The old-fashioned general practitioner, the maverick jack-of-all-trades attorney who did a middling bit of legal work for everyone in the community, is a dying breed. The role of these general practice attorneys was not unlike that of the erstwhile family physician who made house calls and served as a general problem solver for the community. The traditional generalist handled divorces, criminal defenses, real estate closings, property disputes, contract negotiations, personal injury lawsuits, worker's compensation claims, adoptions, bankruptcies, estate planning matters, probate cases, and more. These days, a attorney who attempts to practice in such a broad range of areas runs a high risk of committing legal malpractice. The practice of law has become so complicated that most attorneys can claim competence in only one or two areas. Learn more about General Practice attorneys
general practice attorneys
In the United States, the ratio of practicing attorneys to consumers exceeds that of most other countries. The competition among attorneys is stiff. When a attorney lacks work and the overhead monster rears its ugly head, the temptation to accept any client who walks through the door is strong. Few attorneys turn down cases that fall outside of their areas of expertise when pushed to pay the rent and the secretary's salary.
general practice attorneys
The client-consumer is the unfortunate victim of this tendency. No attorney can know enough to process all of the cases that may present themselves. In modern-day firms, attorneys shift cases back and forth among themselves according to expertise and interest. attorneys in small firms often work together as a team, with one of them accepting family-related matters, another handling criminal cases, a third taking business clients, and yet another doing the personal injury work. The family, criminal, and business attorneys establish a broad client base for the firm while allowing the personal injury attorney to concentrate on the big-money cases.
general practice attorneys
The individual general practitioner is probably a figure of historical note only. The risk of committing errors is great for attorneys who do a little of everything. The concept of a general law practice lives on, however, in the absence of its central figure, the general practitioner. Groups of attorneys who know their limitations and who wisely allocate cases among themselves according to area of emphasis, level of experience, and personal preference now offer the broad range of services that once was the province of the general practitioner.
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