A lawyer has two major responsibilities: to uphold the law as it is set forth in front of the court and protecting a client s rights. In order to perform these responsibilities, a lawyer must know the law well and be an effective public speaker. While lawyers may appear before the court many times during the course of a case, they usually give their closing arguments in private session after the case is concluded. However, lawyers are not allowed to make statements that could affect a case whether they are representing themselves or the opposing party. Similarly, they are not allowed to comment on any legal matters after the conclusion of a case.
Many people think that criminal lawyers only handle criminal cases, however, there are a wide variety of civil law practices law. Civil law is the area of the law that deals with disputes between individuals, companies, the government and others. Commonly, this includes personal injury cases, commercial disputes, family law, probate, corporate law, and even juvenile law. Civil law often deals with a dispute over property, divorce, child custody and juvenile delinquency. If you are interested in becoming a lawyer, you can pursue a degree in civil law at an accredited university. There are a number of online law schools available that will allow you to continue your education while working your regular job.
While attending law schools, law students may also choose to pursue one of several different types of degrees. Some options include: domestic relations, commercial law, family law, and international law. The choices offered by law schools will allow law students to focus their studies on areas of interest that best meet their needs and provide them with a foundation of knowledge and skills necessary to become successful lawyers.