History Main / OmnidisciplinaryLawyer

In real life, each specific area of the law has centuries' worth of traditions and precedents built up behind it. There are unique legal principles at work in all of these case areas. Law schools make their students take classes in a broad range of legal issues, but true understanding and expertise comes only through years of specialized training and experience. This has reached the point where the English language has developed words for different types of lawyers: solicitors (who handle day to day legal affairs of individuals, things like tax and contract law) and barristers (who stand before the bar, i.e. trial lawyers).

* ''Series/{{Daredevi|l2015}}'': Nelson & Murdock appears to be a general practice firm. Matt and Foggy primarily practice criminal law, although in the season 2 premiere, at least one of the clients in their reception room is dealing with denied working papers (a civil issue), the tenement dispute in season 1 between Wilson Fisk's cronies and Elena Cardenas is a blur of civil and criminal issues, and a flashback to their internship at Landman & Zack shows them participating in a civil lawsuit. Justified in this case, as Nelson & Murdock's target clientele is working-class people in Hell's Kitchen who [[WeHelpTheHelpless can't afford]] the higher prices of firms like Hogarth Chao & Benowitz.

* ''Series/BreakingBad'' and ''Series/BetterCallSaul'': Jimmy [=McGill=] seems to be a general practitioner. He primarily is a ''[[AmoralAttorney criminal]]'' [[AmoralAttorney lawyer]], but before becoming Saul Goodman, he's a public defender. Then he takes a stab at elder law, then brushes up on contract law prior to getting fired from Davis & Main, and even when dabbling in those other attempts to go legit, Jimmy still helps out criminals like Mike Ehrmantraut and Nacho Varga. By season 5 of ''Better Call Saul'', he's Saul Goodman and dealing primarily with criminal practice, though he still takes on a civil dispute in Mesa Verde's efforts to evict a homeowner who refuses to give up his home so Mesa Verde can build a call center on his land.

* ''Series/Daredevil2015'': Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson primarily practice criminal law, although in the season 2 premiere, at least one of the clients in their reception room is dealing with denied working papers (a civil issue), the tenement dispute in season 1 between Wilson Fisk's cronies and Elena Cardenas is a blur of civil and criminal issues, and a flashback to their internship at Landman & Zack shows them participating in a civil lawsuit. Justified in this case: for one, they cater to working-class people in Hell's Kitchen who [[WeHelpTheHelpless can't afford]] the higher prices of firms like Hogarth Chao & Benowitz, and two, as the firm's staff is composed of just Matt, Foggy, and Karen, it qualifies as a General Practice.

** Another variation of this occurs in any episode involving capital punishment since there is no death penalty in Illinois, the state the show is set in[[note]]Technically Illinois didn't abolish capital punishment until 2011, but due to the actions of a previous Governor granting clemency to the state's entire death row and a series of legal precedents, the state had no executions in well over a decade prior to that, and effectively no death penalty.[[/note]], the death penalty case episodes are set in Indiana. But a legal license only permits an attorney to practice in the state it's issued in. It doesn't necessarily go without saying that all the main cast have current Indiana law licenses. That said, it is common for Illinois lawyers based in Chicago to have Indiana licenses, since the six counties in northwestern Indiana are part of the Chicago suburbs, and it is fairly easy for an attorney who has been admitted in Illinois and practicing there for several years to get an Indiana license (all it takes is some money and attending a seminar). It's also possible (and, indeed, usually a relatively simple and straightforward matter) for an out-of-state lawyer to be admitted on a one-time basis (called ''pro hac vice'', meaning "for this occasion") in a case, though someone who is actually licensed to practice in that jurisdiction must vouch for them and may be required to assist them in preparing for court.

* ''Series/JessicaJones2015'': Jeri Hogarth primarily deals in criminal law when it comes to Jessica's cases, but a scene in season 1 also shows her being involved in patent law, among others. In an aversion, Hogarth Chao & Benowitz in general does seem to handle all sorts of things, with different lawyers for different fields. During his time at the firm in between ''Daredevil'' seasons 2 and 3, Foggy has primarily been seen dealing with Luke Cage's matters,[[note]]Getting him out of jail at the start of ''Series/TheDefenders2017'', and repping him in ''Series/LukeCage2016'' season 2 when he gets sued by Cockroach[[/note]] which are criminal and civil in nature. Desmond Tobey is a divorce lawyer, who helps Jeri deal with her DivorceAssetsConflict with Wendy in season 1. It's unclear what field Marci Stahl primarily dealt with in her time at the firm between Wilson Fisk's arrest and just before the start of ''Daredevil'' season 3, but some dialogue in season 3 implies she's involved in criminal work (she's doing deposition work on an accountant who did work for the Albanians that Fisk snitched on).

* Diana, Princess of Wales, was so impressed with how [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony%20Julius Anthony Julius]] handled a libel case for her that she later hired him to handle her divorce as well. The story goes that when Julius tried to tell her he was a libel attorney and this would be his first divorce case, Diana replied, "That's all right, this will be my first divorce."

