Lawyers
When trained to a high level in the legislature of their country, a person may be referred to as a lawyer; also known by the title attorney, advisor or advocate. As advocates, lawyers can represent one of the parties in criminal and civil trials by presenting evidence and arguing in court to support their client; 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; 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; owing to the fast thinking that is required by those who practice this area of law, it is not for everyone.Much of a trial lawyer’s work is actually performed outside the courtroom environment; 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; it affects everyone’s life from negotiating a house purchase to organizing a will and the reason why lawyers are governed by a very strict code of practice. Depending on what area of specialization they work in will decide whether they practice in a courtroom; although they are all able to represent their clients in this manner when required.
For every area of society, industry and commerce there is a specialist area of law: examples of just a few are show below:
*Intellectual Property Rights *Insurance *International law *Personal Injury *Company Law
Considering the number of legal representatives there are, it is surprising just how many will never be required to attend a court of law!
Those specializing in environmental law for example might watch out for the interests of organizations on either side of the argument; just a few of the many examples are listed here:
*Recycling Companies *Federal Agencies *Airports
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.
Some attorneys concentrate in the growing field of intellectual property rights; protecting clients’ claims to copyrights, artwork under contract, product designs, and computer programs. Legal departments within insurance companies also employ specialist lawyers; insurance terms and conditions often change to protect the company from fraudulent claims but they can also be useful performing insurance investigations.
The vast majority of attorneys work within the private sector where they can devote their energies to either criminal or civil law; criminal lawyers represent people charged with crimes whether for defense or prosecution; civil law uses their talents to argue in a civil court over claims, mortgages and other types of litigation.
Another high profile legal position is in cases where the public interest is served; these can include law suits and legal representation that affects the general public for instance. Lawyers with a more rounded social conscience can work for non-profit organizations or legal-aid centers; this aspect of legal assistance is often frowned upon but it is a dignified use of a person’s legal skills.