What Is a Civil Lawyer? A Complete Guide

A civil lawyer, commonly known as a litigator, has a crucial role in handling civil suits without a criminal angle. A civil lawyer generally handles legal disputes concerning personal injury, family relationships, employment and real estate. They can also work with government entities and business institutions. In this article, we explain what a civil lawyer is, the roles and responsibilities of this role and the skills required to become one.

What Is a Civil Lawyer?

A civil lawyer understands all the noncriminal aspects of a legal dispute between two parties. Civil disputes commonly focus on individuals, personal relationships and property disputes. A civil lawyer tries to resolve conflicts and disputes between two affected parties. They can seek redress for damages in the form of monetary compensation for their clients.

What Is the Work of A Civil Lawyer?

A civil lawyer works to settle his client's grievance or claims through available legal means. They use all the available provisions of law to protect their client's noncriminal legal disputes. In many civil cases, one party may claim ownership of a property they hold or seek compensation for perceived wrongdoing or damage to either their reputation or property. A civil lawyer can take noncriminal cases for disputes, such as defamation, right to education, property ownership, copyright infringements, divorce, custody of children and insurance claims.

Once a client approaches them with a dispute, a civil lawyer files a lawsuit for their client. Therefore, the work of a civil lawyer starts with the filing of a case and continues until a judgment is reached. In a civil case, judgments are typically monetary compensations or injunctions, more commonly known as a stay order. The civil lawyer's role in a lawsuit ends when they have taken all the required steps to implement a favourable judgment. If their clients want to appeal an unfavourable judgment, they can also help their clients with this action.

Qualifications Required to Practice Civil Law

To pursue a career in civil law, consider obtaining the following qualifications:

1. Higher secondary education

It is vital for aspirants to graduate from a higher secondary school after appearing for and passing a recognised board exam. Law does not mandate a science or mathematics education background. Hence, it is advisable to pursue commerce or humanities subjects in 10+2.

2. Bachelor's degree

This is the minimum formal academic background required for lawyers in the country. Popular courses are LLB (Bachelor of Legislative Law), BA LLB (Bachelor of Arts and Legislative Law) and BCom LLB (Bachelor of Commerce and Legislative Law). An LLB programme typically takes three years to complete. Integrated courses typically take five years to complete.

3. Bar council certificate

To become an attorney and start courtroom practice, lawyers are required to clear the bar council exam for that particular jurisdiction. A bar exam verifies your knowledge and expertise in legal practise, relevant to the jurisdiction. It is important to note that you can practise as a lawyer, either independently or as part of a law firm, without passing the bar exam.

4. Master's degree

For further academic engagement, you may consider pursuing a post-graduate program specialising in civil law. Popular courses include LLM (Master of Legislative Law), MA LLM (Master of Arts and Legislative Law) and Post-Graduate Diploma in Civil Law. Postgraduate courses typically take two years to complete.

5. Work experience

Parallel to your studies or after, you can try to gain work experience under an established civil lawyer or in a legal firm. Experience and specialisation are very important for developing a successful career in civil law. This is because lawyers require a lot of practical knowledge regarding legal proceedings, and this comes mainly through experience.

Skills Required for Civil Lawyers

Apart from qualifications and experience, a civil lawyer will also require additional skills to be at an advantage throughout their career:

Problem-solving skills: Civil lawyers use the law to their best advantage. Using various tenets, intricacies and nuances of the law to find a feasible solution for a client is one of the top skills of a civil lawyer.

Communication skills: It is important for a civil lawyer to have good communication skills. Apart from preparing documents related to casework, they will also present their case and argue it during courtroom sessions.

Interpersonal skills: A civil lawyer interacts with people from varied backgrounds. Therefore, civil lawyers should show empathy and be supportive of their clients and their opposing parties.

Negotiation skills: Lawsuits can last for many years. Civil lawyers should possess negotiation skills to bring both parties together to work toward a peaceful settlement for the benefit of all parties concerned.

Persuasion: On many occasions, particularly in family or business disputes, the lawyers of two opposite parties resolve the issues between them. When a civil lawyer works with large businesses or conglomerates on behalf of their clients, having good negotiation skills is beneficial.

Attention to detail: A civil lawyer benefits from paying attention to little details of a case before filing it. If they miss a minor or important detail, it can lead to delays and misrepresentation in a courtroom.

Credibility: A civil lawyer should be upfront and honest about every aspect of the case to their client. It is good practice to avoid making false promises or misleading a client by promising favourable judgments.

Updated knowledge: Knowledge of all the latest legal developments, landmark judgments and court cases can help a civil lawyer in their career. They benefit greatly from staying updated regarding the socio-political scenario around them.