Types of Lawyers: Choosing the Right Legal Specialist for Your Needs

According to the American Bar Association(ABA), there are more than 1.3 million active attorneys in the United States today. This figure does not include legal professionals who have their law degree but are not actively practicing law, or the tens of millions of support staff who make the practice of law possible.

Citizens depend on lawyers to protect their civil rights, interpret statutes, and ensure that property and money are transferred between individuals and entities in an orderly manner. People go to law firms when they buy property, write wills, and sue insurance companies.

Like other vocations, the legal profession has many practice areas and niche specializations. Just as you would see a primary care doctor for a general checkup or visit a cardiologist for high blood pressure, you would see a general practice attorney to review a contract but call a criminal defense attorney if you get stopped for a DUI.

We’ll review some of the other legal practice areas and what people should look for when hiring an attorney for their legal matters.

What Are the Types of Lawyers?

Most sole practitioners and small law firms are general practice lawyers. These attorneys do a little of everything. General practice lawyers handle small cases and local clients. Some will refer specialized cases to other attorneys or larger firms. For example, a general practice lawyer might handle:

• Uncontested divorce

• DUIs and simple traffic offenses

• Landlord/tenant disputes

• Wills and trusts

• Real estate transactions

Small law firms may specialize in a single area. Niche firms, or “boutique” firms, often bridge the gap between sole practitioners and large national firms. Boutique firms specialize in a single practice area such as family law or real estate law.

Large law firms are divided into practice groups. For instance, a firm specializing in corporate law may have a contract group that writes and reviews corporate contracts, a litigation group that handles the firm’s legal issues on behalf of the clients, and so on. These large law firms have a hierarchical structure, like corporations. Equity partners are usually the senior attorneys. They own the firm and have voting rights within the partnership. Non-equity partners have partnership rights but are not full partners. Associates are often new attorneys getting experience in the legal field.

Common Specializations in Law

Each general practice area has its own set of specialized practice areas. Attorneys do not specialize in every area of law. General knowledge is good enough, but when an unusual situation comes up, attorneys refer clients to other lawyers with better knowledge of the legal issue.

Personal Legal Matters

Personal legal matters are usually civil matters. These are things you are most likely to consult an attorney for in your daily life. These include:

• Family Law:

A family lawyer handles family-related legal issues. Uncontested divorces, some contested divorces, child custody and visitation, spousal support, child support, and support modification are all issues you would take to your family law attorney.

High-value divorces, where the parties have property in the millions of dollars, are specialized cases. These types of divorces require the services of other legal specialists — such as forensic accountants, document examiners, and tax analysts.

Adoption is usually handled by adoption attorneys. Adopting a child can require knowledge of interstate law, federal law, and sometimes international laws. Family law attorneys refer such cases to adoption law specialists.

• Personal Injury Law:

Personal injury is a subset of tort law. Torts are civil wrongs that can be remedied with monetary damages. Tort law is a separate practice area, and personal injury law is a smaller division.

A personal injury attorney handles cases like motor vehicle accidents, slip and fall injuries, product liability cases, and similar claims. Personal injury lawyers help clients when insurance claims are denied — or in “at-fault” states where the party who caused the accident must pay — and insurers argue over who caused the accident. Medical malpractice lawyers often specialize in this area. This practice is more complex than other personal injury cases because of the need for expert testimony and witnesses.

• Estate Planning:

An estate planning lawyer helps clients write wills and trusts. Estate planning includes advising clients on writing their last will and testament and keeping it updated. Trusts have become popular with many people to protect their heirs against probate and capital gains taxes, so estate planning attorneys must understand the difference between different types of trusts.

Business and Corporate Law

Business and corporate lawyers may work independently or in firms dedicated to corporate clients, or they may work “in-house” as part of a corporation’s legal department. In either case, corporate attorneys handle the legal matters for companies and businesses in the course of their business dealings.

• Corporate Law:

Corporate lawyers are responsible for business contracts and other legal documents. Businesses and corporations must maintain all their documentation according to legal standards. This process, known as regulatory compliance, is a key part of the corporate attorney’s job.

Business lawyers also prepare financial reports in conjunction with the finance department to ensure all regulations and legal guidelines are being followed.

• Intellectual Property (IP) Law:

Intellectual property includes copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and designs. IP law more broadly includes any non-tangible property, such as software programs, music and literary concepts, and related ideas. Intellectual property lawyers ensure that their company’s trademarks and patents are protected and their products are not infringed upon.

Copyrights and patents expire periodically and IP lawyers must file legal documents to keep the company's rights current. They also follow current trends to monitor for infringement and duplication.

• Tax Law:

With a federal tax code covering more than 6,800 pages, and state codes of similar length, tax attorneys are needed by corporations, small businesses, and individuals. Tax lawyers are not accountants but they often work with accountants, ensuring that their clients have all the information they need when dealing with state and federal tax agents.

