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A lawyer or, more properly, an attorney-in-fact

A lawyer or, more properly, an attorney-in-fact, is a practitioner of the law who defends or argues a case in court as representing either a client or representing themselves. In the US, lawyer applies to anyone practicing law. The term lawyer comes from French, which means one appointed or created by the king to defend people of a certain area against their enemies or accuse them of crimes. The word lawyer originates from the Latin word “justis” which means just.

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A lawyer can either be a public defender or a private counselor, a representative of one of the two main legal systems, or a lawyer who practices exclusively in the courts, i.e., a notary public. In addition to defending or providing legal advice, lawyers also prepare legal documents and prepare pleadings, practice law, and conduct depositions. While a lawyer provides legal advice, it differs from giving services in which the lawyer simply presents information, collects fees, and gives out legal documents.

A lawyer can be of two types: criminal and civil. A criminal lawyer is specialized in prosecuting those who have violated the law, but not necessarily in criminal cases. Civil lawyers, on the other hand, defend clients from both criminal and civil proceedings. A lawyer who practices exclusively in the courts is called a “generalist” or “specialist”. This type of lawyer is not employed exclusively in the courts but may provide legal services in other fields, such as immigration and labor law, real estate law, probate, corporate law, and family law.

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emily watson