Not sure
of what kind of attorney you need? These brief descriptions cover legal
practice areas that should help you determine the proper category through the
State Bar Lawyer Referral & Information Service. If your situation is not
identified below, please contact our office for further assistance at (800)
252-9690, Monday through Friday between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm Central. Office is
closed on legal holidays.
ADMINISTRATIVE & PUBLIC LAW
Governs relationships
between individuals and governmental entities, including cases against city,
county, state, federal entities. Business-related licensing issues, including
matters before the Alcohol Beverage Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Civil
Service, Board of Education, Real Estate Commission, Federal Aviation
Association, OSHA, and medical licensing groups. Limited issues related to
school law representation.
ADMIRALTY/MARITIME LAW
Offshore-related issues, occurring on bodies
of water, involving damage to a ship, damage to cargo, or injury to an
individual.
AGRICULTURAL LAW
Agricultural
finance, labor, farming rights, tenancy. Agricultural
infrastructure, seed, water, fertilizer,
pesticide,
etc.; law on agricultural finance; agricultural labor; agricultural marketing; agricultural insurance,
farming rights, land tenure and tenancy system and law on agricultural
processing and rural industry.
BANKRUPTCY LAW
General personal and corporate bankruptcy
related issues.
BANKRUPTCY – CHAPTER 7
Personal and corporate bankruptcy issues involving
reorganization offering immediate relief.
BANKRUPTCY – CHAPTER 13
Personal and corporate bankruptcy issues involving
reorganization for income-receiving debtors.
BUSINESS LAW
Issues related to
setting up a business or corporation, contract disputes, mergers/acquisitions.
CIVIL LITIGATION
Assistance with legal disputes between two or
more parties seeking monetary damages rather than criminal sanctions.
CIVIL APPEALS
Appeals to trial court decisions in civil
cases.
CIVIL
RIGHTS
Protection from
discrimination based on grounds such as race, gender,
sexual
orientation, national origin, color,
age,
political
affiliation, ethnicity, religion, and disability
(not employment related; see Labor &
Employment). Issues involving police brutality or false arrest.
COMPUTER LAW
Internet law and
the patent and copyright aspects of computer technology and software.
CONSTRUCTION LAW
All
aspects of building, including the bidding process, negotiation and drafting of
contracts, and disputes between the parties in the building process.
CONSUMER LAW
Broad area covering most issues related to
consumer purchases including consumer fraud, defective products, the Deceptive
Trade Practice Act (DTPA), banking matters, "Lemon Law" (new cars), car
repair and dealership disputes, credit/collections problems, homeowner
improvements and repairs, utility problems, insurance company issues and small
claims court representation.
CRIMINAL LAW
Misdemeanor and felony crimes, license
suspensions, juvenile proceedings, expunctions, parole issues.
CRIMINAL LAW/TICKETS
Assistance
and representation for traffic and speeding tickets, traffic violations,
commercial driver’s license (CDL) issues.
CRIMINAL APPEALS
Appeals to trial court decisions involving
criminal cases.
ELDER
LAW
Issues effecting older citizens, including
Medicaid, long-term care issues, guardianship, abuse and neglect, end of life
planning, nursing home and in-home care.
ENTERTAINMENT LAW
Legal issues and
contracts for books, movies, music, television entertainment.
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
Issues related to the environment including
biotechnology, toxicology, water, OSHA requirements, oil & gas and asbestos.
EQUINE LAW
Issues with
horse-related lawsuits.
ESTATE
PLANNING, WILLS & PROBATE
Legal assistance related to drafting wills,
estate planning, tax planning, probating wills and estate issues. Additional
areas may include mental health matters, guardianships, and "elder
law" issues, such as the living will and power of attorney.
FAMILY LAW
Issues related to the relationship of
families including adoption, child abuse matters, guardianship, divorce,
annulment, rights of grandparents, paternity, pre-nuptial agreements,
co-habitation agreements, and interstate/international matters. Issues related to children, including custody
orders and modifications, child support, contempt actions, contested paternity,
emancipation, and Children's Protective Services (CPS) cases. Name changes.
Alienation of affection – cannot sue in Texas
due to Texas Family Code 1.107
FEDERAL APPELLATE
Appeals to court decisions involving federal
cases.
FEDERAL
LAW
Issues involving
the federal government.