* In the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, Jennifer Walters, the ComicBook/SheHulk, specializes in superhero law, but that includes criminal cases, civil rights law, civil suits, and anything else that might come up.
** What tends to vary from volume to volume is whether Jen is one of the '''best''' superhero lawyers, or one of the '''only''' ones. In some versions, her entire firm is occupied with superhero law, while in others, she's employed at a more prosaic firm where the senior partners expect her to attract superhero business (and she's been fired for failing to do so).
* ''ComicBook/IronMan'': A villainous example ([[IneffectualSympatheticVillain well, more or less]]) was Tony Stark's former lawyer [[AmoralAttorney Bert Hindel]]. Tony ordered Hindel, as the head of his legal department, to use the courts to stop [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Justin Hammer]] from using technology Hammer had stolen from Stark Enterprises. Hindel did such a poor job of representing Stark's interests that Tony finally fired him. Hindel would later return as the defense lawyer for Stark's StalkerWithACrush, Kathy Dare, who was facing attempted murder charges for [[{{Yandere}} shooting Tony]]. He used all sorts of sleazy legal tactics to make Stark look bad and portray Kathy as being under considerable mental stress. As a way of getting revenge on Stark, he also planned to write a juicy tell-all book with Kathy about what Tony was supposedly really like. Fortunately, Hindel didn't do any better than when he was the head of Stark's legal team and ended up getting Kathy committed to a sanitarium. In any event, the fact that Hindel was trying to practice public, private, criminal, and civil law simultaneously, and was ''incompetent'' at all of them, shows why this trope is unrealistic.

* Played with in ''ComicBook/AstroCity''. The trope is averted when [[HorrifyingHero the Hanged Man]] contacts estate lawyer Marta Dobrescu about a [[ItMakesSenseInContext real estate fraud case,]] Marta realizes that's out of her wheelhouse and refers the matter to another lawyer.[[note]]Who happens to be the wife of one of the First Family, but that's not relevant here[[/note]] Played straight later when Marta gets collared into interpreting some mystical contracts for [[TheArchmage the Silver Adept.]]

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]

* The ''Film/Daredevil2003'' of Nelson & Murdock is all over the place, with Matt at one point being a prosecutor and a civil lawyer. Like in [[Series/Daredevil2015 the Netflix show]], Nelson & Murdock represents people who can't afford legal representation (which means they are also perpetually broke) so possibly they handle anything and everything they can get away with both because [[WeHelpTheHelpless they help the helpless]] and because they are just that strapped for cash. The most egregious example is where he is questioning rapist [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Jose Quesada]] and acting like a prosecutor, even though he is technically a defense attorney and is speaking for his client (there are certain ways this could happen -- if she was suing him in tort, for instance -- but the scene itself is just vague on details). That he feels justified in murdering the man after personally failing to secure a conviction (or a settlement? Again, the scene is incoherent as a court proceeding) by due process, with no evidence other than an elevated heart rate under questioning -- evidence neither legally obtained nor presented to the court -- does not speak well for this version of Murdock's suitability to be involved in any way with the rule of law.
* {{Discussed|Trope}} and ultimately {{averted|Trope}} in ''Film/TheCastle'' -- the main character wants his suburban local lawyer to work on a constitutional law case despite his pleas that he doesn't know anything about it. And indeed, that's held up -- the guy is useless in every trial we see him in (the best argument he can come up with is "It's in the Constitution, it's just... it's the ''vibe''."), and the protagonist only wins in the end because they manage to get an actual ''Queen's Counsel'' who specializes in constitutional law onto their side.
* {{Averted|Trope}} in the 1992 TV movie ''To Catch A Killer''. The police are searching the home of local businessman (and SerialKiller) John Wayne Gacy.
-->'''Gacy:''' Can they do that?\\
'''Lawyer:''' ''[uncertain]'' Ah... I think so...\\
'''Gacy:''' ''[furious]'' What am I paying you for?!\\
'''Lawyer:''' To handle your ''business'' affairs!
* {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''Film/MyCousinVinny'' as the eponymous cousin is a Personal Injury lawyer who gets called on for a murder trial. He goes through with it anyway (not without complaints) and he still had to [[UnconventionalCourtroomTactics fool the judge into thinking he was experienced enough for the trial despite being a completely new attorney.]]

* ''Film/BridgeOfSpies'' has James Donovan, who has worked as a war crime prosecutor, insurance lawyer, and foreign relations negotiator. Did we mention [[TruthInTelevision it's a biopic]]?
* ''Film/TurkeyHollow'': Eldridge hires a lawyer when he tries to take Cly's farm. When he gets arrested, the lawyer immediately becomes his criminal defense attorney.

* ''N.Y.P.D. Mounted'': When Lonnie gets divorced, he asks his friend, an assistant district attorney, to represent him. Since the guy has no experience as a divorce lawyer, Lonnie loses everything but his horse.

