There are general practitioners in law just like there are in medicine. These are attorneys who have passed the bar exam but may not specialize in any specific field of law. They are usually the only attorney in very small towns and are left to deal with everything from a civil matter or family matter to criminal defense.
This is all well and good if the case is not of much importance. A $500 personal loan which needs to be paid back is a little different than a million-dollar injury settlement. This is why an attorney must know their limits. They need to understand when they are out of their depth and should refer their client to a specialist. The same thing happens with doctors all the time.
You may think to yourself “what about the small-town scenario like you mentioned above?”. Well, as the years 2020-2021 showed us, you can access legal and medical service from most anywhere using internet applications like Zoom or MS Meetings. Your attorney should refer you to the closest specialist even if they are many miles away. You don’t have to drive to see them, just fire up the computer.
A personal injury attorney in Melbourne, Florida shared this with us: she said that she went from seeing maybe 10-15% of her clients over the internet pre-2020 to more than half of them post that date. “People are more familiar with the programs and are more comfortable using them now,” she stated. “Even people who are a couple miles away from our practice sometime prefer to do a virtual call.”
The United States has a common-law legal system (inherited from England) practiced at both federal and state levels. Lawyers typically specialize in certain areas rather than being generalists. Here are the most common kinds of law practiced in the USA:
Criminal Law: Lawyers either prosecute people accused of crimes (prosecutors, usually working for the government) or defend those accused (defense attorneys or public defenders). Cases range from minor misdemeanors (like theft) to serious felonies (murder, drug trafficking).
Civil Litigation: This covers lawsuits between private parties or companies. Common types include personal injury (car accidents, slip-and-fall), contract disputes, property disagreements, medical malpractice, and employment cases (wrongful termination, discrimination).
Family Law: Handles divorce, child custody and support, adoption, paternity issues, domestic violence protection orders, and prenuptial agreements.
Corporate/Business Law: Attorneys advise companies on formation, contracts, mergers and acquisitions, securities, intellectual property (patents, trademarks), and regulatory compliance. Large law firms often have big corporate practices.
Estate Planning and Probate: Lawyers help people write wills, set up trusts, plan for incapacity, minimize taxes after death, and guide families through probate court when someone dies.
Real Estate Law: Involves buying, selling, leasing, and developing property; zoning issues; title disputes; and landlord-tenant matters.
Immigration Law: Helps individuals and families with visas, green cards, citizenship, deportation defense, and asylum claims.
Constitutional and Civil Rights Law: Often overlaps with litigation; focuses on free speech, discrimination, police misconduct, voting rights, and other rights protected by the Constitution.
Labor and Employment Law: Represents either workers or employers in wage disputes, union issues, workplace safety, harassment, and discrimination cases.
Many lawyers further specialize (e.g., tax law, environmental law, bankruptcy, entertainment law, or cybersecurity law), but the areas above cover the majority of everyday legal practice in the United States.
