As advocates, lawyers (or solicitors or attorneys) represent one of the parties in criminal and civil trials. They present evidence and argue their client's case in court.
As advisors, they discuss legal rights and obligations with their clients, suggesting courses of action in personal and business affairs.
Whichever capacity they're working in, lawyers must draw on research of legal and judicial decisions, and apply the law to the specific case they're working on.
Careers in Law
There are different aspects to a lawyer's work depending on which field they specialise in. Here are a few examples.
Private lawyers focus on civil or criminal law, representing private individuals. In civil law, they pursue private law suits or litigation, or deal with wills, contracts, trusts, mortgages, leases, etc. A criminal lawyer career entails arguing a client's case in court, following the client being charged with a crime. Some lawyers only handle larger, public interest cases that have wider social importance.
Trial lawyers spend more time in court than other lawyers. However, the majority of their time is spent conducting research, interviewing clients and witnesses, and preparing for trial.
Corporate lawyers work solely for corporate clients and advise them on legal issues
around their business activities. A career as a corporate lawyer might involve sorting out issues relating to contracts with other companies, government regulations, patents, etc.
Intellectual property lawyers help to protect clients' claims to copyrights, creative work under contract, product designs, and computer programs.
Patent lawyers advise their clients on patent law, which allows them to protect their invention of a new product or process. A career as a patent lawyer therefore requires a lot of research as a patent can only be granted if the product or process is new, inventive and capable of industrial application.
Insurance lawyers advise insurance companies about the legality of insurance transactions, writing policies that are legally correct. They also help to protect companies from unwarranted action by reviewing claims and representing the company in court.