[[folder:Live-Action Television]]
* ''Series/TheGoodWife'':
** The main cast at Lockhart/Gardner and eventually Florrick/Agos have done everything from capital criminal defense to immigration law to copyright law. Recurring characters tend to be specialists, however: Lockhart/Gardner's David Lee specializes in family law (e.g. divorces and paternity suits), while recurring antagonist Louis Canning mainly defends corporations from class-actions. Also, when they need to be interrogated or stand trial, once in a blue moon, they get someone else to represent them.
** Another variation of this occurs in any episode involving capital punishment since there is no death penalty in Illinois, the state the show is set in[[note]]Technically Illinois didn't abolish capital punishment until 2011, but due to the actions of a previous Governor granting clemency to the state's entire death row and a series of legal precedents, the state had no executions in well over a decade prior to that, and effectively no death penalty.[[/note]], the death penalty case episodes are set in Indiana. But a legal license only permits an attorney to practice in the state it's issued in. It doesn't necessarily go without saying that all the main cast have current Indiana law licenses. That said, it is common for Illinois lawyers based in Chicago to have Indiana licenses, since the six counties in northwestern Indiana are part of the Chicago suburbs, and it is fairly easy for an attorney who has been admitted in Illinois and practicing there for several years to get an Indiana license (all it takes is some money and attending a seminar). It's also possible (and, indeed, usually a relatively simple and straightforward matter) for an out-of-state lawyer to be admitted on a one-time basis (called ''pro hac vice'', meaning "for this occasion") in a case, though someone who is actually licensed to practice in that jurisdiction must vouch for them and may be required to assist them in preparing for court.

* ''Series/{{Suits}}'': Part of the reason why Harvey Specter rose so quickly through the law firm's ranks is that he is proficient in multiple areas of the law. He primarily specializes in mergers and tax law, but he also spent a few years working as a criminal prosecutor specifically to get a solid background in criminal law. This is averted with most of the firm's other partners who specialize exclusively in certain areas of the law and can be very territorial when Harvey gets involved in a case that falls into their area of expertise. On the other hand, as part of their TrainingFromHell, the junior associates are supposed to work any case that is assigned to them no matter what areas of the law it touches on or how proficient they are in the subject matter.
** Averted with Xander who is a very successful lawyer specializing in a very narrow area of technology law. When Louis, specializing in financial transactions law, goes against Xander in a technology law case, Xander demolishes Louis in their first court appearance due to his superior knowledge of the subject matter. Louis has to do a ton of research and reading up on case law before he finds a precedent that swings the case back in his favor.
* ''Series/LawAndOrder'':
** Subverted one episode. An accused person hired his cousin, a real-estate lawyer, to represent him. He did a comically lousy job at arraignment.
** Marty Winston, the defendant in the episode "By Perjury", was a lawyer who decided to defend himself in his murder trial. However, he was a civil litigator who had never touched a criminal case before. In this case, it was due to pure arrogance, as he was supremely confident in his ability to beat the murder rap by himself.
* In Creator/TheWB series ''Series/JustLegal'' Don Johnson plays a slightly AmoralAttorney who doesn't specialize, he does everything - murder, civil cases, litigation, and everything in between. He and his new associate also do all their own legwork because they're understaffed & too poor to hire anybody.
* Marshall in ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' is explicitly going to law school for the sake of becoming an environmental lawyer. However, he spends the majority of the series as a corporate lawyer for one evil MegaCorp or another. More forgivably, he acts as unofficial legal counsel for his friends, who tend to get in relatively mild trouble and just need someone cheap with an understanding of the legal system.
* ''Series/{{JAG}}'':
** Harm argues before a Navajo Tribunal Court in "The Return of Jimmy Blackhorse" and an Australian Court in "Boomerang". Mac argues before a Sharia court in "The Princess and The Petty Officer". And both Harm and Mac defend Secretary of the Navy Edward Sheffield at the International Criminal Court in "People v. [=SecNav=]".
** Averted in "Innocence" where they hire a Japanese attorney, and in "Standards of Conduct" where it's clear that neither Harm nor Sturgis has any intimate knowledge nor experience with civil cases (but Bud does).

* Subverted in an episode of ''Series/TheCosbyShow''. Vanessa gets a school assignment to make a video about the job of one of her parents. She eagerly picks her lawyer mom, thinking she does exciting criminal law cases like what they always show on TV. The problem is, she's a real estate lawyer, which Vanessa quickly finds dreadfully boring. That her father helps deliver babies on the other hand...
* Subverted on ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'', where all of Rachel's lawyer friends attempt to represent or advise her in her attempted murder trial, despite the fact that they all specialize in real estate law, with predictably awkward results.

* Alan Shore on ''Series/BostonLegal'' regularly takes cases outside his specialty. It's usually explained as him having a personal interest in the case and his clients being unable to get another lawyer. When working on a credit card case he does get referred to a financial lawyer and tells him that he needs him for his expertise.

