The Legal Profession: History and Diversity; Admission to Practice - June 1

Question 1

Do lawyers perform a range of functions, including serving as advisors, advocates, negotiators, evaluators, or neutral parties? (Q)

Answer 1

Yes. Lawyers perform many different functions for their clients and for others, including serving as:

advisors who provide information to clients about their rights, their obligations under the law, and the consequences of taking certain actions;

advocates for their clients’ positions in adversarial proceedings;

negotiators on behalf of their clients in various dealings;

evaluators who assess and report on their clients’ legal affairs; or

neutral parties who assist in resolving disputes through mediation and other means.