Lawyers or Attorneys?
Lawyers are individuals who have successfully trained in legal matters; they are called attorneys in The United States and on some occasions, advocates or advisors. When a lawyer steps into a courtroom to represent and defend a client, he (or she) becomes their advocate; most do not wish to represent clients in this way and merely act as advisors. There is a slightly different set of circumstances if they provide legal counsel, when they are referred to as legal advisors; they may be used by clients for suggestions on how to proceed in a civil matter.
A lawyer who primarily spends time in court is called a trial lawyer; it requires a more confident type of personality, someone who is quick thinking. However a great deal of a trial lawyer’s time is spent outside the court; much of the work involved is looking into the case with interviews, statements and evidence plus legal procedures to check and follow.
The legal system affects nearly every aspect of our society; whether buying a home to crossing the street, lawyers hold positions of great responsibility and are obliged to follow a strict code of ethics. Owing to the nature of specialization with legal representatives, they may never actually attend court; although they are licensed to represent their clients there.
For almost every area of society there is a specialist branch of the legal system, just a few examples are listed here:
- Constitutional Law
- Health Issues
- Contract Law
- Personal Injury
- Construction Law
The number of specialist areas of law is also the reason why only a few ever practice in a courtroom!
Those specializing in environmental law for example might watch out for the interests of organizations on either side of the argument:
- Waste Disposal Companies
- State agencies
- Airports
Part of this work is dealing with land and development applications, it can also be in a defense capacity when incidents have happened that require legal representation.
Intellectual property rights is one of the newer branches of law that attorneys are involved in; designed to protect products from theft and copyright primarily in the field of digital media like computer programs. Major insurance companies usually employ lawyers in their legal department; insurance contracts and claims are often investigated which is an are where their expert knowledge will be invaluable.
Much of law might be considered mundane as the majority of attorneys carry out their work in private practice involved with minor criminal and civil law. persons charged with crimes are represented by criminal lawyers on both sides one for the defense and one for the prosecution; whereas civil law affects areas like wills, trusts and mortgages for example.
Where there are high profile cases that may affect the public, or be in their interest, other legal specialists operate; these usually involve disputes or claims against governments or large corporations. Still other lawyers use their skills working for non-profit organizations and other charitable bodies; this aspect of legal assistance is often frowned upon but it is a dignified use of a person’s legal skills.
