Legal Aid: A Blog About Laws And Legal Processes

What do lawyers actually do? An explanation for a student at secondary school

23 June 2016

Renee Bates

You may only be in secondary school and uni seems like it is a long way off, but it is never too early to get an understanding of what different careers are out there.

Being a lawyer seems to be a great profession, especially if you have seen episodes of 'Rake' or any other series about lawyers. On the other hand, not all lawyers end up in court, arguing brilliantly against each other. In fact, there are a number of different things that a lawyer can do.

Lawyer for the prosecution

When someone is accused of a crime, the Director of Public Prosecutions will bring a charge against them and they will have to go to court. There will be a lawyer who will be in charge of the prosecution. It is this person's job to take all the evidence that shows the accused is guilty and to present an argument that tells the court why the accused is guilty of the crime for which they were arrested.

Lawyer for the defence

Everyone who is accused of a crime and goes to court is allowed to present an argument in their defence. The accused does not do this personally, but hires a lawyer to represent them. It is the defence lawyer's job to explain to the court why the accused should not be found guilty of the crime.

Conveyancing lawyer

Whenever a house or building is bought or sold, there are laws that state that certain things have to be done to make the sale legal. A conveyancing lawyer will make sure that all the forms are filled in, all the correct papers filed and all the costs paid for the whole transaction.

Family court lawyer

Sometimes people go to court, even though they have not been accused of a crime. Often the court they go to is family court because they are getting divorced or have to arrange something about the custody of children. Each person who goes to a family court is allowed to have a lawyer to help them present their case and to guide them through the whole process. Sometimes the lawyers will be able to help the people involved in a legal family matter to resolve their problem without going to court.

Corporate lawyer

Big businesses are involved in doing lots of different transactions and signing contracts for work that they do or have done. Everything must follow the laws of the land, so these firms employ lawyers to make sure that this happens. A corporate lawyer may draw up a contract or may check that someone else's contract is acceptable. They may also be involved in advising people about the best way to reach a legal agreement.

Share