Introduction to Types of Legal Work and Practice Groups

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Broadly, there are 3 types of legal work:

1. Transactional – reviewing, negotiating, drafting and advising on legal documents such as agreements and deeds to facilitate commercial transactions between your client and other parties.

Examples of transactional practice areas include mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity (PE), funds, banking and finance (B&F), technology, media and telecommunications (TMT), real estate and front-end construction.

2. Litigation and Dispute Resolution – advising on the resolution of disputes between your client and other parties through dispute resolution processes such as litigation (i.e. court proceedings), arbitration, expert determination or mediation.

Examples of litigious practice areas include commercial litigation, commissions and investigations, arbitration, restructuring and insolvency, intellectual property litigation, defamation, back-end construction, insurance, class actions, tax litigation, employment litigation and planning and environment litigation.

While they are not commercial areas of practice, criminal law and family law can be considered as "litigation" practice areas.

3. Regulatory and Advisory – advising your client on how they can comply with laws and regulations.

Examples of regulatory and advisory practice areas include competition and consumer, privacy, workplace relations and employment, financial services regulation, tax, intellectual property and planning and environment regulation.