Practice of law

Practice of law is providing legal advice or services, representing clients, or appearing before courts or other tribunals as a lawyer. Its scope and authorization are governed by jurisdiction-specific rules.

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Lawyer: A person qualified and authorized to provide legal services under a jurisdiction’s rules. The practice is defined around work performed in a lawyer’s professional capacity.
Attorney-client relationship: The professional relationship in which a lawyer undertakes to provide legal services to a client. It establishes duties once legal work is undertaken for a client.
Litigation: The process of resolving a dispute through a court proceeding. Courtroom advocacy is a prominent form of practice, but not its only form.
Self-representation in court: A person’s presentation of their own case in court without a lawyer. It contrasts lawyer representation with a party acting on their own behalf.
Lawyer licensing: The process by which a jurisdiction grants and maintains authority to practice law. Licensing systems determine which people may provide regulated legal services.
Legal advice: Guidance applying law to a person’s facts, rights, obligations, or choices. Giving advice is a central form of legal practice, distinct from merely sharing legal information.
Rules of professional conduct: Rules governing lawyers’ professional duties, conduct, and discipline. These rules regulate the manner in which legal practice is carried out.
Transactional law: Legal work structuring agreements, business arrangements, and other transactions outside dispute resolution. It shows how lawyers provide substantial services without appearing in court.
Legal aid: Publicly or privately funded assistance that helps people obtain legal advice or representation. Legal aid concerns access and funding, while practice of law concerns the professional services themselves.
Disbarment: The removal of a lawyer’s authorization to practice, usually as a disciplinary sanction. Disciplinary enforcement can end a lawyer’s ability to practice.