Law is a very complex field with many different specializations. If you are thinking of becoming a lawyer one of the first things you will want to learn about are the different types of lawyers.
The first distinction to make is between lawyers and attorneys. Lawyers have completed law school but haven’t yet taken the Bar exam. An attorney, by contrast, has both completed law school and passed the Bar exam. This means that they are qualified to practice in more fields than those who are simply lawyers. The main difference is that attorneys can act as legal representatives for their clients but lawyers cannot.
There are a number of different legal fields that lawyers can practice in, and many have their own specializations within that. For example, there is corporate law, environmental law, employment law and family law. Within family law, there is adoption, custody and divorce.
If you want to become a lawyer, there are a number of steps you need to take before considering what you will specialize in. You will need to complete undergraduate school, get a high LSAT score and then attend law school before finally passing the Bar exam. There is obviously a lot of work involved and you may be wary of embarking upon this, but if this is the case you can always become a paralegal to get experience within the law before you make this commitment.
When you’re considering what type of law you would like to practice, you need to make sure you think long term. This is a very big decision so think about what you enjoy, the way that you would like to work and why you decided to be a lawyer in the first place. There are so many different types of lawyers – you just need to make sure you find the one that is right for you.