01 Aug ASK A LAW FIRM SPEAKER: WHICH LAWYERS CAN YOU COUNT ON AMID DISRUPTION?
Law firm speakers and legal futurists make good resources to turn to when you’re looking for insight into future trends, new technology and emerging innovations. As for when you need specific legal advice? That’s best reserved for lawyers themselves as qualified legal professionals, or so one might surmise. Of course, there are many types of law, many types of companies and many areas of practice – not all of which the lay reader may be familiar with out of the gate. Practicing law firm speakers and legal futurists at our company compiled a quick rundown of several of the many types of legal service providers that you could turn to in a pinch along with explanations of the types of work each firm focuses on in general:
- General practice – Law firms that take on a wide range of legal issues across many areas like business law, real estate, family law, trusts and estates, criminal law, etc.
- Boutique law firms – Specialize in one particular area of law. Examples are boutique litigation firms, IP boutiques, criminal defense boutiques.
- Big Law / Full service – Very large law firms with hundreds of attorneys that offer expertise across all major practice areas. They take on large corporate clients and complex cases according to today’s best-known law firm speakers and legal futurists.
- In-house counsel – Attorneys working directly as employees within a company rather than at a law firm. They handle legal matters related to that business.
- Government – Lawyers working for government agencies at the local, state or federal level. Includes prosecutors and public defenders.
- Solo practitioners – Self-employed lawyers who own and operate their own law practice alone rather than being part of a larger firm. Common in smaller communities.
- Non-profit – Legal advocacy groups and organizations working on social causes, per law firm speakers and legal futurists. Focus areas include civil rights, environmental law, women’s rights etc.
- Boutique litigation firms – Specialize in litigation and dispute resolution exclusively. Don’t do transactional corporate work.
- Personal injury firms – Specializing in representing plaintiffs in accident and injury cases on a contingency fee basis.
- Criminal defense firms – Defend individuals and companies accused of crimes like fraud, regulatory violations etc.
From what we hear from the field’s best law firm speakers and legal futurists, the type of law firm lawyers work in can shape the area, scope and nature of the legal work they take on throughout their career.
