Legal representatives train for years in order to be legally qualified to represent people. During that time, people often find they have certain interests they are passionate about or decide they wish to specialise in a certain area of law. It is at this point they start to become legal specialists.
Qualifications
As with a lot of jobs people have specific qualifications. If someone wants to train in legal representation for business they can do that. Equally there are specialisations in all kinds of industries and fields, from personal injury to aviation to dealing with the elderly.
Experience
Another big part of being a specialist is the cases they are involved in. While having the qualifications is important ideally you also want someone who has been involved with a number of cases and ideally can demonstrate how they helped to achieve positive outcomes.
Groups
Specialisation doesn’t necessarily stop with a qualification. A lot of legal representatives are also members of boards or campaign groups (for example, helping women housed in abuse shelters or campaigning for human rights legislation).
Why use a specialist?
A big issue is also why you should use a specialist – it is not just about their qualifications but also what they can offer as a whole. For example, someone with a medical background is more likely to know about specialist treatment and can refer you to medical specialists.
In some cases it can also be an emotional connection – for example, someone who has to work with children should be able to work with them in an empathetic way. It is not necessarily children who may experience stress and emotional difficulties during a case.
It is a myth that a lawyer needs to be dispassionate. There may be times when this is important but as with any job there are times when you need to look at a case from a dispassionate and neutral perspective and times when you need to communicate with people emotionally and an experienced representative will know the difference.
Size is relative
One thing that can affect specialisation is the size of a firm. It can be a hard balance between working with a client and offering the services that they need. With smaller firms you may be able to offer a more hands on approach but this can be at the expense of specialisation and facilities while with a larger firm the opposite may be true as you may get the facilities but may not feel like they are working directly with you.
This is why at Larcomes we have often felt that it is important to get this balance right – on the one hand we offer contact details for specific representatives to help you get to know them while at the same time are large enough to offer the specialist service you need. If you check online you can get the names of our team as well as the specific areas of legal expertise they have.
To find out more about what we can offer for you and to talk to a specialist contact us today.