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If you’re a new or aspiring lawyer, you’ll likely be aware of the many necessary skills that are needed for the job. To succeed in the legal field, you’ll need to perfect a range of important skills including organization, communication, planning, teamwork, commercial awareness, and legal interpretation; perhaps most importantly, you’ll be required to settle on a legal specialism – but what are the 6 areas of law in the UK, and which could be the most relevant for you as an aspiring lawyer today?
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Best Areas of Law in the UK
Property Law
As you may have guessed from the name, property law generally concerns matters related to commercial and residential property, whether that be buying, selling, renting, or leasing. Sometimes referred to as real estate law, property law is generally concerned with property transactions and may include specialist areas including mortgage lending, social housing, and property finance. The turbulent state of the UK housing market has led to a spike in the number of new lawyers and solicitors focusing on property law in the country.
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Personal Injury Law
Generally speaking, personal injury lawyers work to protect employees and individuals from suffering an illness or injury due to accidents or incidents which have occurred beyond their control. Typically, personal injury lawyers will assist their clients with making personal injury claims after cases of medical negligence or accidents at work – personal injury law is designed to ensure that the responsible parties are held to account.
Criminal Law
Criminal law is concerned with any criminal offences, including the legislation and procedures related to police investigations, charges brought up by prosecuting authorities, and criminal court proceedings. Criminal lawyers will generally be tasked with representing and assisting those who’ve been accused of committing a crime.
Commercial Law
Commercial law is a broad term that usually relates to legal services for businesses, governments, and companies – commercial lawyers will often assist their clients in managing risk, protecting business interests, and reducing the risk of a business’ clients making liability claims. Commercial lawyers will usually focus on a specialist area such as media, technology, or intellectual property, depending on their skill set and the local labour market.
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Family Law
Whereas commercial law is usually related to businesses and corporations, family law is centered on family issues in the home. Typically, family lawyers will deal with a diverse range of family-focused cases including adoption, child abuse, divorce, and domestic abuse.
Employment Law
As you might expect, employment law is related to cases arising in the workplace and is usually focused on maintaining and defining the rights and duties of employees. Whereas employment law was previously focused primarily on laws within offices and workplaces, its scope has been significantly widened with the new shift to remote working culture.