I am a law graduate struggling to find an area of law that would be permissible to enter. I have watched Mufti Faraz Adam’s video on haram and halal work but I still don’t have any clear answers with regards to practicing employment law.
Employment lawyers deal with all areas of employment law from discrimination claims, to restructures and redunancies, TUPE, settlement agreements, employment contracts, restrictive covenants, dismissals, due diligence checks etc.
My worry is that some clients may be haram businesses such as financial corporations, alcoholic beverage companies/breweries, and tobacco industries. But many other clients could be permissible businesses such as health and social care, education, manufacturing, charities and transportation/logistics. So you may be drafting employment contracts, or supporting these haram businesses by helping them restructure etc.
Law firms which provide employment services encourage solicitors to be very commercially focused, and say that their job is to support and help your business grow. But i’m worried it would be haram to support business in this way by being a solicitor.
Other than this, I’m worried about certain aspects employment solicitors may cover more generally. Such as the inclusion of health and life insurance benefits in employment contracts or stock options/share schemes. If you were to advice on setting up these schemes or were to negotiate the inclusion or better terms for these employee benefits, I don’t know if this would be permissible or not given that the conventional opinion is that insurance is haram, and also these stocks could very well be haram too, especially if they are in haram industries.
I feel really lost at this point as so many legal areas encounter haram. I’ve spent all these years studying law and I don’t know what to do anymore. Family law involves surrogacy and adoption issues. Corporate/commercial law could include interest based transactions and other haram dealings. Probate includes writing haram wills for non-muslim clients. Conveyancing I have been advised is haram if the client is buying a second home with a mortgage, ie for business purposes rather than a first home which would be permissible. Commercial property also seems haram as I believe you would be part of helping gain funding ie through an interest based loan to acquire the property for your client. Banking law is out of the question. Dispute resolution can include disputes over haram wills.
Employment law seemed like it would be free from haram things, but looking into it I’m just not sure anymore if it would be a permissible line of work to enter into. Even with so many areas of law encountering haram areas, where can you draw the line with what is permissible and what is not. I really need help with this.