Law touches every part of life on planet Earth and beyond (there is a law dealing with what happens in outer space). Whether you want to fight miscarriages of justice, get involved in the business of football, advise the biggest companies in the country or just have a good job working in your local community, there are legal roles out there for you. Below, we highlight some of the main areas of law in which CILEx members work.
‘Civil’ is the word used to describe work that isn’t criminal law, and ‘litigation’ means there are issues that need resolving between individuals/ organisations, ultimately through the courts if an agreement cannot be reached before then.
Civil litigation covers a wide range of areas, such as personal injury claims, debt recovery, housing and employment. Litigation can be split into two sub-categories : contentious (where there is a dispute) and non-contentious , where there is no real dispute, such as advising on what should be in an employment contract.
Law touches every part of life on planet Earth and beyond (there is a law dealing with what happens in outer space)
Conveyancing is the word used to describe the transfer of property, whether houses and flats for people, or offices , factories and shops for businesses. There is a range of other disciplines in conveyancing practice, such as landlord and tenant, planning, leasehold, and litigation.
Practitioners can work in-house , or within companies dealing with a wide spectrum of matters, for example, helping one company to buy another, negotiating agreements with suppliers, or dealing with the protection of a business’s intellectual property, such as its trademarks and unique designs.
This is either working at the Crown Prosecution Service prosecuting people charged with crimes, or at the law firms which defend them.
This is all about family and relationships. Divorce and the issues around it, such as what happens to the children and the division of property and assets, form a major part of the work of a family lawyer as, increasingly, do issues for couples who aren’t married. Adoption and domestic violence are other practice areas which fall into this category.
This is a broad term used to describe work for private individuals, particularly writing wills, probate practice (the legal process that allows people to deal with someone’s money and property after they die) and estate administration (the process of distributing that money and property). It also covers work such as dealing with the affairs of elderly and vulnerable clients, powers of attorney, and tax and trusts.
Public law deals with the exercise of power by public bodies, such as government ministers and departments, local authorities, NHS trusts, UK Visas and immigration, prisons and many others. This could be, for example, helping someone with their welfare benefits or with their claim for asylum. Alternatively, you could be working for the public body that is on the other side.