If a company or individual is insolvent, it is a bankruptcy lawyer's job to advise them about their eligibility for bankruptcy, prepare their legal paperwork, and represent them in bankruptcy court. These lawyers advise clients when to file for bankruptcy and what type of bankruptcy to pursue in the client's best interests. They also present their clients with legal alternatives to filing for bankruptcy, where such exists. As a bankruptcy lawyer, you'll work with debtors and creditors to notify them about your clients' bankruptcy filing and file associated paperwork.
Creditor committees and bankruptcy trustees also hire bankruptcy attorneys to advise them and represent them in court. Civil litigation attorneys help clients in all matters of civil lawsuits, but not government disputes. The lawyer may represent either the defendant or the plaintiff and can further specialize in commercial litigation, corporate litigation, or environmental litigation.
Civil rights lawyers handle cases involving charging the state or other authorities with violations of an individual's constitutional rights. Circumstances may include harassment, civil liberties, voting rights, human rights, or discrimination based on sex, race, age, religion, gender, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, and more. In addition, civil rights lawyers secure the rights of individuals to the freedoms of expression, speech, movement, privacy, thought, religion, and the press.
Contract lawyers help clients draft and format legally binding contracts and enforce those contracts. They also provide counsel about contractual issues, lead negotiations, and handle breach-of-contract litigation. Corporate lawyers can work independently in a law firm or as a company's in-house counsel in different roles. These roles involve serving in positions like staff attorney, deputy general counsel, chief legal officer, or general counsel.
Their tasks may include setting up the company, compliance issues, corporate governance, contract development and maintenance, and more. A corporate lawyer operating as a business-litigation or business-transactional lawyer can specialize in various aspects of business operations, including real estate, acquisition and mergers, employment, drafting of contracts, filing cases, deal negotiations, trademarks, tax law, international commercial law, and bankruptcy proceedings.
As a criminal lawyer, you can be a public defense attorney , private defense attorney, or prosecutor. Criminal lawyers represent clients who have been accused of a crime and assist them through the various stages of a criminal proceeding, including arrest, bail, arraignment, pleas, appeal, and sentencing.
As the name implies, digital media and internet lawyers handle litigation concerning the internet or technology related to the internet. The clients in these cases may need help with piracy issues, copyright laws, internet privacy, website terms and conditions, and online predators targeting children. Employment lawyers represent employers or employees in cases regarding a breach of an employment contract. Typically, they are hired to provide counsel or negotiate cases involving:.
Those in the entertainment industry, film, music, or otherwise in the public eye, hire entertainment lawyers in litigation about entertainment contracts. These attorneys represent their clients in litigation, advise them, draft legally binding agreements, assist with trademark licensing agreements, royalty issues, and any other legal disputes associated with their art. Environmental lawyers represent individuals, advocacy organizations, or government agencies in cases involving environmental regulation, public health, compliance, disputes about land or coastline use, and the legislative protection of natural resources.
An estate planning attorney specializes in drafting and executing clients' wills or trusts. In essence, they plan and manage their client's estate. If you practice this area of law, you will set up trusts and ensure that all involved follow your clients' instructions regarding the trust to the letter. Estate planning lawyers also advise clients about life insurance, retirement plans, and contributions to charities.
Both employees and employers seek out employment lawyers to deal with legal issues related to the workplace. Some of the most common types of cases handled by employment lawyers are contracts , wrongful termination , workplace harassment , retaliation , and workplace discrimination.
The Department of Labor administers four major disability compensation programs. A family practice lawyer deals with legal issues related to all types of family situations. Immigration lawyers help immigrants, and employers seeking to hire them, with legal issues related to the status of immigrants and their families.
Immigration lawyers help with visas, green cards, citizenship , and asylum and refugee status. Case management software for immigration lawyers tracks the dates and deadlines for each of their many files and keeps all of their contacts in one place. If you need a will, advanced medical directives, or thoughtful planning about how your assets will be handled when you pass away, you will be working with an estate planning lawyer.
Estate planning includes tax aspects for wealthier individuals, but is mainly driven by state law, so be sure to look for a firm that is local. Estate planning lawyers are in demand now , so plan ahead if you are able. IP attorneys spend a lot of time working with clients to help them avoid infringing upon the rights of others and making sure that their intellectual property is properly protected under the law. Corporate lawyers handle business entity formation , governance and compliance issues.
Corporate lawyers also review contracts and give advice related to mergers , acquisitions , divestitures , financing , and securities laws. There are two main types of criminal lawyers - criminal defense lawyers and prosecutors. Criminal defense lawyers defend individuals who are accused of committing a crime. In other words, these criminal lawyers protect the rights of the defendant. Defense lawyers can work as either public defenders or private attorneys.
Regardless of what you choose, criminal defense lawyers generally spend more time in court than some of their counterparts. Criminal law can also be split into multiple categories, giving you the option to work as a drug crime lawyer, violent crime lawyer, or homicide lawyer.
As the title implies, a constitutional lawyer is an expert in the US Constitution. Constitutional lawyers ensure that there is a lawful balance between the interests of their clients and those of government institutions. There are different kinds of lawyers who are experts in interpreting the US Constitution. For example, there are constitutional lawyers whose job involves investigating the constitutionality of certain laws.
Some of them can work as constitutional lawyers at universities or federal government agencies. When people think of family lawyers, they usually think about divorce. But there are so many other kinds of lawyers that handle everything from child adoption and surrogacy to child delinquency and domestic violence.
