by Elias Maseko

The definition of a lawyer is someone who has been trained in the law of a particular country and can give legal advice; they may also be known as attorneys or advocates depending on the particular role they are fulfilling. If a lawyer is in the courtroom prosecuting or defending a person he is called an advocate. A slightly different set of circumstances when they give advice to clients and suggestions on how to proceed in a case means they are then referred to as a legal advisor.

Whilst lawyers are able to appear in court to represent their clients some prefer this work more than other. Trial lawyers for instance, who specialize in trial work, must be able to think quickly and speak with ease and authority plus familiarity with courtroom rules and strategy is particularly important in trial work. However a great deal of a trial lawyer’s time is spent investigating the case and interviewing people involved in the case.

The legal system affects nearly every aspect of our society, from buying a home to crossing the street so lawyers hold positions of great responsibility and are obliged to follow a strict code of ethics. Some areas of law are so specialized that a lawyer may never have to appear in a courtroom even though they are all licensed to.

Lawyers may specialize in a number of different areas, such as bankruptcy, probate, international, or constitutional law. Representing environmental issues can mean they may work on either side for environmental protestors to the companies or government department that is being protested about.

Digital media like CD’s, computer games and software for instance is represented by laws protecting intellectual property rights, an area much on the news of late. Writing insurance policies, investigating claims protecting company assets and other frauds is part of the work carried out by lawyers who have specialized in that area of the law.

However, the vast majority of lawyers work within the private sector where they can devote their energies to either criminal or civil law. In criminal law, lawyers represent individuals who have been charged with crimes and argue their cases in courts of law but with civil law, lawyers assist clients with litigation, wills, trusts, contracts, mortgages, titles, and leases.

There are lawyers that prefer very high profile cases where a large company of government body might be involved with actions that have affected the general public. Lastly, there are lawyers who work for legal-aid societies private and nonprofit organizations that have been established to serve disadvantaged people around the world.

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