Attorney at law - Alternatives to the practice of law

A lawyer in the United States is technically called an attorney at law or an attorney-at-law. In some states a lawyer is called an attorney and counsellor at law (or attorney and counselor at law). The American legal system has a united (or fused) legal profession, and does not draw a distinction between lawyers who plead in court and those who do not. Many other common law jurisdictions, as well as the civil law jurisdictions, have a separation, such as the solicitor and barrister/advocate split in the Uni ...

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• Attorney at law - Titles and names
• Attorney at law - The job of an attorney
• Attorney at law - Media images
• Attorney at law - Specialization
• Attorney at law - Control of cases
• Attorney at law - Education and training
• Attorney at law - Law students in court
• Attorney at law - Unlicensed practice of law
• Attorney at law - American attorneys' attire
• Attorney at law - Alternatives to the practice of law

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Broadly speaking, an "attorney" is one who acts on behalf of another person in some capacity. For example, an "attorney-in-fact" is a kind of agent who acts on behalf of another person, typically with respect to business, property, or personal matters, and who generally does not have to have a particular license from the government. By contrast an attorney-at-law is a lawyer -- a person trained and licensed to practice law -- to represent clients in legal matters (both in and out of court) and to give legal advice. In the United States, the term "attorney" as ...

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Read more here: » Attorney at law: Encyclopedia II - Attorney at law - Titles and names

Unlike their counterparts in other common law jurisdictions, American attorneys are not required to wear wigs, robes or any other items of court dress when they appear in court. They are expected to wear contemporary business Suits. The one exception is the United States Solicitor General, who traditionally argues before the U.S. Supreme Court in 19th-century attire, including a "morning coat" with tails. Attorneys in the United States do not usually have to adhere to a strict color code garb and can argue their cases wearing b ...

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Read more here: » Attorney at law: Encyclopedia II - Attorney at law - American attorneys' attire

Some states provide criminal penalties for (1) falsely holding oneself out to the public as a lawyer, and (2) the unauthorized practice of law by a non-lawyer. A person who has a J.D. degree but is not admitted to any bar is not a lawyer, and cannot legally engage in the practice of law. In most states, even the practice of law by an "out-of-state" lawyer is considered the unauthorized practice of law within that state. Exceptions are sometimes made when the out-of-state lawyer is permitted temporarily to practice within the state pro h ...

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Read more here: » Attorney at law: Encyclopedia II - Attorney at law - Unlicensed practice of law

Most American attorneys are specialized in one field or another. Often dichotomies are drawn between different types of attorneys, but these are neither fixed nor formal lines. Examples include: Litigators (who sue and defend in court) v. transactional attorneys (who draft and advise clients, and rarely go to court) Attorneys in private practice and small firms (who can't afford to litigate every little issue) v. big firms (who can) Plaintiffs' attorneys (individual attorneys and small firms who represent indiv ...

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Attorney at law, Attorney at law - Titles and names, Attorney at law - The job of an attorney, Attorney at law - Media images, Attorney at law - Specialization, Attorney at law - Control of cases, Attorney at law - Education and training, Attorney at law - Law students in court, Attorney at law - Unlicensed practice of law, Attorney at law - American attorneys' attire, Attorney at law - Alternatives to the practice of law

Read more here: » Attorney at law: Encyclopedia II - Attorney at law - Specialization

Once accepted by the bar association of a state, an American attorney may file legal pleadings and argue cases in any court in that state (except federal courts, which usually require a separate admission), provide legal advice to clients, and draft important legal documents (such as wills, trusts, deeds, and contracts). American attorneys use the term lawyering to refer to the art of practicing law. In some states, real estate closings may be performed only by attorneys, even though the attorney's role in a closing may involve primarily notarization of documents and d ...

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Read more here: » Attorney at law: Encyclopedia II - Attorney at law - The job of an attorney

Contrary to the media image of attorneys, much legal work requires hours of in-depth research in a law library or in an electronic database like Westlaw or LexisNexis. Few television programs and movies accurately portray the long nights surrounded by a pile of books or printouts which form the core of the occupational life of many attorneys. Movies and television also do not show the stressful "juggling" aspect of litigation, in that most litigators have many cases in progress at any given time. Each case has deadlines that must be c ...

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Before taking the bar exam, nearly all American lawyers must first attend law school for at least three years. The degree earned by prospective attorneys in the United States is generally a Juris Doctor or Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.). Louisiana State University in the U.S. now offers a joint J.D. (Juris Doctor) / B.C.L. (Bachelor of Civil Law) over 7 semesters (instead of its previous 6-semester program for the J.D. alone) in recognition of the increased Louisiana civil law component of the new program. The highest la ...

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Attorney at law, Attorney at law - Titles and names, Attorney at law - The job of an attorney, Attorney at law - Media images, Attorney at law - Specialization, Attorney at law - Control of cases, Attorney at law - Education and training, Attorney at law - Law students in court, Attorney at law - Unlicensed practice of law, Attorney at law - American attorneys' attire, Attorney at law - Alternatives to the practice of law

Read more here: » Attorney at law: Encyclopedia II - Attorney at law - Education and training