If you want to practice family law, some states will offer you various training options, allowing you to secure certificates in different areas of family law.
Labor and employment lawyers focus on matters concerning the relationship between employers, employees, and unions. They provide legal advice on different employment laws that cover salaries, working hours, discrimination in the workplace, safety, and other issues. All types of lawyers are familiar with labor laws, but a labor lawyer further specializes in the field and works on creating and reviewing company policies. If you want to obtain a certificate in this area, many law schools offer courses that are focused exclusively on labor laws.
Estate planning lawyers handle wills, trusts, and property rights. Their legal advice to clients ensures that all matters related to the passing of assets are properly addressed. As an estate planning lawyer, you can also create questionnaires to help clients evaluate their assets.
This makes it easier to draw up the will. Immigration lawyers deal with individuals and entire families who are trying to acquire US citizenship. They provide advice on how to live and work in America legally. Immigration lawyers also work with political refugees and asylum seekers. Moreover, many employers and employees use immigration lawyers to help them obtain work visas.
As an immigration lawyer , you can work in many different places. For example, there are companies that provide specialized immigration services. Also, you can work for nonprofits and government agencies. There are a few more key professions that we need to cover when trying to answer that fundamental question: what are the different types of lawyers? For starters, personal injury lawyers are primarily focused on civil litigations and representing individuals who sustained an injury either at work or through poor medical practices.
Intellectual property or IP lawyers work with clients who need to protect their intellectual capital - ideas, inventions, or patents. They help both individuals artists and inventors and businesses with disputes over trademarks, copyright, distribution, etc. IP lawyers also help clients secure licenses and understand trademark laws.
In addition, they provide advice concerning new regulations and rules that protect patents. They work with actors, musicians, athletes, and other individuals or brands that have media exposure. The main responsibility of entertainment lawyers is to help their clients protect their intellectual property, including songs, paintings, and performances.
Entertainment lawyers also work on contracts, fee agreements, and talent releases. People who hire medical malpractice lawyers have most often suffered a personal injury due to an error made by a medical professional. Any harm caused by inappropriate treatment, negligence, botched surgery, or misdiagnosis falls under the practice of these types of attorneys.
A malpractice lawyer can also represent health professionals when charges are brought against them, and they are usually employed directly by the medical facility where said professional works.
Contract lawyers specialize in assisting clients in drafting and enforcing legally binding documents. They are often hired for breach-of-contract litigation, contract dispute consulting, advice, or leading contract negotiations. The social security disability system is complex to navigate at the best of times.
Criminal defense lawyers advocate on behalf of those accused of criminal activity and ensure that their liberties and basic rights are fairly upheld within the justice system. A criminal defense lawyer may work as a public defender or as a private attorney. In either position, their job is to leverage the law to the advantage of the accused. They must protect the best interests of their client, within the bounds of the law.
Criminal defense lawyers may appear in court more frequently than other types of lawyers—especially if a case goes to trial. A number of state bar associations offer specialty programs in criminal law, while those passionate about trial advocacy can receive certification as a criminal trial lawyer.
Employment and labor lawyers broadly handle the relationships between unions, employers, and employees. They deal with issues around workplace discrimination, harassment, wage and hours regulations, benefits, and pension security.
While the responsibilities of employment lawyers and labor lawyers tend to overlap, labor lawyers focus on union-management relations and collective bargaining, while employment lawyers address matters in non-union workplaces. Entertainment lawyers represent athletes, artists, musicians, actors, and other media-related clients or brands.
Additionally, entertainment lawyers may negotiate contracts and fee arrangements, secure talent releases, act as a liaison between agents or venues, or oversee membership into unions and guilds.
An estate planning lawyer is well-versed in the intricacies of property rights, wills, probate, and trusts. They provide legal advice and assistance to ensure client assets passing both inside and outside the will or trust are handled correctly, while also ensuring that tax and legal issues are properly addressed. Deciding how to provide for various family members is a delicate process, so estate planning lawyers may use questionnaires to help clients evaluate their assets and liabilities, and aid them in their decision-making.
While many people may think of family lawyers as divorce attorneys who handle the division of marital assets, child custody, and alimony, family law extends to many more issues. Any domestic relations or family-related issues including adoption and guardianship, paternity, juvenile delinquency matters, and child welfare fall within the scope of a family lawyer. Typical responsibilities of a family lawyer may include drafting contracts or negotiations, writing prenuptial agreements, counseling clients on legal options, or resolving familial disputes.
Family lawyers can work at smaller law firms specializing in family law, or at nonprofit organizations. Some states also offer board certification in family law or child welfare law for those who want to demonstrate verified knowledge and expertise in the area, but it is not required.
Gaining citizenship or legal status can be an intimidating process. Immigration lawyers play a pivotal role in providing guidance to individuals and families navigating the necessary requirements to live, work, or study in the U. Sometimes, immigration lawyers may even assist refugee and asylum seekers. Employers and employees participating in work-visa programs may also use immigration lawyers to assist in the process of gaining legal work status. Some law schools offer certificate programs that allow students to specialize in immigration law.
However, even schools that do not offer a formal certificate may recommend suggested courses for interested students to take. Immigration lawyers may work in a variety of settings, from firms that specialize in immigration law to government agencies or non-profit organizations.
Intellectual property IP lawyers protect and enforce the rights and creations of inventors, authors, artists, and businesses. IP law encompasses copyrighting, trademarking, patenting, and protecting trade secrets for tangible products like inventions, and intangible ones like brand names, slogans, or symbols.
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