When most people think about lawyers, they think about the latest episode of Law and Order that they saw on TNT. They think that all attorneys spend their days in the court room. The truth is that lawyers do a lot of different things. Some of them will spend their days fighting criminal law in court. Others deal with civil issues. Some do litigation, while others do transactional work. Here are some of the common practice areas for lawyers. 

Criminal law
Many attorneys choose to work either in prosecution or in criminal defense. This is a very specialized area of the law. Those who choose to go into criminal practice tend to stay in criminal practice. This is a choice that many people are required to make at the beginning of their legal career. 

Civil Litigation
There are ways to be in the court room that do not involve criminal law. Civil litigation is the process of dealing with conflicts between different businesses. Some people work on the defense side of litigation, defending the companies that are sued either by consumers or other companies. Others work in plaintiff's work. They are the ones filing the lawsuits against the various businesses out there. 

Corporate
Many attorneys work in what is called "corporate." These individuals will work on a number of different things. They might focus their work on mergers and acquisitions. They might focus their work on restructuring through bankruptcy. This really depends upon where the law firm is located. Firms in New York City would be more geared around corporate mergers. 

Real Estate
Many lawyers choose to work in the field of real estate. These people might help with the acquisition of property. They might deal with the documents that are necessary to finalize a real estate deal. Real estate lawyers spend a lot of time working through paperwork. They can sometimes be involved in negotiations. Most of the time, though, they are busy pouring through documents to ensure that all of a client's bases are covered. 

Personal injury
This is a specialized type of civil litigation. As you might guess, personal injury lawyers help plaintiffs who have been hurt in an accident. They help clients file lawsuits against individuals and against companies. This might include work on vehicle accidents or slip and fall accidents. It might also include work on products liability for those clients who have been injured by a defective item.