Many attorneys specialize in a particular area of the law. For example, some attorneys only work on criminal defense cases, or patent cases, or personal injury cases. Many law firms have several different specialists. Other attorneys may be capable of taking on more than one type of case. General practitioners offer representation on the widest assortment of cases, but even they do not agree to represent all clients.
Attorneys decide what cases to take based on any number of factors.
An attorney may have a personal preference for certain types of case, or she may be employed by a firm that has chosen to specialize in a certain area of the law. Some attorneys work only as trial attorneys, and some attorneys do not do trial work. Because all attorneys do not handle all cases, a person in need of legal representation should determine what area of law is relevant to the dispute and seek an attorney who can and will represent him. Finding the right attorney for a particular case is not always an easy task for the layperson. For example, what may seem like a contract case actually may be a tort case, a malpractice case, or a blend of issues from a number of areas of law.