Types of Lawyers and What They Handle

General overview, not legal advice

This guide is a general overview of common legal practice areas to help you understand which type of lawyer typically handles a given situation. It is educational information only, not legal advice, and is not a substitute for speaking with a licensed attorney about your specific facts.

BrellaFind is not a law firm. Legal specialties, licensing requirements, and the exact scope of what a given practice area covers can differ by state.

Personal injury lawyers

Personal injury lawyers represent people who have been physically or psychologically harmed due to someone else's negligence or wrongdoing — car accidents, slip-and-fall incidents, defective products, medical malpractice, and similar claims. They typically work to recover compensation for medical bills, lost income, and other damages.

Many personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, meaning they are paid a percentage of any settlement or award rather than an hourly rate, with no fee if there is no recovery (though case costs may still apply).

Family law attorneys

Family law attorneys handle divorce, legal separation, child custody and support, spousal support, adoption, and domestic violence protective orders. Because family law is governed almost entirely by state law and often by local court rules, procedures and terminology can vary significantly from one state to the next.

Criminal defense lawyers

Criminal defense lawyers represent individuals who are being investigated, charged, or prosecuted for a crime, from minor misdemeanors to serious felonies. If you cannot afford a lawyer in a criminal case, you may be entitled to a court-appointed public defender — a right established under the U.S. Constitution for cases where jail time is a possible outcome.

Estate planning and probate attorneys

Estate planning attorneys help individuals prepare wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives, and plan for how assets will be handled after death or incapacity. Probate attorneys handle the court process of administering an estate after someone dies, which is required in many cases before assets can be distributed.

State law governs how wills must be executed, how trusts are administered, and what happens if someone dies without a will (called dying "intestate"), so these rules differ meaningfully across states.

Employment lawyers

Employment lawyers handle workplace disputes such as wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, wage and hour violations, and non-compete agreements. Some employment lawyers represent employees, others represent employers, and some do both depending on the matter.

Employment claims are often governed by a mix of federal law (such as anti-discrimination statutes enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) and state-specific labor laws, and many claims have short deadlines for filing a complaint with an agency before a lawsuit can proceed.

Bankruptcy and consumer protection attorneys

Bankruptcy attorneys help individuals or businesses evaluate and file for bankruptcy protection under federal bankruptcy law, most commonly Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 for individuals. Consumer protection attorneys handle disputes involving debt collection abuse, credit reporting errors, and deceptive business practices, often under federal laws enforced in part by the Federal Trade Commission.

Real estate and business attorneys

Real estate attorneys handle property purchases and sales, title issues, landlord-tenant disputes, and zoning matters; requirements for attorney involvement in a real estate closing vary by state. Business attorneys assist with entity formation, contracts, partnership disputes, mergers, and regulatory compliance for companies of all sizes.

Other common practice areas

• Immigration lawyers — visas, green cards, citizenship, and deportation defense, which involve federal law and federal immigration courts.
• Disability lawyers — Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claims and appeals.
• Workers' compensation lawyers — workplace injury claims through a state-specific workers' comp system.
• Tax attorneys — disputes with the IRS or state tax authorities, and complex tax planning.
• Civil litigation attorneys — general lawsuits between individuals or businesses that don't fall neatly into another category.