Learn Hardcore Russian: Теперь я работаю юристом, но всё равно люблю читать хорошую литературу. - Now I work as a lawyer, but I still love to read good literature.

работать кем? – юристом, врачом, учителем etc. (instrumental) This is a fixed pattern you should memorize: работать кем-то = to work as someone.

Can I say Теперь я юрист instead of Теперь я работаю юристом? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can, but there is a nuance:

Теперь я юрист. – Now I am a lawyer.
Focus: your status / identity has changed (you became a lawyer).
Теперь я работаю юристом. – Now I work as a lawyer.
Focus: your current job or occupation (what you do for work right now).

In many contexts they overlap, but работаю юристом is more about the job; я юрист is more about who you are by profession.

What is the difference between теперь and сейчас here? Could I say Сейчас я работаю юристом?

You can say Сейчас я работаю юристом, but:

теперь often implies a contrast with the past: now (as opposed to before).
- Раньше я был студентом, а теперь я работаю юристом.
сейчас is more neutral and often means right now, at this moment.

In this sentence, теперь suggests: “Earlier my situation was different, but now I work as a lawyer.”
Сейчас would sound more like “at the present time I’m working as a lawyer,” with less emphasis on a change from the past.

What exactly does всё равно mean in но всё равно люблю…?

Всё равно here means something like:

still
nevertheless
anyway / even so

It shows a contrast:

Теперь я работаю юристом, но всё равно люблю читать хорошую литературу.
Now I work as a lawyer, but I still like reading good literature (despite that / even so).

So the structure is:

A, но всё равно B = A, but still B / but B anyway.

Don’t confuse this with the separate structure:

Мне всё равно. – I don’t care / It’s all the same to me.
Same words, different meaning from context.

Could I use ещё or по‑прежнему instead of всё равно?

Sometimes, but they are not identical:

по‑прежнему = as before, as used to be
- Теперь я работаю юристом, но по‑прежнему люблю читать хорошую литературу.
  Emphasis: your love of literature has stayed the same.
ещё = still (often with a time nuance, “still not finished / still ongoing”).
- Я ещё люблю читать хорошую литературу is possible, but less natural in this exact contrast; it sounds more like “I still (among other things) like reading good literature.”
всё равно here adds more contrast or slight “against expectations” feeling:
Even though I’m a lawyer now, I still love reading literature.

So по‑прежнему is the closest if you mean “I love it just like before.”

Why do we say люблю читать, not люблю чтение or just читаю?

All three are possible, but they have different nuances:

люблю читать – I love to read / I like reading.
Very natural, everyday Russian: любить + infinitive.
люблю чтение – literally I love reading (as a concept).
This sounds more abstract or stylistically heavier; less common in casual speech.
читаю хорошую литературу – I read good literature.
This states a fact about what you do, but it doesn’t explicitly say you enjoy it.

In the sentence, the idea is about liking the activity, so люблю читать is most natural.

Why is хорошую литературу in that form? What case is it?

Хорошую литературу is in the accusative case, because it is the direct object of читать:

читать что? – литературу (accusative)
какую литературу? – хорошую литературу (adjective agrees in case, gender, number)

Details:

литература – feminine, singular, accusative: литературу
хорошая → accusative feminine singular: хорошую

So adjective and noun both change their endings to match accusative feminine singular.

Why is it литературу and not книги? Is there a difference?

Yes, there is a nuance:

литература – “literature” as a collective concept: books of artistic or intellectual value (novels, classics, serious works).
книги – “books” in general; could be any kind of books (textbooks, manuals, comics, etc.).

So:

люблю читать хорошую литературу – suggests you like good (quality) literature, often fiction, classics, serious works.
люблю читать хорошие книги – a bit broader: just “good books,” not necessarily “literature” as an artistic category.

Why is there a comma before но in Russian?

In Russian, when но connects two clauses (each with its own verb), you normally must use a comma:

Теперь я работаю юристом, но всё равно люблю читать…
- Clause 1: Теперь я работаю юристом
- Clause 2: (я) всё равно люблю читать

So: … , но … is the standard punctuation rule in such cases, similar to English “, but” when linking two full clauses.

Why is there no я in the second part (но всё равно люблю…)? Is dropping the pronoun normal?

Yes, dropping я is very normal and natural in Russian when the subject is clear from context.

Full version would be:

Теперь я работаю юристом, но я всё равно люблю читать хорошую литературу.

But since я is already mentioned in the first clause, repeating it is optional. Russian usually omits subject pronouns when the subject is obvious:

Я живу в Москве и работаю в банке.
(not я живу… и я работаю…, except for emphasis)

Including я before всё равно would sound a bit heavier or more emphatic:
… но я всё равно люблю… – “but I still love…”

Could I change the word order to Теперь юристом я работаю? Would that be correct?

It is grammatically correct, but sounds marked and less neutral. Basic, neutral order is:

Теперь я работаю юристом.

Variants:

Теперь я юристом работаю. – possible, but colloquial / slightly emphasizing юристом.
Теперь юристом я работаю. – strong emphasis on юристом (“It is as a lawyer that I work now”), stylistically unusual in everyday speech.

For normal, neutral speech, stick with Теперь я работаю юристом.

Is there any aspect nuance in работаю, люблю, and читать?

Yes:

работаю – imperfective of работать, shows an ongoing / regular state: I (now) work…
люблю – imperfective of любить, expresses a stable feeling: I (generally) love…
читать – infinitive of imperfective читать, expresses the activity in general: to read / reading (in general).

Imperfective here is natural because we talk about general, ongoing situations and habits, not one-time completed actions.

How is всё in всё равно pronounced? Do I have to say ё?

In careful pronunciation, всё is pronounced with ё: [fsʲo].
In writing, всё is almost always written with ё, not е, because spelling все равно would mean something different (все = everyone).

In fast speech, some speakers may reduce sounds a bit, but the correct stressed vowel is ё, and you should pronounce it clearly as [o] with palatalized с before it.

Why don’t we use a separate verb for “to be” here, like in English I work as a lawyer or I am a lawyer?

Russian does use the verb “to be” (быть), but in the present tense it is usually omitted in simple statements:

English: I am a lawyer.
Russian: Я юрист. (not я есть юрист in normal modern speech)

In я работаю юристом, the main verb is работаю (“I work”), so we do not need a separate “am.” The structure is simply:

я работаю кем? – юристом

So the idea of “to be” is built into the structure and doesn’t require an extra word.