the shoes of a lawyer. If you join a law firm, you will be able to learn the secrets of the trade.
Step 2. Refine your long-term career goals
After accumulating many years of experience, you can decide whether to become a partner in a law firm, start your own law firm or dedicate yourself to teaching in a university environment. If you are a new lawyer who is gaining experience, keep your goals in mind.
Step 3. Keep up to date
A good way to establish yourself as a marriage lawyer is to take refresher courses or thematic masters that address all the legal aspects of the sector. Stay informed about changes in divorce and family law laws.
Part 4 of 4: Hone Your Skills as a Marriage Lawyer
Step 1. Stay fit physically and mentally
Family law is a complex and delicate branch of law because of the strong emotions that characterize most divorce cases, particularly if children are involved. Avoid getting overwhelmed by stress, take time to relax, exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Step 2. Collaborate with expert technical consultants
As a marriage attorney you have the ability to provide guidance and support to clients who are facing a difficult situation. For this you will have to make use of expert technical consultants, such as psychologists, psychiatrists, family mediators, sociologists, pedagogists.
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The Association of Italian Matrimonial Lawyers hopes for the future an ad hoc register of marriage lawyers, which will give citizens the possibility to choose in a responsible way the professional who will have to protect them in such a delicate matter.
Become a Divorce Lawyer Step 13
Advice
- A good marriage lawyer must have excellent mediation skills.
- Since the number of separations and divorces is very high in Italy, the professional figure of the marriage lawyer is in great demand.
- The marriage lawyer does not only deal with separations and divorces, but also with advice on rights and duties following marriage, immigration, citizenship and mixed marriages.
- From the latest Istat data, it emerges that the average duration of marriages at the time of registration in the procedure is equal to 16 years for separations and 19 years for divorces.
