We all just want to live a simple and peaceful life together with our families and friends, but the world can be a troublesome place to exist. Let alone the fact that there are a lot of bad guys around, and people who think they are above the law. That is why we need people who are knowledgeable about the law who can help us exercise our rights and protect our freedom. Who are they and how can they help us?
Well, for the first question, we call them lawyers or attorneys. In a layman’s term, these two words may sound the same, but they have different meanings. Any legal entity such as a legal executive, a law professor and counselor can be called a lawyer, but not an attorney. What an attorney specifically does by definition of this profession is to either plead or defend a client “in court.” So, someone seeking legal services needs to understand this to be able to know which action to take if certain situations arise.
Just like engineers who have certain specializations in their field like mechanical, civil, geodetic, and so forth, attorneys are pretty much the same. Hence, you have to know who to go to in times of need. Here are the most common types:
Business Attorneys: As the name suggests, the work of a business lawyer encompasses almost everything that has to do with business. All the legal requirements needed to establish a certain company, either small or big, can be handled by this type of lawyer.
However, this category can still be broken down in two: 1) business litigation attorneys, and 2) business transactional attorneys. The first one takes care of the lawsuits while the latter works with your negotiations or transactions. It should also be noted that they cannot meddle with each other’s tasks and stick to their responsibilities most of the time.
Criminal Defense Attorney: This is the most famous of all types of attorneys, needless to say. They specialize in anything that has to do with crimes and the people who committed crimes, or as their name tells it, “defend” them. It may be to settle with the opposing party or acquire a reduced sentence, but most of the time it is to regain his client’s freedom. The scope of their specialization covers all those acts starting from minor offenses such as misdemeanor to capital offenses such as murder and rape.
Divorce Attorney: Many couples find it difficult where to go when filing for divorce. That’s alright because they’re still learning the procedure, especially if this is just their first marriage. This attorney will help couples in properly deciding with their stuff before ending the marriage. It will also make the difficult process much faster and will save a considerable amount of money since shifting from one attorney after another can drain one’s finances. Attorneys in this field can also help individuals cope with the aftermath of divorce based on their countless experiences of doing so.
Family Law Attorney: Folks at this field of expertise handle issues regarding adoption, child custody, juvenile delinquency, and many more. They will help in processing legal documents and act on their client’s behalf in court. Practices in this area are sometimes related to divorce, though there are isolated cases that do not include it.
Immigration Attorney: This is the go-to attorney if you gain citizenship of a certain country through naturalization. They can also defend your rights if faced with deportation or if past criminal records delay you or prevent you from getting a job.
These are just some of the common types of attorneys. However, the list does not end here. There are still several types of attorneys out there that have their expertise and specializations that can help you with specific legal issues.