* ''Series/CenturyCity'' generally did a pretty good job of averting this; the law firm took on a large variety of mostly civil cases, but the cast all specialised in different areas and would therefore get ADayInTheLimelight by turns. One episode even sort of lampshaded it when Ioan Gruffudd's character explained to a potential client who works in real estate that he specialises in criminal defence rather than property law and he might need to speak to someone from another department, but it turns out that said client needed defence counsel after getting arrested for breaking into his ex's apartment.
* ''Series/Daredevil2015'': Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson primarily practice criminal law, although in the season 2 premiere, at least one of the clients in their reception room is dealing with denied working papers (a civil issue), the tenement dispute in season 1 between Wilson Fisk's cronies and Elena Cardenas is a blur of civil and criminal issues, and a flashback to their internship at Landman & Zack shows them participating in a civil lawsuit. Justified in this case: for one, they cater to working-class people in Hell's Kitchen who [[WeHelpTheHelpless can't afford]] the higher prices of firms like Hogarth Chao & Benowitz, and two, as the firm's staff is composed of just Matt, Foggy, and Karen, it qualifies as a General Practice.
* ''Series/JessicaJones2015'': Jeri Hogarth primarily deals in criminal law when it comes to Jessica's cases, but a scene in season 1 also shows her being involved in patent law, among others. In an aversion, Hogarth Chao & Benowitz in general does seem to handle all sorts of things, with different lawyers for different fields. During his time at the firm in between ''Daredevil'' seasons 2 and 3, Foggy has primarily been seen dealing with Luke Cage's matters,[[note]]Getting him out of jail at the start of ''Series/TheDefenders2017'', and repping him in ''Series/LukeCage2016'' season 2 when he gets sued by Cockroach[[/note]] which are criminal and civil in nature. Desmond Tobey is a divorce lawyer, who helps Jeri deal with her DivorceAssetsConflict with Wendy in season 1. It's unclear what field Marci Stahl primarily dealt with in her time at the firm between Wilson Fisk's arrest and just before the start of ''Daredevil'' season 3, but some dialogue in season 3 implies she's involved in criminal work (she's doing deposition work on an accountant who did work for the Albanians that Fisk snitched on).
* ''Series/BreakingBad'' and ''Series/BetterCallSaul'': Jimmy [=McGill=] seems to be a general practitioner. He primarily is a ''[[AmoralAttorney criminal]]'' [[AmoralAttorney lawyer]], but before becoming Saul Goodman, he's a public defender. Then he takes a stab at elder law, then brushes up on contract law prior to getting fired from Davis & Main, and even when dabbling in those other attempts to go legit, Jimmy still helps out criminals like Mike Ehrmantraut and Nacho Varga. By season 5 of ''Better Call Saul'', he's Saul Goodman and dealing primarily with criminal practice, though he still takes on a civil dispute in Mesa Verde's efforts to evict a homeowner who refuses to give up his home so Mesa Verde can build a call center on his land.
** Kim Wexler's main job is in contract law, as an outside counsel for Mesa Verde. However, starting in season 4, she takes up public defender work at the courthouse on the side and eventually goes to work for Schweikart & Cokely so she can better divide her time between the two.
** Chuck's obituary shows he initially practiced in criminal law before moving to banking and contract law.
* ''Series/LieblingKreuzberg'': TheProtagonist Robert Liebling has taken cases concerning matters as varied as real state litigations, burglary, embezzlement, fraud, identity theft, disenfranchisement, lease agreements, employment and labor law, bribery, manslaughter, damage to property, prostitution, complicity, and coercion.
* Defied in ''Series/{{Oz}}'', where Ryan O' Reilly asks Tobias Beecher, a (disbarred) litigations attorney, for a way to appeal his case. When Beecher decides to go through the records anyway, he says that the sheer number of witnesses to O'Reilly's spree would make it an impossible subject for any lawyer.
* [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The Lawyer]] in ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' plays this fairly straight, encountering the Gang in pretty much every case that'd involve law (inheritance law, real estate law, patent and copyright law, trial law), though it's averted by Uncle Jack, stated to be a state and civil lawyer who's out of his depth in a trial. Charlie claims to be (and probably isn't) a specialist in "bird law" but still tries to go head-to-head in any given law case, regardless of how related it is to birds.
* ''Series/SiliconValley'' subverts this as Richard has to fend off a lawsuit from Gavin Belson that he created the Pied Piper program at [[MegaCorp Hooli]] and with Hooli equipment. Their regular lawyer, Ron [=LaFlume=] clarifies that he is their corporate lawyer advising on contracts and the like, while they need a litigator. He found a very capable lawyer to represent them on the cheap, only because they were able to negotiate with Gavin to an arbitration and the lawyer is [[BunnyEarsLawyer disbarred from practicing in open court because of his rampant drug use]].
* ''{{Series/Ed}}'': The titular character goes from being a high-powered corporate transactional lawyer in New York to a small-town two-room "do everything" legal practice in Ohio, transitioning seamlessly and also finding the time to moonlight as the manager of the local bowling alley.

* Limbo from ''VisualNovel/{{Bustafellows}}'' is ostensibly a criminal trial lawyer, but he helps his friends out with everything from real estate contracts to patent disputes.

