Different areas of law and lawyer types

There is not just one kind of lawyer. First, we can split ‘lawyer’ into barrister and solicitor. These are quite different jobs and any law student should know a bit about each of them before making a decision as to the path for them. Beyond this, there are lots of different areas of law to specialise in … from the more commonly known criminal lawyer to the more niche (think maritime and sports law!). 

This blog aims to give you an introduction into the different kinds of lawyer and the variety of specialities that might be open to you. Within each speciality you will see a ‘recommendation’ tab – this helps you choose which speciality might suit you based on your favourite law modules, activities and the type of work you want to do.

Types of lawyer 

Solicitor

Solicitors work closely with clients, organising and working on the pre-court stages of legal work. The work of a solicitor can include listening to client’s issues and obtaining relevant information to provide legal advice. Solicitors also draft and supply legal documents, but may also include some advocacy.

Recommendation
If you are excited by the prospect of working as part of a legal team in a big office for a big firm then solicitor is the right path for you. It will also be a good choice if you have good social skills and want to work closely with clients and people. Finally, being a solicitor may be the right path for you if you are less keen on debating and arguing in high up courts but prefer the client facing, in office, side of law. 

Barrister 

Barrister’s represent clients in courts. They typically wear a wig and will present and argue the case on behalf of their client. Barristers work independently in a chamber. Through the chamber barristers will receive cases to work on and represent in court. Barristers may also specialise in a certain area of law and part of their work might be to part their advice through written pieces of legal advice and negotiations.

Recommendation:
Barrister may be the right route for you if you enjoy the academic studying of law. Writing an essay is a bit like writing an ‘opinion’ on your specialist area of law for a client.

Barrister may also be the best route for you if you are keen to get into a court and argue on behalf of your client. Perhaps you enjoy public speaking or are a strong debater? These are skills you will get to use as a barrister.

Law areas and law specialities 

There is a huge variety of law specialities and this is by no means a comprehensive list. If you have a particular passion or hobby you should do some independent research to see if it is something you could incorporate into your legal career. This list aims to provide an insight into some popular and some more niche areas of law. 

• Criminal lawyer

This is probably what you first think of when you hear the word ‘lawyer’. Criminal lawyers may be state funded or work for the crown prosecution service. Your job as a criminal lawyer requires you to defend alleged criminals against crime accusations. This can be exciting and varied work.

Recommendation: if you find the criminal law module really exciting, or would like a job where your work has important personal consequences then a role that involves defending people in court like a criminal lawyer might be right for you.

• Corporate lawyer

A corporate lawyer works in the realm of business including arguing cases on behalf of corporations, structuring legal documents and negotiating corporate deals.

Recommendation: this area of law might suit you if you are excited by the idea of working in a wealthy and competitive sector. Perhaps you took business/economics at a level and want to link your legal career to the corporate world. 

• International lawyer 

The work of international lawyers spans the legal rules of different countries and might include work on the relations between countries with different legal systems.

Recommendation: this is a great law speciality for someone who has an interest in politics as politics and international law are somewhat intertwined. This might also be a great choice for a student on a four year law course with a year abroad. A year abroad will provide you with language skills and perhaps some knowledge of another countries legal system. 

• Sports lawyer

Sports lawyers represent clients like players/athletes, coaches, teams and organisations/clubs. Sports lawyers, for example, might lead legal negotiations between sports clubs/boards and the media in terms of trying to gain media rights.

Recommendation: if you are a keen sports person sports law is a good way of combining your hobby with your job. You will get the change to be around and engage with sports clubs and athletes. This may also suit someone who is looking for a lot of client contact in their working life. 

• Medical negligence lawyer 

Negligence describes the situation where a party has acted below the standard of care required of them. In the case of medical negligence this might include a failure to provide adequate medical care for a patient. A medical negligence lawyer works to establish medical negligence and successfully prove the case so as to provide compensation for the victim. 

Recommendation: this is important work, and will suit anyone who wants to feel that their legal work is making a difference (in this case providing redress for people who have suffered mistreatment). 

• Environmental lawyer

Environmental law governs the use of the environment, and so an environmental lawyer’s role is to advise on the legal rights to use of the environment. You may have the opportunity to work with big corporations as well as advising on smaller projects. 

Recommendation: you might enjoy this work if you are an advocate for environmental sustainability. Perhaps you can gear your work towards projects you are interested in: for example renewable energy use. 

• Family lawyer 

A family lawyer works with legal issues within families. The most common example of a family lawyer is a lawyer who deals with divorce settlements but other jobs include guardianship and abuse cases.

Recommendation: family law might appeal to you if you feel you have the sensitivity to deal with difficult and potentially emotionally distressing situations. The role may require some careful and tricky discussions with clients and it will be important to be supportive. If you feel you have an empathic and personable nature, this could be the work for you.

Conclusion

Law encompasses a whole range of jobs and specialities. There is no expectation for a law student to know exactly where they are headed straight away, and it might be that you fall into a speciality you hadn’t even considered previously! This guide should however give you an insight into the kinds of things a lawyer might do in their work, and point you towards some areas to look into based on your interests and skills.