When you first decide that you need legal advice, you may not know which kind of lawyer you need. In The Bahamas, lawyers practice in different areas of law. You need to identify which area of law applies to your case (or at least have a rough idea) so that you can find a qualified lawyer to help you.

What Are the General Areas of Law in The Bahamas?

Lawyers may practice in a few very general areas:

• Civil Litigation
• Criminal Defence
• Transactional Law
• Administrative Proceedings
• Trusts, Estates and Probate

Civil litigation involves lawsuits for breach of contract, fraud, or the like. These lawsuits are brought by private individuals against other private individuals, including companies and other businesses. Criminal defence involves representing clients accused of crimes such as robbery or murder.

Transactional law involves preparing contracts, drafting other documents, or negotiating transactions between private parties. Some transactional lawyers also advise businesses on their operations, possible liabilities, and business planning. Administrative proceedings practice includes representation of clients appearing before administrative boards or in proceedings involving government agencies.

Finally, trusts, estates and probate involves establishing trusts, preparing estate planning documents, talking to clients about their estates, and working on disputes that involve heirs or trusts. Probate is a specific type of court proceeding to assess and distribute someone's property after his or her debt.

Your Next Steps

There are many other niches and areas of law besides the ones described above. To determine which kind of lawyer you need, first think about the goal you want to accomplish. Are you needing defence help for a civil lawsuit filed against you? Maybe you need business guidance and contracts prepared. Or you might have recently learned that you are the trustee of a relative's trust. Once you figure out what you need done, you can better select an appropriate lawyer in The Bahamas to help.

To learn more about legal help in The Bahamas, visit Gonsalves-Sabola Chambers online or call the office at +1 242 326 6400.