* {{Subverted}} on ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}''--though she occasionally threatens lawsuits to anyone she feels deserves it, Helen is specifically a corporate lawyer. For example, in one episode she and her sister Rita have a fight about whether or not Helen should handle her niece's divorce case; given their difficult relationship, Rita seemed to think Helen was just making excuses not to help.

* Averted in ''ComicBook/AstroCity''; when [[HorrifyingHero the Hanged Man]] contacts estate lawyer Marta Dobrescu about a [[ItMakesSenseInContext real estate fraud case,]] Marta realizes that's out of her wheelhouse and refers the matter to another lawyer.[[note]]Who happens to be the wife of one of the First Family, but that's not relevant here[[/note]]

* Robert Liebling in ''Series/LieblingKreuzberg'' surely takes cases from a broad range of fields.

Now, in an emergency situation, it's not unreasonable to turn to the first lawyer available to you for basic advice while you search for an actual specialist. That tax lawyer isn't a criminal law specialist, but in a pinch (e.g. you just got arrested and they're literally the only lawyer you know), they certainly understand more about the mechanisms of the legal process than an elementary school teacher or taxidermist, which is why they have a law license. They might also have the professional contacts to find a criminal law specialist for you. Likewise, and depending on the situation, a client of little means may gratefully accept any lawyer willing to take their case, since any sort of representation is likely to be better than AFoolForAClient.

* {{Downplayed|Trope}} with Sheldon Katz, head of the legal department of the Wiki/SCPFoundation. While he has a wide field of expertise as would be needed for his position, Katz specialises in contract law and negotiations, because [[OccultLawFirm of course]] [[DealWithTheDevil he does]].

* {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''Film/MyCousinVinny'' as the eponymous cousin is a Personal Injury lawyer who gets called on for a murder trial. He goes through with it anyway (not without complaints) and he still had to [[CourtroomAntic fool the judge into thinking he was experienced enough for the trial despite being a completely new attorney.]]

* The ''Film/Daredevil2003'' of Nelson & Murdock is all over the place, with Matt at one point being a prosecutor and a civil lawyer. Like in [[Series/Daredevil2015 the Netflix show]], Nelson & Murdock represents people who can't afford legal representation (which means they are also perpetually broke) so possibly they handle anything and everything they can get away with both because [[WeHelpTheHelpless they help the helpless]] and because they are just that strapped for cash. The most egregious example is where he is questioning rapist [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Jose Quesada]] and acting like a prosecutor, even though he is technically a defense attorney and is speaking for his client (there are certain ways this could happen -- if she was suing him in tort, for instance -- but the scene itself is just vague on details).

** Another variation of this occurs in any episode involving capital punishment since there is no death penalty in Illinois, the state the show is set in[[note]]Technically Illinois didn't abolish capital punishment until 2011, but due to the actions of a previous Governor granting clemency to the state's entire death row and a series of legal precedents, the state had no executions in well over a decade prior to that, and effectively no death penalty.[[/note]], the death penalty case episodes are set in Indiana. But a legal license only permits an attorney to practice in the state it's issued in. It doesn't necessarily go without saying that all the main cast have current Indiana law licenses. That said, it is common for Illinois lawyers based in Chicago to have Indiana licenses, since the six counties in northwestern Indiana are part of the Chicago suburbs, and it is fairly easy for an attorney who has been admitted in Illinois and practicing there for several years to get an Indiana license (all it takes is some money and attending a seminar). It's also possible for an out-of-state lawyer to be admitted on a one-time basis (called ''pro hac vice'') in a case.

* 'The ''Film/Daredevil2003'' of Nelson & Murdock is all over the place, with Matt at one point being a prosecutor and a civil lawyer. Like in [[Series/Daredevil2015 the Netflix show]], Nelson & Murdock represents people who can't afford legal representation (which means they are also perpetually broke) so possibly they handle anything and everything they can get away with both because [[WeHelpTheHelpless they help the helpless]] and because they are just that strapped for cash. The most egregious example is where he is questioning rapist [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Jose Quesada]] and acting like a prosecutor, even though he is technically a defense attorney and is speaking for his client (there are certain ways this could happen -- if she was suing him in tort, for instance -- but the scene itself is just vague on details).

In real life, each specific area of the law has centuries' worth of traditions and precedents built up behind it. There are unique legal principles at work in all of these case areas. Law schools make their students take classes in a broad range of legal issues, but true understanding and expertise comes only through years of specialized training and experience.

Now, in an emergency situation, it's not unreasonable to turn to the first lawyer available to you for basic advice while you search for an actual specialist. That tax lawyer isn't a criminal law specialist, but in a pinch (e.g. you just got arrested and they're literally the only lawyer you know), they certainly understand more about the mechanisms of the legal process than an elementary school teacher or taxidermist, which is why they have a law license. Likewise, and depending on the situation, a client of little means may gratefully accept any lawyer willing to take their case, since any sort of representation is likely to be better than AFoolForAClient.

