Frequently Asked Questions

A lawyer provides legal advice and counsel on behalf of someone involved in a legal dispute or legal issue. Also called attorneys or counselors, lawyers typically represent people before a governing body (such as a court) by conducting legal research, gathering relevant documents and witnesses, drafting written briefs, and presenting oral arguments.

To become a lawyer, a person must complete at least three years of intensive legal education and training, take and pass a rigorous state licensing exam (known as the “bar exam”), and pass a personal and moral fitness test.

While some other countries use the terms “notary public” and “lawyer” interchangeably, that is not the case in the United States. Here, notary publics are commissioned by their state of residence to witness and authenticate signatures on legally binding documents. They do not advise on legal matters or otherwise practice law, although some lawyers also are notary publics.

Under a state’s bar admission, lawyers must uphold the law and protect the rights of their clients. In addition to actually knowing the law, particularly within their practice area, an attorney must communicate clearly with their clients, work competently to resolve their clients’ needs, and be ethical in performing their duties.

The practice of law is more than just appearing in court on behalf of a client. While many lawyers argue cases before judges, there are just as many lawyers who never step foot in a courtroom. But whether in or out of court, lawyers spend a great deal of time in an office handling a variety of tasks related to their clients’ cases, such as researching new developments in the law, preparing legal documents, and giving legal advice.

People who hope to become lawyers must first complete special training and meet other professional requirements. Although each state has its own standards for licensing attorneys, most states require hopeful lawyers to obtain an undergraduate degree and then graduate from an accredited law school. Once the formal education is complete, they must also take and pass the state’s bar examination (a rigid test of knowledge in all fields of law), submit to an investigation into their moral character and fitness to practice law, and be sworn in by their state’s supreme court.