Economic Development

What we have to do with Law Degree

These are what to do with a Law Degree. Approximately 91% of law  school graduates who secure employment after graduation obtain a “traditional” legal position. Most traditional legal positions fall within the areas of Private Practice, Business, Government and Public Interest. Read mayer brown‘s articles and news for great informations.

Private Practice: Approximately 70% of graduates who obtain traditional legal employment do so in a private practice. They become attorneys with large, medium and small law firms. A few graduates open solo practices. Contact mayer brown for more details.

Government: Approximately 16% of those graduates who obtain traditional legal employment do so with government agencies. They become attorneys for federal regulatory agencies (HUD), state agencies (Illinois Department on Aging), local government (State’s Attorneys Office/City Attorneys Office) and the military (Judge Advocate General Corps). Several graduates also work as clerks for federal and state judges.

Business: Approximately 9% of graduates who obtain traditional legal employment do so within business and industry. They become attorneys for corporations, accounting firms, insurance companies and banking/financial institutions. See mayer brown homepage as your references.

Public Interest: Approximately 4% of graduates who obtain traditional legal employment do so with public interest agencies. They become attorneys for legal services (Land of Lincoln) and public interest groups (ACLU).

VOIP system is the best way for your business

Business VoIP phone systems provide your small to mid-size business with the communications technology comparable to structures used by multinational corporations at a cost that supports your financial considerations. Using VoIP, you will never have to rely on a separate telephone vendor again. All your business voice and data communications needs can be bundled into a single service with guaranteed superior quality and predictability. You get a much bigger bang for your buck with a significant savings of up to 80% over a traditional business phone plan. You have the convenience of managing your phone system functionality from any location. Essentially, your business phone system follows you wherever you go.

When comparing phone systems, make sure you investigate the details carefully. Many systems say they include “everything” but may not include the specific features you require. Exactly what makes up a “complete” system varies from vendor to vendor, so be sure you are comparing equivalent systems. use the trusted company for business VoIP phone system.

You may also want to learn whether the phone systems are built on open standards. While all VoIP systems use the industry standard Internet Protocol (the “IP” in VoIP, remember) to route calls, some use proprietary technology for administration or integration features. Having a system run entirely on open standards can allow for greater flexibility in integration and customization.

Going one step further, open source VoIP programs and applications offer a great way for many businesses to save hundreds or even thousands of dollars every year in telephony costs. Better yet, open source programs are fully customizable to a business’ specific needs, making them a popular choice in many IT departments. You also can transfer a call to a user within the company on another VoIP extension or to an external user on a normal telephone number and other business VoIP services at vocalocity.com

Franchise business opportunities

Before you buy a business:

• Study the disclosure document and proposed contract carefully.

• Interview current owners in person. (They should be listed in the disclosure document.) Visiting them in person may help you identify any that are “shills” — people paid to give favorable reports. Don’t rely on a list of references selected by the company because it may contain shills. Ask owners and operators how the information in the disclosure document matches their experiences with the company.

• Investigate claims about your potential earnings. Some companies may claim that you’ll earn a certain income or that existing franchisees or business opportunity purchasers earn a certain amount. Companies making earnings representations must provide you with the written basis for their claims. Be suspicious of any company that does not show you in writing how it computed its earnings claims.

• Sellers also must tell you in writing the number and percentage of owners who have done as well as they claim you will. Keep in mind that broad sales claims about successful areas of business — “Be a part of our $4 billion industry,” for example — may have no bearing on your likelihood of success. Also, recognize that once you buy the business, you may be competing with franchise owners or independent business people with more experience than you.

• Shop around. Compare franchises with other business opportunities. Some companies may offer benefits not available from the first company you considered. The Franchise Opportunities Handbook, published annually by the U.S. Department of Commerce, describes more than 1,400 companies that offer franchises. Contact those that interest you. Request their disclosure documents and compare their offerings.

• Listen carefully to the sales presentation. Some sales tactics should signal caution. For example, if you are pressured to sign immediately “because prices will go up tomorrow,” or “another buyer wants this deal,” slow down. A seller with a good offer doesn’t use high-pressure tactics. Under the FTC rule, the seller must wait at least 10 business days after giving you the required documents before accepting your money or signature on an agreement. Be wary if the salesperson makes the job sound too easy. The thought of “easy money” may be appealing, but success generally requires hard work.

• Get the seller’s promises in writing. Any oral promises you get from a salesperson should be written into the contract you sign. If the salesperson says one thing but the contract says nothing about it or says something different, it’s the contract that counts. If a seller balks at putting oral promises in writing, be alert to potential problems and consider doing business with another firm.

• Consider getting professional advice. Ask a lawyer, accountant, or business advisor to read the disclosure document and proposed contract. The money and time you spend on professional assistance and research — such as phone calls to current owners — could save you from a bad investment decision

© 2009 Economic Development. All Rights Reserved.