Types of Lawyers

Trained in law and able to give legal advice, lawyers are also referred to by other names; American legal representatives are often referred to as advocates or attorneys. If a lawyer is in the courtroom prosecuting or defending a person he is called an advocate; not all want or will appear in court whilst others dedicate their whole lives to courtroom appearances. Matters of interpretation often require them to act as a legal advisor; they may be used by clients for suggestions on how to proceed in a civil matter.

Those who specialize in courtroom procedure are called trial lawyers; 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.

It is difficult to get away from the law in any of its aspects; this is why lawyers have their own set of laws they must abide, to be above reproach. 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 every area of society, industry and commerce there is a specialist area of law: some of the areas of specialization could be:

• Bankruptcy
• Aviation Law
• Contract Law
• Divorce Law,
• Construction Law

This specialization means that some legal representatives may never have to practice their skills in court!

Representing environmental issues can mean they may work for the government or private companies; a few examples are listed here:

• Public-Interest Groups
• Federal Agencies
• Land Developers

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.

Some attorneys concentrate in the growing field of intellectual property rights; protecting clients' claims to copyrights, artwork under contract, product designs, and computer programs. Some lawyers who specialize in insurance law are employed in permanent positions within insurance companies; insurance contracts and claims are often investigated which is an are where their expert knowledge will be invaluable.

Despite these different areas of legislature, most attorneys will practice in the field of either criminal or civil law; persons charged with crimes are represented by criminal lawyers on both sides one for the defense and one for the 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 might concern large companies for example where their image might be at risk. Lawyers with a more rounded social conscience can work for non-profit organizations or legal-aid centers; these attempt to serve disadvantaged people wherever they are from often oppressive governments and companies.