There are many types of lawyers, and knowing which kind of lawyer you need is the first step towards hiring the right one. The attorney who did such an excellent job drafting your will may not be the best lawyer to challenge your non-compete agreement. If you find yourself in need of legal advice or representation and don’t know what kind of lawyer you need, check out the descriptions below, locate the legal issue you’re experiencing, then narrow your search to focus on the type of lawyer that corresponds to your specific need.
There are two types of criminal law attorneys, prosecutors and defense attorneys. Prosecutors represent the state they work for and bring criminal charges against individuals accused of committing a crime. Defense attorneys represent the people accused of committing a crime. Private defense attorneys are paid by the accused individual to defend them against the criminal charges. Public defenders are defense attorneys that work for the government who represent those who cannot afford to hire private counsel. The sex crime attorney is also included in criminal law lawyer.
Criminal law attorneys work in a fast-paced environment and are often in court. They frequently interact with judges and attorneys on the other side and often have to negotiate deals with the other side. Prosecutors and public defenders are usually paid a low salary while private criminal defense attorneys have big earning capacity because they are usually paid hourly for their work by their client.
Government Lawyer
There are government lawyers for every single aspect of government. Local, state, and federal governments all have attorneys on staff. Within each level of government, an attorney works for an agency. For example, on the federal level, the FBI has attorneys as does the Department of Environmental Protection. At the local level, permitting boards usually have an attorney to assist with their operations.
Civil Rights Lawyer
Civil rights attorneys use the law to help people protect their civil rights or recover damages if their civil rights have been trampled on. Civil rights are the core rights of United States citizens that stem from state and federal constitutions.
There are different types of civil rights attorneys based on what civil rights they focus on helping their clients protect. For example, some civil rights lawyers focus on helping individuals that have been discriminated against for an unlawful reason at work while others focus on helping people that have been subjected to wrongdoing, like excessive force, by law enforcement.
Digital Media and Internet Lawyers.
This type of lawyer deals more than just internet law – they deal with all sorts of legal issues that arise out of the use of digital platforms like mobile phones, tablets, and computers as well as the internet. Issues range from ensuring a website complies with the law to dealing with privacy complaints to advising companies about how they can and cannot use tracking tools in their apps and on their websites.
Entertainment Lawyer.
Entertainment lawyers represent clients in the entertainment industry. Their clients could be individuals, like singers, or companies, like record agencies. Their work involves a lot of business deals. Most entertainment lawyers negotiate and draft a lot of contracts and deal with intellectual property issues, like trademarks and copyrights, frequently.
Immigration Lawyer
There is a growing need for immigration lawyers as laws change, and many individuals have trouble navigating the immigration process on their own or could face deportation. Immigration attorneys might help people with the paperwork and process of obtaining green cards and visas. They might also help immigrants facing deportation action defend themselves.
Legal Malpractice Lawyers
Lawyers also need lawyers. Legal malpractice lawyers work on cases where an attorney is accused of doing something wrong when representing a client and is sued for damages for the alleged wrongdoing. Some legal malpractice attorneys represent the clients that are bringing the suit while others help the accused attorneys defend themselves and avoid having to pay a judgment.
Personal Injury Lawyer
This type of lawyer represents parties in personal injury disputes. Personal injury refers to more than just physical harm – it also encompasses mental harm that can result when an individual is injured. Personal injury attorneys may help the injured individual recover for their damages by suing one or more persons or entities. Personal injury attorneys are also needed to defend the people and entities that are sued after an incident causing personal injury occurs.
Public Interest Lawyer
Public interest lawyers focus on helping society in some way. They may do this by representing individual clients who cannot afford private legal representation through legal aid organizations or other nonprofits. They might also be involved in drafting and promoting legislation to reform the legal process. Public interest lawyers work for nonprofits or governmental agencies and usually have the lowest salaries of all the different types of lawyers.
Private Sector Lawyer.
Private sector lawyer refers to the broad category of lawyers that do not work for the government or nonprofits but instead work for private companies and law firms. Private sector lawyers usually make more than public sector lawyers.
Real Estate Lawyer
After the Great Recession, many real estate lawyers found themselves unable to find work. There has been a resurgence in the need for real estate attorneys since the economy has recovered. Real estate lawyers have a variety of options for their practice they can help close real estate deals, represent parties when real estate deals fall through, and lawsuits are filed, and can represent clients in the process of obtaining required permits for their real estate deals. Some states even require that a real estate attorney be present at real estate closings which creates a good market for attorneys in this area.
Trial Lawyer.
There are different types of trial lawyers. Usually, a trial lawyer will focus on an area like corporate law or medical malpractice. There are civil and criminal trial attorneys. Usually, attorneys decide whether they will focus on criminal law or civil law trials because while evidence rules are similar, the procedures for each type of trial are otherwise very different.
Toxic Tort Lawyer.
Toxic tort lawyers are a special type of personal injury lawyer. They work with people that have been exposed to toxic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and even toxic water and air. Asbestos lawsuits are the toxic tort that people are most familiar with and that encompass the majority of toxic tort lawsuits. These types of lawsuits are often complicated, so toxic tort lawyers usually do a lot of continuing education focused on keeping up to date and learning more about toxic torts.
Different types of lawyers specialize in different areas of law. Some lawyers mostly do the work outside of the courtroom, such as drafting contracts and wills, preparing documents to comply with a process, negotiating deals, and advising clients on a legal problem. There are also lawyers who present cases in court or litigations to protect their client's best interest.
