ABOUT LAW PRACTICE AREAS
There are many different legal practice areas that lawyers specialize in. Within most of the different practice areas are more specialized areas of that kind of law. Many lawyers focus on one or a few practice areas.
Lawyers vs Attorneys
In the United States the terms lawyer and attorney are used interchangeably and mean the same thing to most people. They both are used for a person who has a law degree and is licensed to practice law in the jurisdiction where they are representing you. Technically, someone can call themselves a lawyer if they have completed a law degree at an accredited U.S. law school even though they may not have passed the bar exam in the jurisdiction that they work in but for the most part, people who are actually attorneys also refer to themselves as lawyers.
Looking for a Lawyer
The following list of some of the more common legal practice areas may help you to determine the kind of lawyer you need for your particular legal situation. If you need help to understand what some of these areas of law cover (which is likely if you do not have a legal background) a good place to start is by asking friends, family members, librarians, local bar association representatives, people who work at legal aid organizations, and other knowledgeable people, for help.
Legal Practice Areas
The following is a comprehensive but not an exhaustive list of legal practice areas. If you are looking for legal advice, it is important to consult an attorney that is licensed to practice in the area of law you need help with. Also keep in mind that while many different practice areas of law are similar for many states, each state has laws specific to that state. Only an attorney who is licensed to practice in the state that your legal needs are in is allowed to represent you in court if they need to do this to fight for your rights.
Common legal practice areas of law that people often need to find lawyers for help with include but are not limited to:
- Bankruptcy
- Business / Corporate
- Civil Rights
- Criminal
- Entertainment
- Employment / Labor
- Estate
- Family
- Health
- Immigration
- Intellectual Property
- International
- Real Estate
- Tax
Personal Injury
Personal Injury is a broad category that covers many different areas of law that deal with seeking monetary compensation for injuries caused by the negligence, malice or reckless behavior of someone. Common areas of personal injury include but are not limited to:
- Faulty and Dangerous Products
- Medical Malpractice
- Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVA)
- Premise Liability
- Slip and Fall / Trip and Fall Accidents
- Workers Compensation
There are many more specialty areas for personal injury law and most specialty categories have there own specialty areas. An example of this is that a motor vehicle accident lawyer may specialize in accidents involving large trucks, motorcycles, intoxicated drivers, or a particular kind of accident such as rear-end or t-bone accidents, to name just a few of the many specialty areas within a specialty area of personal injury law.