Lawyers
A lawyer is someone trained in aspects of law and the legal system usually providing legal advice; some people refer to them as attorneys or advocates, sometimes as legal advisors. If a lawyer is in the courtroom prosecuting or defending a person he is called an advocate; whilst they are able to appear in court to represent their clients some prefer this work more than others. Often they will just be required to give advice on law and then act as a legal advisor; this can just be to provide clarification surround a legal matter.
Representation in a courtroom is carried out by trial lawyers; this is an area that requires the advocate to be quick thinking and a competent speaker.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.
Our entire society is affected by laws and the legal profession; this is why lawyers are held in high regard but they must live up to this by living and working by a strict code of ethics. There are many specialized areas of law which they can focus; however, all can and do appear in court from time to time to represent their clients.
For every area of society, industry and commerce there is a specialist area of law: for example:
*Constitutional Law *Criminal Law *Contract Law *Marine Law *Company Law
The need to practice every area of law in a courtroom is minimal!
Those specializing in environmental law for example might watch out for the interests of organizations on either side of the argument; for instance:
*Public-Interest Groups *Utility Companies *Oil Companies
It is not all glamour though as much of the work involves resolving land disputes, planning licenses and land administration; although they may also be called upon to challenge or defend other civil actions.
Of course one of the cleaner areas that attorneys are involved with is intellectual property rights; it covers digital images, songs and videos; in fact anything that is available on the internet. Major insurance companies usually employ lawyers in their legal department; they investigate the legality of insurance transactions, writing insurance policies to conform with the law and protect companies from false claims.
Most attorneys are found in private practice, where they concentrate on criminal or civil law; criminal lawyers represent people charged with crimes whether for defense or prosecution; whereas civil law deals with civil disputes, usually between two parties.
Another high profile legal position is in cases where the public interest is served; these might concern large companies for example where their image might be at risk. A few lawyers decide to use their knowledge to help the defense and rights of those less fortunate in foreign countries; these attempt to serve disadvantaged people wherever they are from often oppressive governments and companies.