The following are summaries of the main specialties in legal work. There are many more sub-divisions within these specialties that may be of interest to you. For example, tax law, real estate law, labor relations law, immigration law, and intellectual property law often involve various aspects of these main specialties.

Corporate law

In the world of business, there are few transactions that do not require some form of legal expertise. One vital function performed by corporate lawyers is the creation of documents that control contracts, incorporations, mergers, stock issues, bankruptcies, and partnerships. Corporate lawyers also act as advisors, helping business people conduct difficult negotiations, and making them aware of laws and regulations. For this reason, corporate lawyers must possess a deep understanding of business, as well as related fields such as banking, insurance, and politics.

Civil Litigation

In civil litigation, a lawyer’s role is to construct a winning case for his or her client, using all available means of research, preparation, and logical reasoning.

Some litigators are specialists working behind the scenes to build a client’s case, while others are “trial-lawyers” who specialize in presenting arguments before the court.

In civil disputes, individuals or corporations file lawsuits against each other, and the decisions of the court do not involve criminal penalties. Corporate work in civil litigation often involves conflicts over trademarks, contracts, agreements, copyrights, licenses, or patents. Civil litigation also includes family law, which deals primarily with divorce, child custody, and the division of assets. Another area of civil litigation is torts. Torts involve damages or injury caused through negligence.

Criminal Litigation

It is the responsibility of both private and public criminal attorneys to provide capable and rigorous defenses for those accused of committing a crime. This field of law often involves victims of crime and their families, as well as significant penalties of imprisonment or fines. In these cases, the safety and welfare of society can often place an enormous burden of responsibility on the lawyers on both sides.