Law firms carry out many different legal services to a host of different kinds of clients, and might include working with a single person, a small business, all the way up to a large corporation. This mix of clients and clients’ needs means that there are various types of law firms.
Law firms can differ greatly in their size, from a small one individual solicitor, to a large firm with up to 100 or more legal professionals and that’s without including their staff!
- A law office may concentrate in one legal field or can also be a general practice firm with a many areas of practice.
Matters of Smaller Firms
Small firms with just the one lawyer, work unaccompanied or sometimes with a legal colleague. Some solo law experts have a business that may take on different types of law, which can include family law, real estate, wills and probate, and business law.
- Normally, this kind of small company will work with a specific client and small business.
Different Legal Departments
Larger firms, (also known as corporate law firms), work more with medium to large sized companies. This type of firm has different legal departments that specialise in particular areas of law, as in real estate law, employment law, personal injury law, or litigation. Specialist company solicitors in London, who share the ownership of a law firm are known as partners; and lawyers who are workers for the firm are known as associates.
- This type of firm also has some employees who give help out with support services like clerical, bookkeeping and paralegal types of work.
- In many cases, law offices work with clients who live in their geographical area.
Some larger companies may even have many offices around one area, if the number of people or cities therein be plentiful enough. National firms will have offices spread around the nation and there are also large international firms with offices in the UK and abroad.
- These global law companies aid international business companies in complying with the laws of any country that they are doing business with.
Various Cases
A civil litigation firm manages different types of court cases, which include disagreements over finances, property, insurance and personal injury. Solicitors in these kinds of firms are competent at representing clients in court hearings and trials.
- A law office may focus on litigation, which will involve lawsuits.
Criminal law firms may protect a client with criminal charges against him or her, and also work alongside clients who can hire their own legal assistance rather than being represented by a public defender.
Other types of law firms will also specialise in areas such as transactional law and provide legal services in areas that include documents and transactions, as in real estate closings or the readying of business contracts, wills and trusts.
Not Short of Choice!
That’s quite a lot of business indeed! And that just about covers the different types of law firms which are available today.
