A lawyer is a licensed professional entitled to draw up wills, contracts and other legal documents, to offer legal advice and opinions, and to prosecute or defend people in law courts. They work for private law firms, legal aid, as Crown prosecutors, or in offices at the federal, provincial and municipal level of government, as well as for businesses.
According to Human Resources and Skills Canada, a lawyer’s main duties are advising clients on legal issues, researching legal precedents and gathering evidence, pleading clients’ cases before courts, tribunals and boards, drawing up legal documents related to real-estate transactions, wills, divorces and contracts, negotiating civil disputes and acting as executor, trustee or guardian in estate and family law matters.
The wide range of fields means a lawyer could spend much of her career in her office handling legal papers or conducting criminal trials. Crown lawyers do not represent the victims or police, but work independently on behalf of the public to present to a judge or jury all available legal evidence of an alleged crime.
Defence lawyers are employed by private firms or legal aid to represent clients accused of crimes. Their duty is strictly to their client and they must pursue every available legal defence.