GUARDIANSHIP/AD LITEM
Legal process used
to provide protection for an adult who is incapable of caring for his or her
own interests due to incapacity or disability. Ad litem refers to a person
appointed to represent the interests of a person with respect to a single
action in litigation.
HEALTH LAW
Federal, state, and local
law, rules, regulations and other jurisprudence among providers, payers and
vendors to the health care industry and its patients. Also the delivery of
health care services; all with an emphasis on operations, regulatory and
transactional legal issues. Includes Medicare and Medicaid issues.
IMMIGRATION LAW
Immigration and naturalization issues related
to visas, naturalizations, labor certifications, fraud investigations,
deportation and exclusion, and political asylum.
INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY LAW
Legal assistance involving patents,
copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets.
INTERNATIONAL LAW
International business matters including
international trade agreements, customs, tariffs, and foreign social
security/pension/retirement benefits.
LABOR & EMPLOYMENT LAW
Representing employees and/or employers of
private companies and government agencies or unions for issues including
wrongful termination, discrimination, sexual harassment, wage claims, Texas
Employment Commission hearings, government procurement, retirement/pensions,
ERISA, labor arbitration proceedings, negotiation/preparation of collective
bargaining agreements, work-related injuries when a company does not subscribe
to workers' compensation, and retaliation by a company due to a workers'
compensation claim.
MALPRACTICE – LEGAL
Representation for clients or attorneys where
possible negligence of an attorney resulted in damages.
MALPRACTICE – MEDICAL
Representation of patients or medical
personnel in matters related to possible negligent or otherwise improper
medical care resulting in an injury or damages. Also involves possible HIPAA
violations and pharmaceutical issues.
HIPAA violations – contact US Dept of Health
& Human Services Office for Civil Rights for information to file a
complaint. www.hhs.gov/ocr/
MILITARY LAW
Legal matters related to active duty military
personnel, including family law issues.
PERSONAL INJURY
Matters involving injury to a person. This includes automobile accidents involving
injury, slip and fall, prescription drug effects, wrongful death, dangerous
property or buildings, and defective products.
REAL ESTATE LAW
Commercial and residential real estate issues
including sale of land/preparing deeds, mortgages, closings, and foreclosures.
Additional areas include matters such as fraud, rescission, condemnation, and eminent
domain.
REAL ESTATE - LANDLORD/TENANT
Representation of tenants and/or property
owners in contract issues related to leases and rentals of commercial and
residential properties. Evictions not involving late rent. This area also
includes matters related to deed restrictions and homeowners associations (HOA).
For situations where a landlord is not
maintaining property safety, contact your city’s Code Compliance office.
SEXUAL
DISCRIMINATION/HARASSMENT
Issues dealing with prejudice or
discrimination based on a person’s sex, bullying or coercion of a sexual
nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards or punishment in
exchange for sexual favors.
SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY LAW
Assistance
with claims for Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), including claims,
benefit denials, and appeals, as well as representation at hearings.
SSDI is designed to provide income
supplements to people who are physically restricted in their
ability to be employed because of a notable disability.
SSD can be supplied on either a temporary or permanent basis. Unlike Supplemental Security Income (SSI),
SSD does not depend on the income of the disabled individual receiving it.
A legitimately disabled
person (a finding based on legal and medical justification) of any income level
can theoretically receive SSD.
SOCIAL SECURITY INCOME LAW
Assistance with claims for Supplemental
Security Income (SSI), benefit denials, and appeals for survivors, or retired
claimants, as well as representation at hearings.
SSI is a US government means-tested
welfare program that provides cash assistance and health care coverage
(i.e., Medicaid)
to people with low-income and limited assets who are either aged 65 or older,
blind, or disabled (children included).
STATE APPELLATE LAW
Appeals made on a
state level regarding decisions from a lower court.
STRUCTURED SETTLEMENTS
Issues dealing
with a financial
or insurance
arrangement where a claimant resolves a personal injury tort claim by accepting
periodic payments or to compromise a periodic payment obligation.
TAX LAW
Issues related to state and federal income
taxes, corporate taxes, and interstate or international tax matters.
VETERANS
LAW
Assistance with benefits, rights claims
and other matters regarding military Veterans.
WORKERS COMPENSATION
Representation of individuals for claims,
denials, and hearings related to injury or illness sustained on the job. This
covers Texas Workers’ Comp only.