defendant | accused |
---|---|
accuser | plaintiff |
client | culprit |
offender | perpetrator |
prisoner | suspect |
Annual Salary | Hourly Wage | |
---|---|---|
Top Earners | $129,500 | $62 |
75th Percentile | $96,500 | $46 |
Average | $80,743 | $39 |
25th Percentile | $60,000 | $29 |
What exactly is a lawyer? A lawyer (also called attorney, counsel, or counselor) is a licensed professional who advises and represents others in legal matters. Today’s lawyer can be young or old, male or female.
A lawyer has two main duties: to uphold the law while also protecting a client’s rights. To carry out these duties, a lawyer should understand the law and be an effective communicator.
A “notary public,” an “accountant,” or a “certified public accountant” is not necessarily a lawyer. Do not assume that titles such as notary public mean the same thing as similar terms in your own language. In some countries, a lawyer is called a “barrister” or a “solicitor.”
Before being allowed to practice law in most states, a person must: Have a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent. Complete three years at an ABA-accredited law school. Pass a state bar examination, which usually lasts for two or three days. The exam tests knowledge in selected areas of law.
Not automatically. To become licensed in more than one state, a lawyer must usually comply with each state’s bar admission requirements. Some states, however, permit licensed out-of-state lawyers to practice law if they have done so in another state for several years and the new state’s highest court approves them. Many states also have provisions for lawyers to participate in specific cases in states where they are not licensed. The lawyer in such a case is said to be appearing pro hoc vice, which means “for this one particular occasion.”
No. Most lawyers normally spend more time in an office than in a courtroom. The practice of law most often involves researching legal developments, investigating facts, writing and preparing legal documents, giving advice, and settling disputes.
Not necessarily – you may represent yourself. And, in some specialized situations, such as bringing a complaint before a government agency (for example, a dispute over Social Security or Medicare benefits), nonlawyers or paralegals may be qualified to represent you. (Paralegals are nonlawyers who have received training that enables them to assist lawyers in a number of tasks; they typically cannot represent clients in court.) If you are in this situation, ask the government agency involved what types of legal representatives are acceptable.#N#There are many matters you can deal with yourself, if you know how to go about it. For example, you can represent yourself in traffic or small-claims court, or engage in negotiations and enter into contracts on your own. But if you are not sure about the consequences of your actions or are uncertain about how to proceed, getting some quick legal advice from a lawyer could be very helpful in preventing problems down the road.
The legal field is vast and complex, and you’ll find that many lawyers specialize in a particular area of law. If you find yourself in need of a lawyer, make sure they have the expertise to handle your unique situation. Because there are so many different types of lawyers, you'll want to match your legal concern with the appropriate attorney.
Employment Lawyer. Whether you’re a company that’s having a problem with an employee, or an individual who’s having problems with the company you work for, an employment lawyer can generally provide advice about legal issues which arise from an employment contract or within an employment relationship.
Also known as an IP attorney, an intellectual property lawyer can advise you with regard to issues relating to intellectual property, such as copyrights, trademarks, patents, industrial design and trade secrets.
A corporate lawyer will be able to help you with issues related to the formation of your corporation, general corporate governance issues and corporate compliance issues.
If you’ve been injured while on the job, or have had to face the death of a loved one as a result of a workplace accident or occupational disease, a lawyer who specializes in workers compensation law can help you navigate the issues you face, such as the extent of the employer’s fault and the amount of benefits to which you are entitled.
The Social Security Disability system can be a particularly complex system in which to navigate. An attorney who specializes in Social Security Disability issues can help you with any step in the Social Security Disability process, including assisting you with eligibility issues, launching an appeal of a decision to deny you benefits and dealing with the reduction or termination of your benefits.
The estate planning lawyer specializes in wills and trusts, and can help you to draw up a will to pass on your assets. Among other estate planning legal services, this type of lawyer can help you set up a trust which will help take care of your children’s financial needs.
A lawyer has several duties which go beyond the basic court trial. Researching information, drafting documents, mediating disputes and providing counsel to clients about their legal rights are just some responsibilities involved depending on the area of law.
Attorney, counsel, barrister or solicitor are all various names given to lawyers. The origin of the profession dates back to ancient Greece, when orators spoke on behalf of friends or citizens at their request.
In the case of legal separations, a divorce lawyer will grant the separation in the form of a court order (a legal separation is a process by which a married couple may formalize a separation while remaining legally married). When there are children involved, a divorce lawyer will help set the terms for child support and child custody.
It is interesting to note that a family lawyer can handle a divorce, but a divorce lawyer usually does not have the expertise to represent clients in other family law matters. Immigration Lawyer.
The scope of practice for a criminal lawyer includes trials, bail bond hearings, post-conviction remedies, plea bargains, and revocation hearings (parole or probation). After investigating a case, a criminal lawyer will interview all witnesses involved, research the statutes, case law, and crime codes, and then build a defence as well as develop ...
After investigating a case, a criminal lawyer will interview all witnesses involved, research the statutes, case law, and crime codes, and then build a defence as well as develop a case strategy. Negotiation with the prosecution is typically involved in order to plea bargain to lesser charges.
During trial, the criminal lawyer will advocate for the defendant and argue motions (motions to dismiss or motions to suppress), and also argue appeals - all motions and appeals need to be drafted and filed by the lawyer in advance. Accident and Personal Injury Lawyer.
Some attorneys maintain solo law practices , while others work for corporations or government entities. When addressing an envelope or letter to a lawyer, the lawyer's name is followed by the law firm, corporation or governmental agency on the next line before the address. Most organizations maintain websites that list the names and titles ...
Addressing a letter to someone with a law degree but who isn't practicing law means recognizing the J.D. as you would any other advanced degree. For example, "Attn: John Smith, J.D." is the appropriate way to address the envelope, as well as the address block in the letter.
Practicing attorneys have taken and passed their state's bar exam. While most practicing attorneys did attend law school and likely have a Juris Doctorate, the J.D. is not noted in correspondence. Instead, address a practicing attorney either as "Esquire" or "Attorney at Law.". These are interchangeable, though most lawyers ...
Not saying a lawyer specialised in Patent Law won’t be doing justice to your case, but it’s always better to hire a lawyer who ’s specialised in the field of tax law because of his years of experience in that field, in that way a lawyer would be doing justice to his profession, as well as his client.
A lawyer can practice in another state on a case by case basis. A lawyer can apply to be admitted pro hac vice to represent a client in another state in which she is not a member of that state’s Bar under certain circumstances. It is not very difficult to do this.
It is generally a felony to practice law without a license. A lawyer in one state is not a lawyer in other states. He cannot give legal advice in states in which he is not admitted. Thank you for asking.
The cases were argued in both courts by advocates called barristers. After 1873 law and equity were dealt with in the same court and at the same time; today the principles of equity are simply one part of “the law”, in its broad and generally understood usage. Attorneys and solicitors all became solicitors.