* Princess Diana of England was so impressed with how [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony%20Julius Anthony Julius]] handled a libel case for her that she later hired him to handle her divorce as well. The story goes that when Julius tried to tell her he was a libel attorney and this would be his first divorce case, Diana replied, "That's all right, this will be my first divorce."

* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'': During UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}}, Murdock and Nelson seemed to be the only law firm in Creator/MarvelComics New York City. So despite the fact they were mostly defence attorneys, Foggy and Matt seemed to be involved in everything from wills to contract negotiation.

* Limbo from ''VisualNovel/{{Bustafellows}} is ostensibly a criminal trial lawyer, but he helps his friends out with everything from real estate contracts to patent disputes.

->'''Ray Stanz:''' Well, that's fine, Louis. We got arrested at night. (''HeadDesk'')

[[folder: Comic Books]]
* In the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, Jennifer Walters, the [[ComicBook/SheHulk She-Hulk]], specializes in superhero law, but that includes criminal cases, civil rights law, civil suits, and anything else that might come up.

* ''ComicBook/IronMan'': A villainous example ([[IneffectualSympatheticVillain well, more or less)]] was Tony Stark's former lawyer [[AmoralAttorney Bert Hindel]]. Tony ordered Hindel, as the head of his legal department, to use the courts to stop [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Justin Hammer]] from using technology Hammer had stolen from Stark Enterprises. Hindel did such a poor job of representing Stark's interests that Tony finally fired him. Hindel would later return as the defense lawyer for Stark's StalkerWithACrush, Kathy Dare, who was facing attempted murder charges for [[{{Yandere}} shooting Tony]]. He used all sorts of sleazy legal tactics to make Stark look bad and portray Kathy as being under considerable mental stress. As a way of getting revenge on Stark, he also planned to write a juicy tell-all book with Kathy about what Tony was supposedly really like. Fortunately, Hindel didn't do any better than when he was the head of Stark's legal team and ended up getting Kathy committed to a sanitarium. In any event, the fact that Hindel was trying to practice public, private, criminal, and civil law simultaneously, and was ''incompetent'' at all of them, shows why this Trope is unrealistic.
* During UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}}, [[Comicbook/{{Daredevil}} Murdock and Nelson]] seemed to be the only law firm in Creator/MarvelComics New York City. So despite the fact they were mostly defence attorneys, Foggy and Matt seemed to be involved in everything from wills to contract negotiation.
** Flash-forward to the modern day: Matt Murdock has given up defense to work for the NYC District Attorney. Perhaps because this happened under the watch of Charles Soule, a man who practices law as well as writing comics, the switch to prosecution is treated as a deal at least as big as Murdock regaining his secret identity. (Though only the latter change gets a super-powered explanation.)

* Averted in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/15371091/chapters/35778987#workskin Not Like Them]]'' when Daredevil uses the fact he's a lawyer for why he's helping Tony Stark with the Sokovia Accords, Tony replies that Daredevil is a criminal attorney. Murdock then admits he had help from friends to review the Accords.

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

* ''Film/{{Daredevil}}'': The film version of Nelson & Murdock is all over the place, with Matt at one point being a prosecutor and a civil lawyer. Like in the Netflix show, Nelson & Murdock represents people who can't afford legal representation (which means they are also perpetually broke) so possibly they handle anything and everything they can get away with both because [[WeHelpTheHelpless they help the helpless]] and because [[MoneyDearBoy they are just that strapped for cash]]. The most egregious example is where he is questioning rapist [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Jose Quesada]] and acting like a prosecutor, even though he is technically a defense attorney and is speaking for his client (there are certain ways this could happen--if she was suing him in tort for instance--but the scene itself is just vague on details).
* Discussed and ultimately averted in the Australian movie ''Film/TheCastle'' - the main character wants his suburban local lawyer to work on a constitutional law case despite his pleas that he doesn't know anything about it. And indeed that's held up - the guy is useless in every trial we see him in (the best argument he can come up with is 'It's in the Constitution, it's just... it's the ''vibe''.'), and the protagonist only wins in the end because they manage to get an actual ''Queen's Counsel'' who specialises in constitutional law onto their side.
* Averted in the 1992 TV movie ''To Catch A Killer''. The police are searching the home of local businessman (and SerialKiller) John Wayne Gacy.

'''Lawyer:''' ''(uncertain)'' Ah...I think so...\\
'''Gacy:''' ''(furious)'' What am I paying you for?!\\

* Subverted in ''Film/MyCousinVinny'' as the eponymous cousin is a Personal Injury lawyer who gets called on for a murder trial. He goes through with it anyway (not without complaints) and he still had to [[CourtroomAntic fool the judge into thinking he was experienced enough for the trial despite being a completely new attorney.]]
* Averted in ''Film/MichaelClayton''. The title character's specialty at his firm is using his contacts and experience from his past as a prosecutor to mitigate occasional problems with the criminal justice system the firm's corporate clients have that the other lawyers would be incapable of handling.

