The Vanishing General Practice Lawyer

The History of the General Practice Lawyer

Even as recently as a generation ago, the typical attorney could be classified as a general practice lawyer.  As such, as a general practice lawyer, an attorney would provide a wide array of legal services.  For example, a general practice lawyer might provide divorce, criminal law and real estate services.  The idea was that a person would go to law school, hang out his (or her) shingle, and begin practicing law in a wide array of different areas.

The Transition from the General Practice Lawyer to the Legal Specialist

For years, the general practice lawyer was the most common type of lawyer or attorney in practice.  All of that started to change in the late 1970s and early 1980s.  In fact, the movement away from the general practice lawyer really picked up steam during the 1980s.  Now, twenty years lawyer, the general practice lawyer is becoming rarer and rarer all of the time.

Lawyer Specialists Today

Lawyers in this day and age have become specialists.  Typically, lawyers can be found specializing in different and discrete areas of the law -- domestic law, divorce law, family law, probate law, criminal law, real estate law, corporate law . what have you.

Many people who have followed the transition in and transformation of the legal profession tend to agree that the movement away from the general practice lawyer to the attorney specialist has been beneficial to clients as a general rule.  The belief is that by specializing in a particular area of the law a lawyer can provide better services to his or her clients.

General Practice Lawyer Practitioners Today

There are still some instances in which a general practice lawyer can be found in practice.  In many smaller towns across the United States a person can still find a general practice lawyer at work.  On the other hand, in larger cities, there really are fewer and fewer so-called general practice lawyers in business.  For the most part, the general practice lawyers that are in business in larger cities tend to be older and well established attorneys that have been practicing law for an extended period of time.

Before you retain a general practice lawyer, you will want to take the time to meet with him or her before you actually do engage that lawyer's services.  You will want to know how capable such a general practice lawyer will be at meeting and satisfying your particular legal needs.

Summary

When all is said and done you will want a lawyer who will best be able to represent your legal interests.  In this day and age, many people are coming to realize that the best legal services actually can be provided via a lawyer specialist.  While there remains a place for a general practice lawyer in some communities in some instances today, you really do need to focus primarily on what type of lawyer will best meet and serve your short term and your long term legal interests.