An Attorney is somebody legally empowered to represent another person, or act on their behalf.

A Lawyer is somebody who can give legal advice and has been trained in the law.

Are Attorney and Lawyer are synonyms? Basically yes, but they are not necessarily Interchangeable terms, you cannot for instance say I give you the Power of a Lawyer, but you definitely might say I give you the power of Attorney…

Look again at the above definitions, does it now make any sense? Off course it does.

An attorney in fact is an agent who conducts business under authority that is controlled and limited by a written document called a letter, or power, of attorney granted by the principal. An attorney at law is an officer of a court of law authorized to represent the person employing him (the client) in legal proceedings.

A Solicitor- One that solicits, especially one that seeks trade or contributions. The chief law officer of a city, town, or government department but does not act as an advocate in court, as opposed to the Attorney who pleads in court. (English Law).

A Barrister(Called Advocate in Scotland) presents the case in court. Most senior and distinguished barristers are designated King’s (Queen’s) counsel.

A Counselor at law- In the past at least in some U.S states there was a distinction between the term A Counselor at Law who argued the case in court and an attorney who prepared the case but didn’t argue it.

Nowadays an attorney at law is authorized to exercise all the functions of a practicing lawyer. All of them must, however, like the ordinary attorney, be admitted to the bar. The term attorney is also used for county, state, and federal prosecuting officers, as county attorney, district attorney, and attorney general.

Lawyers, also called attorneys, act as both advocates and advisors in our society. As advocates, they represent one of the parties in criminal and civil trials by presenting evidence and arguing in court to support their client. As advisors, lawyers counsel their clients concerning their legal rights and obligations and suggest particular courses of action in business and personal matters. Although all lawyers are licensed to represent parties in court, some appear in court more frequently than others. Trial lawyers, who specialize in trial work, must be able to think quickly and speak with ease and authority. In addition, familiarity with courtroom rules and strategy is particularly important in trial work. Still, trial lawyers spend the majority of their time outside the courtroom, conducting research, interviewing clients and witnesses, and handling other details in preparation for trial.

Lawyers types:

The legal system affects nearly every aspect of our society, from buying a home to crossing the street. Lawyers hold positions of great responsibility and are obligated to adhere to a strict code of ethics.

The more detailed aspects of a lawyer’s job depend upon his or her field of specialization and position. Although all lawyers are licensed to represent parties in court, some appear in court more frequently than others.

Lawyers may specialize in a number of different areas, such as bankruptcy, probate, international, or elder law. Those specializing in environmental law, for example, may represent public-interest groups, waste disposal companies, or construction firms in their dealings with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other Federal and State agencies. These lawyers help clients prepare and file for licenses and applications for approval before certain activities may occur. In addition, they represent clients’ interests in administrative adjudications.

Some lawyers concentrate in the growing field of intellectual property, helping to protect clients’ claims to copyrights, artwork under contract, product designs, and computer programs. Still other lawyers advise insurance companies about the legality of insurance transactions, writing insurance policies to conform with the law and to protect companies from unwarranted claims.

Most lawyers are found in private practice, where they concentrate on criminal or civil law. In criminal law, lawyers represent individuals who have been charged with crimes and argue their cases in courts of law. Attorneys dealing with civil law assist clients with litigation, wills, trusts, contracts, mortgages, titles, and leases. Other lawyers handle only public-interest cases—civil or criminal—which may have an impact extending well beyond the individual client.

These issues might involve patents, government regulations, and contracts with other companies, property interests, or collective-bargaining agreements with unions.

Other lawyers work for legal-aid societies—private, nonprofit organizations established to serve disadvantaged people. These lawyers generally handle civil, rather than criminal, cases. A relatively small number of trained attorneys work in law schools.

The real life situations have created “specialties” according to business profitability. This is how terms like Vioxx Lawyer, DUI Lawyer, Lemon Law Lawyer , Structured Settlements Lawyer and others came about.

There are consumer advocate who have specialized their selves in debt collection work which can be certainly an effective option to get your self help through credit collection process. There are consumer advocate or few unions like American Consumers Union, United Consumer Advocacy Network, and many more are set up to act as a lawyer for the protection between both of the parties. Most of the advocates help clients in all possible manners by providing them with their education and protection.

The first and the foremost goal that the consumer union is to do is to educate the clients with the best skills and know how. Education should be imparted in detail with all the rights that a client can have when they are being followed by a debt collector. These rights are being granted by the state laws and FDCPA means, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The collectors are generally found to be trained poorly and so is the reason they are seen to violate the laws. With this reason consumer are laid unaware for their rights. It is extremely stress full to receive calls from the collectors when you are in great debts. This is the spot and situation where consumer union will be in condition to impart you protection shield. There are consumer who do not use their rights even thought they are well aware of their rights due to though of the actions performed by the collectors.

Consumer advocate is not only formed to impart education in detail but all together to provide you a protection shield. If you are dealing with the web site which are really not listening to you after the work is done by you. Then, you can definitely fight against the web sites for getting the payment from them through and with the help of consumer advocate.

Millions of Americans today work from satellite offices or telecommuting centers, while millions more choose to work at home everyday.

Employers and employees agree that telecommuting is a financially profitable workplace alternative. It saves employers time and money by reducing the need for travel and time spent in traffic jams. It also reduces costs by allowing them to hire additional staff while eliminating the need for additional office and parking space.

In 1995, Telecommute America, an advocacy group, surveyed certain companies and found that employers considered the advantages of telecommuting arrangements: higher employee morale; reduced costs in terms of office space; less stress among employees. On the part of employees, more than 75 percent say that because of fewer interruptions at home, they are more productive if they work from there. Ninety percent of employees say they can better balance their work and private life.

Because of these benefits, telework and telecommuting have been adopted by more and more sales and marketing personnel, lawyers, engineers, architects, accountants, book editors, transcribers, and dressmakers. Creative types such as designers, photographers, and writers prefer telecommuting because it gives them freedom in their working hours and styles. It also levels the field for people in remote areas, those with physical disabilities, and young or stay-at-home parents.

Benefits in reduced vehicular pollution and improved traffic have caused the US government to support telecommuting. US laws direct federal agencies to offer telecommuting options to eligible employees, or lose funding. The Clean Air Act was also amended to require companies with at least 100 employees to allow telecommuting. The Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency have teamed up for Best Workplaces for Commuters, a program that recognizes employers with, among other things, good telework programs.

Advocacy groups point out these benefits in promoting telecommuting and in educating policy makers, employers, and employees. The Telework Coalition, for example, works for legislation that supports telecommuters and teleworkers. They seek tax credit and other incentives for both employers and telecommuters. Another group called CORA (Creating Opportunities by Recognizing Abilities) provides telework opportunities to persons with disabilities, especially to veterans and their families. Teletrips, Inc., a business group, aims to implement telework programs in both public and private sectors with a view towards reduced commuter trips.

In the final analysis, the greatest benefits are to the telecommuter. Increased productivity, less stress, and more time with the family all yield a better quality of life.