* {{Subverted}} in ''Film/OfficialSecrets''. After her initial arrest, Katharine Gun is furnished with an on-call attorney at the police station. This attorney usually handles petty crime and quickly realizes she's completely out of her depth on a national security leaker case, and recommends she consult Ben Emmerson's civil rights law firm Liberty.

[[folder: Visual Novels]]

-->'''Athena''':...A civil case?\\
'''Apollo''': You act like I'm speaking Swahili.\\
'''Athena''': It's just, the Wright Anything Agency specializes in criminal law, or so I thought.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] with Sheldon Katz, head of the legal department of the Wiki/SCPFoundation. While he has a wide field of expertise as would be needed for his position, Katz specialises in contract law and negotiations, because [[OccultLawFirm of course]] [[DealWithTheDevil he does]].

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

Now, in an emergency situation, it's not unreasonable to turn to the first lawyer available to you for basic advice while you search for an actual specialist. That tax lawyer isn't a criminal law specialist, but in a pinch (e.g. you just got arrested and they're literally the only lawyer you know), they certainly understand more about the mechanisms of the legal process than an elementary school teacher or taxidermist, which is why they have a law license. Likewise, and depending on the situation, a client of little means may gratefully accept any lawyer willing to take their case, since any sort of representation is likely to be better than ''nothing''.

* Averted is in the 1992 TV movie ''To Catch A Killer''. The police are searching the home of local businessman (and SerialKiller) John Wayne Gacy.

* The lawyers of the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series are almost always shown dealing with [[AlwaysMurder murder]] cases. Despite this, they sometimes take on other cases, such as larceny, counterfeiting, smuggling, and even once a civil dispute.

* On ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Lionel Hutz usually practices civil law, but he has taken cases as a prosecutor and a defense attorney as well (one time as a court-appointed attorney, in fact) and even represented them in a child custody case once. His record in ''any'' branch of law isn't all too good. Some episodes heavily imply that he hasn't even passed the bar exam.
** Of course, the more competent [[AmoralAttorney Blue Haired Lawyer]] also seems willing to take both civil and criminal cases.

In fiction, however, if you have a law degree, that means you can work on any legal issue, particularly trial law. Never mind that there are countless branches of law, such as tax law and copyright law, which are unrelated to trial law. Put simply, a tax lawyer is not the guy you want handling your slip-and-fall case.

Now, in an emergency situation, it's not unreasonable to turn to the first lawyer available to you for basic advice while you search for an actual specialist. That tax lawyer isn't a criminal law specialist, but in a pinch (e.g. you just got arrested and he's literally the only lawyer you know), he certainly understands more about the mechanisms of the legal process than an elementary school teacher or taxidermist, which is why he has a law license. Likewise, and depending on the situation, a client of little means may gratefully accept any lawyer willing to take his case, since any sort of representation is likely to be better than ''nothing''.

In real life, each specific area of the law has centuries worth of traditions and precedents built up behind it. There are unique legal principles at work in all of these case areas. Law schools make their students take classes in a broad range of legal issues, but true understanding and expertise comes only through years of specialized training and experience.

Now, in an emergency situation it's not unreasonable to turn to the first lawyer available to you for basic advice while you search for an actual specialist. That tax lawyer isn't a criminal law specialist, but in a pinch (e.g. you just got arrested and he's literally the only lawyer you know), he certainly understands more about the mechanisms of the legal process than an elementary school teacher or taxidermist, which is why he has a law license. Likewise, and depending on the situation, a client of little means may gratefully accept any lawyer willing to take his case, since any sort of representation is likely to be better than ''nothing''.

* In the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, Jennifer Walters, the [[ComicBook/SheHulk She-Hulk]], specializes in superhero law, but that includes criminal cases, civil rights law, civil suits and anything else that might come up.

* ''ComicBook/IronMan'': A villainous example ([[IneffectualSympatheticVillain well, more or less)]] was Tony Stark's former lawyer [[AmoralAttorney Bert Hindel]]. Tony ordered Hindel, as the head of his legal department, to use the courts to stop [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Justin Hammer]] from using technology Hammer had stolen from Stark Enterprises. Hindel did such a poor job of representing Stark's interests that Tony finally fired him. Hindel would later return as the defense lawyer for Stark's StalkerWithACrush, Kathy Dare, who was facing attempted murder charges for [[{{Yandere}} shooting Tony]]. He used all sorts of sleazy legal tactics to make Stark look bad and portray Kathy as being under considerable mental stress. As a way of getting revenge on Stark, he also planned to write a juicy tell-all book with Kathy about what Tony was supposedly really like. Fortunately, Hindel didn't do any better than when he was the head of Stark's legal team, and ended up getting Kathy committed to a sanitarium. In any event, the fact that Hindel was trying to practice public, private, criminal, and civil law simultaneously, and was ''incompetent'' at all of them, shows why this Trope is unrealistic.