Criminal and Civil Litigation

Not all attorneys are litigators. Many attorneys never set foot in a courtroom. Those who do may spend years working up from small courtrooms to high-profile cases.

• Criminal Defense Law:

The right to a speedy trial and the right to an attorney means that criminal defense lawyers are always needed. Whether they are in private practice or work for the public defender’s office, defense attorneys must know both sides of the law. To defend an accused criminal, the attorney needs a thorough understanding of the law and all possible reasons why their client could be innocent of the charges.

• Civil Litigation Law:

Civil litigation involves contract cases, personal injury claims, and other legal disputes that cannot be resolved outside of court. Most civil litigation attorneys spend most of their time negotiating with opposing counsel in an effort to settle the case without the additional cost of a trial. Trials are expensive since civil litigants do not have a constitutional right to a jury trial. Civil trial lawyers must be able to explain dry and complex contract cases or financial issues in terms that lay juries can understand to win cases for their clients.

Niche Specializations

Some areas of law require additional expertise or education. For instance, bankruptcy law requires the attorney to certify to appear in federal court, since bankruptcy is covered under federal law. Other specializations include:

• Environmental Law:

Environmental lawyers work with regulatory agencies to protect the natural environment and resources. They may represent agencies like the Sierra Club or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Environmental lawyers also work for corporations that extract natural resources and produce chemicals to ensure regulatory compliance with pollution laws.

• Military Law:

The Judge Advocate General (JAG) provides legal services for active-duty military personnel. JAG attorneys can provide defense lawyers as well as prosecute crimes. The military provides independent counsel for service members during court-martial and administrative separation trials.

• Entertainment Law:

Entertainment lawyers handle multi-million dollar contracts for actors, movie studios, and media conglomerates. Because so much money rides on these contracts, entertainment law attorneys must be well-versed in the nuances of contract law, transactional law, and investments and mergers.

How to Choose the Right Lawyer

With all these specializations and different practice areas, how can the average layperson know which legal professional is right for their case? Begin by considering your particular legal issue. If you need basic legal advice, you can begin by talking with a general practice attorney. A Google search can give you names of attorneys near you. You can check credentials and member discipline by verifying their name on the ABA attorney search website.

If you have a more specific legal matter, you can narrow your search. The attorney you talk to may refer you to another attorney if they feel they cannot adequately answer your questions, or if they think you need specialized help. For instance, a general practice attorney can write a will and trust, but if you have properties in several states and need to set up an LLC for each one, you may need the services of a wills and trusts law firm.

Don’t be afraid to shop around or ask for a second opinion. Just like you want the best doctor for your healthcare and get a second opinion before a surgery, you want the best attorney for your particular problem — and should ask for advice if you’re unsure about the legal counsel you’ve been given.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of lawyer makes the most money?

As of 2024, the highest-paid attorneys are patent and IP attorneys, tax attorneys, corporate lawyers, and trial lawyers. However, budding attorneys should realize these are the top attorneys in their field. For instance, a top trial lawyer with an outstanding court record may average an annual salary of $120,000 per year. A newly-barred attorney representing DUI cases will not earn that much.

What type of lawyer handles wills?

An estate planning attorney specializes in wills and trusts and can provide the best advice for writing a last will and testament. Any attorney can instruct you on writing your will.

What are the differences between a lawyer and an attorney?

In the United States, “ lawyers” and “attorneys” are almost the same. However, an attorney is someone who has passed the state bar exam and is licensed to appear in court. A lawyer has graduated from law school but has not passed the bar and cannot give specific legal advice.

How many types of lawyers are there?

Depending on what agency you ask, there are between 11 and 30 practice areas, and an unknown number of specializations within those areas. Some states, such as California, do not allow attorneys to call themselves “specialized” in an area unless the state bar offers a specialized certificate in that area.

There are as many types of lawyers as there are types of law. Clients should review the attorney's qualifications carefully before they choose their representative.

What type of lawyer do I need for property disputes?

It depends on the nature of the dispute. In most cases, a general practice attorney can research and record your title or transfer a title to a buyer. If the issue is a breach of contract or warranty, you may wish to consult a real estate attorney.

Conclusion

Before you contact an attorney, review your own legal needs and what outcome you expect from your legal consultations. When you contact attorneys, ask if they offer a free consultation to review your case.

Take time to understand the different specializations available, even within the legal practice areas. If you’re looking for a divorce lawyer, you’ll be looking through family law firms and practitioners. Ask friends and family about their experiences and take time to read reviews and testimonials.

There are also online legal referral sites like Avvo and Martindale. These sites have brief bios of attorneys, ratings, and client reviews, along with links to the attorney websites. The sites are not advertisements so attorneys do not pay for better reviews.

Visit an attorney or seek information through the ABA or another site when you have legal questions.