Legal Firms and Their Essential Responsibilities

5 min readMay 16, 2021

A law firm, also known as a legal corporation, is an entity formed by at least one lawyer to engage in the profession of law. The primary function served by a law firm is, of course, to advise customers about their legal rights and obligations, and how they can go about obtaining those rights and obligations in a court of law. It’s also the lawyer’s responsibility to carry out the legal services for his or her clients. However, that being said, there are several other duties that are commonly considered among the many different roles that a law firm plays.

Many people have a general misconception that all law firms are, in fact, firms, and all law firms are, in turn, organizations. This common misconception is not only inaccurate but it is dangerous in this litigious climate. While there are some law firms that are formally recognized as partnerships, limited liability companies or S corporations, there are literally hundreds of different types of law firms ranging from solo practitioners to business entities that exist solely to carry out the many different services a lawyer provides.

Some of the different types of law firms are solo professional or “dba” personal, business and/or remote working. A solo practitioner is an attorney that practices solely for themselves. These are often lawyers who, for one reason or another, have decided to operate solely as an “in person” attorney. While they are not allowed to take on clients as a whole, in most states they are allowed to conduct business by fax and/or internet contact.

A “dba” personal or business entity is one that, as the name implies, is organized and operated as a corporation. A successful law firm which is not a dba can be classified as a partnership. A partnership, like a corporation, allows partners to share in the ownership of the company. Although it is usually impossible to determine exactly how much of the company consists of partners and how much of it consists of stockholders (other than by taking the annual income statement), it is fair to assume that at least a part of the company consists of partnership ownership. Remote working law firms are usually comprised of attorneys who have worked solely from their home offices. The main advantage of having a remote working attorney is that they do not have to worry about meeting clients at the office, although if they do have to meet clients, they are probably much more competent in their area of expertise.

A “business entity” is any legal practice which exists for the benefit of another business entity. In other words, all lawyers practicing in a given law practice are considered to be business entities. One type of business entity is called a “pass-through entity”, meaning that the lawyers hold shares in the business that would receive taxation upon the sale of their shares. Another type of business entity is called a “pass-through” and this type normally involves lawyers who do not deal directly with the public, such as in a solo-professional law practice.

A “covid-19” firm has a specific type of business structure. This type of firm culture was created to help reduce the costs of hiring attorneys, while still providing excellent customer service. Each piece of furniture, including chairs and tables, desks, telephones and file cabinets, are owned by one partner or the other and divided up between the partners on a regularly scheduled basis.

There are two main types of relationships that lawyers maintain with their clients: a limited-liability-service and a direct-selling arrangement. A limited-liability-service relationship means that lawyers give their clients certain broad advice and legal services, with the understanding that these services will be paid for only if a lawsuit is filed against the client. In a direct-selling arrangement, lawyers sell goods to their associates instead of providing them with broad legal services. For example, a lawyer may present his case to his associates as to whether or not to take out a mortgage. Alternatively, he might discuss the finer points of setting up a trust to transfer the family home into some family members’ hands.

A variety of other duties are involved in operating law firms. For example, the most common task for lawyers is preparing paperwork and conducting meetings between clients and their lawyers. Other important tasks include reviewing client newsletters, handling correspondence from potential clients, filing legal documents, interviewing witnesses, drafting documents for court opinions, defending clients in depositions, drafting litigation support agreements and working to dispose of their cases in the way that is most expedient to the client. While many lawyers find that there is great satisfaction in helping their fellow citizens, others enjoy the fact that they earn a living wage by helping large companies or government agencies to accomplish work related to their field of expertise.

Learn More:
The Martin Law Firm
725 Skippack Pike #337
Blue Bell, PA 19422
(215) 646–3980

Legal Firms and Their Essential Responsibilities

Written by The Martin Law Firm