Types of Lawyers in Houston, TX & The Cases They Handle

In this day and age, lawyers can be found just about anywhere. From street corners to strip malls, lawyers claim that they can be there to help if you scrape your knee or are injured while at work. 

The real question becomes: how do you know whether they are truly experts in the field for which they are advertising? How will you be assured that they truly know what they have represented to you? For every type of incident, there is a lawyer there to help. Fortunately, there are ways you can figure out who the right lawyer is for you in Houston, TX.

Verifying Attorney Credentials

This is something that needs to be cleared up first before the list is started. While many individuals attend and graduate from law school, not all are actually licensed to represent you during your time of need. While your co-worker or grandfather may have a law degree, they may not have a license in good standing in the state where your case is set to take place. 

Before you agree to pay for legal advice or representation in any form, make sure the attorney is in good standing with your state bar. If this is not done, your attorney may have to withdraw from your representation and may be faced with sanctions for the unlicensed practice of law. You should be able to perform this verification process by simply contacting your state bar with the name of the attorney you wish to verify. After verifying the credentials of your attorney, you should then focus on the type of lawyer you wish to work with.

Types of Lawyers

There are two primary categories for lawyers: civil and criminal. Criminal lawyers generally focus on separate types of criminal cases but they all generally have similar work schedules. Whether they are working for the defense of the accused, or if they are the prosecuting attorney trying to convict the accused, both sides generally know the ins and outs of the crimes involved. If you are involved in the criminal offenses such as robbery, murder, etc., then these are the attorneys that you would want.

Outside of criminal law, most legal work can be classified as civil law. Beyond being a civil law attorney, most lawyers have to take it a step further within a certain area of civil law. You may come across a few types of lawyers during your lifetime that practice in areas like estate planning, bankruptcy, intellectual property, tax and divorce. These are just a few of the focus areas to name, but each of them encompass a fair chunk of the overall civil areas of law. At Lapeze & Johns, PLLC, our attorneys in Houston, TX, practice personal injury law.

Personal injury law largely involves recovery of financial damages for those that are wrongfully injured by that act (or lack of action) by another. 

Some personal injury lawyers even focus on particular types of injuries (workplace injuries, car accidents, etc.). In addition, civil law attorneys may prefer transactional work and are more likely to push for a settlement when the opportunity presents itself. Make sure the type of lawyer you work with is not afraid to push for litigation and will only accept a settlement when it truly is in your best interest.

While there are many different kinds of lawyers and even more fields of law, knowing which types of lawyers can handle your case will go a long way towards a successful outcome. If you are the recipient of any injury as a result of an accident, reach out to an experienced team in Houston, TX today.