261 Legal Professionals

Lawyers give clients legal advice on a wide variety of subjects, draw up legal documents, represent clients before administrative boards or tribunals and plead cases or conduct prosecutions in courts of justice, or instruct barristers to plead in higher courts of justice. Tasks include - (a) giving clients legal advice on a wide variety of subjects and undertaking legal business on clients’ behalf; (b) researching legal principles, statutes and previous court decisions related to specific cases; (c) gathering evidence to formulate a defence or to initiate legal actions, by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case; (d) evaluating findings and developing strategies and arguments in preparation for presentation of cases; (e) pleading clients’ cases before courts of law, tribunals and administrative boards or instructing barristers to plead in higher courts of justice; (f) accepting briefs and pleading in the higher court; (g) acting as prosecutor on behalf of the government; (h) negotiating settlements in matters which involve legal disputes; (i) drafting legislation and preparing government regulations based on existing laws; (j) drawing up legal documents such as contracts, real estate transactions and wills and preparing statements of legal opinions. Examples of the occupations classified here: - Attorney - Barrister - Lawyer - Prosecutor - Solicitor Some related occupations classified elsewhere: - Notary - 2619 - Conveyancing clerk - 3411 - Law clerk - 3411.

Judges preside over civil and criminal proceedings in courts of law. Tasks include - (a) presiding over trials and hearings; (b) interpreting and enforcing rules of procedure and making rulings regarding the admissibility of evidence; (c) determining the rights and obligations of the parties involved, and in cases tried by jury; (d) instructing the jury on points of law that are applicable to the case; (e) weighing and considering evidence in non-jury trials and deciding legal guilt or innocence or degree of liability of the accused or defendant; (f) passing sentence on persons convicted in criminal cases, determining damages or other appropriate remedy in civil cases and issuing court orders; (g) researching legal issues and writing opinions on the issues. Examples of the occupations classified here: - Chief justice - Judge - Magistrate Some related occupations classified elsewhere: - Court clerk - 3411 - Justice of the peace - 3411.

This unit group covers legal professionals not classified elsewhere in Minor Group 261: Legal Professionals. For instance, the group includes those who perform legal functions other than pleading or prosecuting cases or presiding over judicial proceedings. In such cases tasks would include - (a) giving advice on legal aspects of various personal, business and administrative problems; (b) drawing up legal documents and contracts; (c) arranging property transfers; (d) determining, by inquest, the causes of any death not obviously due to natural causes. Examples of the occupations classified here: - Coroner - Jurist (except lawyer or judge) - Notary.