Legal Specialisms

The specialisms of law faculties differ from country to country and from university to university, but they may broadly be divided into several branches, each attending to a particular side of the law. What follows are some of the common specialisms in law faculties:

• Civil law

• Branches:
  • Contract law: it governs contracts between individuals or institutions, including the essential conditions for forming a contract, the obligations of the parties, and the different kinds of contract.
  • The law of civil liability: it attends to the law addressing harm one person causes another, as in accidents, and the responsibilities that follow.
  • Property law: it addresses questions of ownership of immovables and movables, and takes in purchase, sale, mortgage and lease.
  • Family law and inheritance: it governs family relations — marriage, divorce, custody of children, and the division of estates.
• Examples of roles: lawyer in personal status matters, legal counsel to companies on contracts, specialist in real estate disputes.

• Criminal law

• Branches:
  • General criminal law: it covers the traditional offences such as theft, homicide and assault.
  • Particular criminal law: it concerns specific offences, including cybercrime, drug offences, economic crime, and corporate crime.
  • Criminal procedure: it addresses the procedures to be followed during investigation and trial in criminal matters, including the rights of the accused and due process.
• Examples of roles: public prosecutor, criminal defence lawyer, legal counsel to government bodies on economic crime.

• Constitutional law

• Branches:
  • The separation of powers: the study of how authority is distributed among the branches of government — executive, legislative and judicial — and how the balance of powers is secured.
  • Human rights: attending to the law protecting the fundamental rights of individuals as laid down in the constitution.
  • Electoral systems: the study of the law governing elections and the democratic process, including the drawing of constituencies and electoral funding.
  • Constitutional adjudication: it concerns the courts specialising in resolving constitutional disputes and interpreting constitutional texts.
• Examples of roles: judge of a constitutional court, legal counsel in rights institutions, lawyer specialising in constitutional matters.

• Commercial law

• Branches:
  • Company law: it concerns the regulation, formation and management of companies, including the rights and duties of shareholders and directors.
  • Securities law: it covers the law governing the securities markets, including the rules on the issue and trading of shares and bonds.
  • Bankruptcy law: it attends to the law governing bankruptcy proceedings and the protection of the rights of creditors and debtors.
  • International trade law: it takes in the law governing cross-border commercial dealings, including export and import and international commercial contracts.
• Examples of roles: legal counsel to companies, lawyer specialising in bankruptcy, international lawyer in trade matters.

• International law

• Branches:
  • Public international law: it concerns the law governing relations between states and international organizations, including treaties, the law of the sea, and the law of war.
  • Private international law: it attends to the law affecting legal disputes containing an international element, such as international commercial disputes and the international protection of human rights.
  • International human rights law: it addresses the protection of human rights at the international level, including practice on the prevention of torture, asylum, and the protection of minorities.
  • International environmental law: it takes in the law and treaties aimed at protecting the environment globally, such as the climate change conventions and the protection of biological diversity.
• Examples of roles: legal diplomat, advocate before the International Court of Justice, legal counsel in an international organization.

• Family law

• Branches:
  • Marriage and divorce: governing the procedures of marriage, separation, divorce, and the division of property.
  • Custody of children: fixing the law governing custody, guardianship and maintenance.
  • The law of inheritance: it concerns the division of estates and inheritance after a person's death under the applicable law.
• Examples of roles: divorce lawyer, legal counsel in custody matters, lawyer specialising in the division of estates.

• Administrative law

• Branches:
  • Administrative appeals: it concerns the law and procedure allowing individuals to challenge administrative decisions before the administrative courts.
  • Oversight of the public authorities: it takes in the law on the review of government decisions and on ensuring their conformity with the law and the constitution.
  • Administrative contracts: it covers contracts between government and companies or individuals, such as construction contracts and public services.
• Examples of roles: legal counsel in government departments, lawyer specialising in administrative appeals, judge of an administrative court.

• Labor law

• Branches:
  • Wages law: it concerns the law governing the minimum wage, overtime pay, and other benefits.
  • Workers' rights: it takes in the legal protection of workers against discrimination, and on working conditions, unfair dismissal, and safety at work.
  • The law of trade unions: it concerns the law governing the formation and work of trade unions and industrial action.
• Examples of roles: labor lawyer, legal counsel to companies on employment matters, lawyer to a trade union.

• Intellectual property law

• Branches:
  • Copyright: it concerns the protection of literary, artistic and creative works against unlicensed use.
  • Patents: it attends to the protection of inventions and technological innovations.
  • Trademarks: it concerns the protection of the marks distinguishing goods and services in the market.
  • Trade secrets: it concerns the protection of confidential company information conferring a competitive advantage.
• Examples of roles: patent lawyer, legal counsel to technology companies, lawyer specialising in trademark matters.

• Environmental law

• Branches:
  • Environmental legislation: it concerns the law aimed at protecting the environment from pollution and destruction.
  • Climate change law: it attends to the legislation and policy aimed at limiting the effects of climate change.
  • Protection of natural resources: it takes in the law aimed at conserving natural resources such as water, forests and wildlife.
• Examples of roles: lawyer in environmental protection organizations, legal counsel on climate change matters, government lawyer in environmental cases.

• Arbitration and mediation

• Branches:
  • Commercial arbitration: it concerns the resolution of commercial disputes outside the courts through arbitration.
  • Mediation: it concerns the resolution of disputes between parties through negotiation and mediation, without court proceedings.
  • International arbitration: it attends to the resolution of international disputes through arbitration, particularly in trade and investment matters.
• Examples of roles: international arbitrator, legal counsel in multinational companies, accredited mediator in commercial disputes.

• Human rights law

• Branches:
  • International human rights law: it takes in the protection of human rights at the international level under the international treaties and conventions.
  • Human rights in the constitution: it concerns the protection of human rights within states through constitutional texts.
  • International humanitarian law: it addresses the protection of human rights in times of armed conflict and war.
• Examples of roles: lawyer in human rights organizations, legal counsel at the United Nations, human rights advocate before national and international courts.

• Health law

• Branches:
  • Public health law: it concerns the law aimed at protecting the health of the community, such as the law on vaccination and disease control.
  • Healthcare law: it concerns the regulation of the healthcare sector, including the law on hospitals and physicians, and medical liability.
  • Medical ethics law: it attends to the ethical and legal questions affecting medical practice, such as the law on organ transplantation and abortion.
• Examples of roles: legal counsel in the healthcare sector, lawyer specialising in medical ethics, legal counsel to global health organizations.

• Sports law

• Branches:
  • The law of sports contracts: it concerns the regulation of contracts between athletes, clubs and sponsors.
  • Sports disputes: it attends to the resolution of sport-related disputes by legal means or by arbitration.
  • Anti-doping law: it takes in the law governing the use of prohibited substances in sport.
• Examples of roles: sports lawyer, legal counsel to sports clubs, lawyer specialising in anti-doping matters.

• Financial law

• Branches:
  • Tax law: it concerns the regulation of taxes on individuals and companies, including collection and tax planning.
  • Banking law: it attends to the regulation of the banking sector and financial services, including loans, deposits, and anti-money-laundering law.
  • Investment law: it concerns the law governing financial investment, whether in domestic or international markets.
• Examples of roles: legal counsel in financial companies, tax lawyer, lawyer specialising in banking and investment law.