[[folder: Film - Live Action ]]

* Averted, lampshaded and played with in ''Film/GhostbustersII''. As noted in the page quote, Louis Tully specifically warns the main quartet that he doesn't know criminal law very well. See, he's an accountant, and sometimes he's the Keymaster, but he's not a very good criminal attorney. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Sure enough, he botches the defense and the judge rules against them]]. It's only the timely appearance of ghosts (thereby proving to the disbelieving judge that ghosts are real) that get the Ghostbusters off the hook. However, Tully does help with this, and shows that he at least knows enough procedure to play legal hardball over the restraining order on their business and force the judge to rescind it so they can catch the ghost. Interestingly, in the previous movie he was actually an ''accountant'' (hence why his legal focus is on tax law), so he actually ''is'' at least ''multi''-disciplinary (especially since he later on becomes a Ghostbuster...sort of).

* Averted in ''Film/MichaelClayton''. The title character's specialty at his firm is using his contacts and experience from his past as a prosecutor to mitigate occasional problems with the criminal-justice system the firm's corporate clients have that the other lawyers would be incapable of handling.

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action Television ]]

** Another variation of this occurs in any episode involving capital punishment, since there is no death penalty in Illinois, the state the show is set in[[note]]Technically Illinois didn't abolish capital punishment until 2011, but due to the actions of a previous Governor granting clemency to the state's entire death row and a series of legal precedents, the state had no executions in well over a decade prior to that, and effectively no death penalty.[[/note]], the death penalty case episodes are set in Indiana. But a legal license only permits an attorney to practice in the state it's issued in. It doesn't necessarily go without saying that all the main cast have current Indiana law licenses. That said, it is common for Illinois lawyers based in Chicago to have Indiana licenses, since the six counties in northwestern Indiana are part of the Chicago suburbs, and it is fairly easy for an attorney who has been admitted in Illinois and practicing there for several years to get an Indiana license (all it takes is some money and attending a seminar). It's also possible for an out of state lawyer to be admitted on a one-time basis (called ''pro hac vice'') in a case.

* ''Series/{{Suits}}'': Part of the reason why Harvey Specter rose so quickly through the law firm's ranks is because he is proficient in multiple areas of the law. He primarily specializes in mergers and tax law, but he also spent a few years working as a criminal prosecutor specifically to get a solid background in criminal law. This is averted with most of the firm's other partners who specialize exclusively in certain areas of the law and can be very territorial when Harvey gets involved in a case that falls into their area of expertise. On the other hand, as part of their TrainingFromHell, the junior associates are supposed to work any case that is assigned to them no matter what areas of the law it touches on or how proficient they are in the subject matter.

** Marty Winston, the defendant in the episode "By Perjury", was a lawyer who decided to defend himself in his murder trial. However, he was a civil litigator who had never touched a criminal case before. In this case it was due to pure arrogance, as he was supremely confident in his ability to beat the murder rap by himself.

** Harm argues before a Navajo Tribunal Court in "The Return of Jimmy Blackhorse" and an Australian Court in "Boomerang". Mac argues before a Sharia court in "The Princess and The Petty Officer". And both Harm and Mac defends Secretary of the Navy Edward Sheffield at the International Criminal Court in "People v. [=SecNav=]".

* ''Series/CenturyCity'' generally did a pretty good job of averting this; the law firm took on a large variety of mostly civil cases, but the cast all specialised in different areas and would therefore get ADayInTheLimelight by turns. One episode even sort-of lampshaded it when Ioan Gruffudd's character explained to a potential client who works in real estate that he specialises in criminal defence rather than property law and he might need to speak to someone from another department, but it turns out that said client needed defence counsel after getting arrested for breaking into his ex's apartment.

** Kim Wexler's main job is in contract law, as an outside counsel for Mesa Verde. However, starting in season 4, she takes up public defender work at the courthouse on the side, and eventually goes to work for Schweikart & Cokely so she can better divide her time between the two.

* Defied in ''Series/{{Oz}}'', where Ryan O' Reilly asks Tobias Beecher, a (disbarred) litigations attorney, for a way to appeal his case. When Beecher decides to go through the records anyway, he says that the sheer number of witnesses to O' Reilly's spree would make it an impossible subject for any lawyer.

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

[[folder: Web Original]]

* {{Subverted}} on ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}''--though she's occasionally threaten lawsuits to anyone she feels deserves it, Helen is specifically a corporate lawyer. For example, in one episode she and her sister Rita have a fight about whether or not Helen should handle her niece's divorce case; given their difficult relationship, Rita seemed to think Helen was just making excuses not to help.
* On ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Lionel Hutz usually practices civil law, but he has taken cases as a prosecutor and a defense attorney as well (one time as a court-appointed attorney, in fact) and even represented them in a child custody case once. His record in ''any'' branch of law isn't all-too good. Some episodes heavily imply that he hasn't even passed the bar exam.

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* For many years Creator/DavidLetterman used his local (Indiana) GP attorney to handle all his multimillion dollar contracts. When the first LateNightWars erupted he was advised to get a real entertainment lawyer. Temporarily he got the permission of superagent MichaelOvitz to be able to drop his name until he set something up with someone else.