Outside of having the shortest abbreviation of any other kind of law, M&A lawyers arguably have one of the most intriguing yet complicated jobs of any lawyer.
Not all lawyers are maniacs that yell across courtrooms
By Mo Hussain, Contributor
It’s assumed that most lawyers spend their days defending or putting away murders, drug dealers, kidnappers, and all other sorts of criminals out there. However, many would be surprised to know that not all lawyers actually have to deal with criminals, let alone have to step inside a courtroom. As a matter of fact, many lawyers go through their whole careers without stepping into a courtroom because their law practice simply does not require it.
Here are three of many areas of law where lawyers can blend in with the average office worker.
CONTRACT LAWYERS
Lawyers who work in contract law rarely see the light of day, let alone represent their clients in a courtroom. Contract lawyers spend their working hours drafting, revising, and negotiating contracts for their clients. The attention to detail that this area of law requires is unbelievably high. Clients are typically paying big bucks to make sure whatever contract they’re getting into suits their best interest.
If a lawyer misspelled or misread a certain word in the fine print, that can make for some serious consequences for that lawyer’s client. Contracts involving millions of dollars usually get handed over to larger law firms, who will then have multiple lawyers look over contracts to make sure the fine print is okay.
REAL ESTATE LAWYERS
With the booming real estate market in Vancouver, it might make sense to become a real estate lawyer soon. Real estate lawyers look over all of the documents relating to the purchase or sale of a home. This can include legitimizing homeownership through transferring title (ownership) between parties and making sure purchasing agreements line up to their client’s interest.
If the home is being financed through a mortgage, it’s on the lawyer to make sure that the mortgage documents are reflective of the deal between the home buyer and the financier. Plus, real estate lawyers are usually the final barrier that people have to go through to purchase a home, so they usually get to watch homeowners celebrate a special moment in most cases.
MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS (M&A) LAWYER
Outside of having the shortest abbreviation of any other kind of law, M&A lawyers arguably have one of the most intriguing yet complicated jobs of any lawyer. These lawyers deal with the legal aspects of one business acquiring the other, and in rarer cases, deal with two companies trying to merge.
What’s intriguing about what these lawyers do is that they are more “on the offence” in their line of work than other kinds of lawyers. This includes lawyers that work in criminal defence, tax law, personal injury law, etc, where lawyers are supposed to either fix a negative situation that’s already happened or try to defend and mitigate any damage for their clients. Part of an M&A lawyer’s job in most cases is to try and move the needle forward for someone to purchase a business or combine it with someone else’s.
What’s complicated are the contracts that need to be drafted, and the amount of negotiation that goes back and forth between the two parties. In the case of an acquisition, the lawyer has to balance the interests of someone trying to get the most for their business, and the purchaser trying to get the best deal they can.
In a merger, the lawyer has the even tougher task of making sure that both parties are on the same page before they combine their businesses. This includes looking over who will lead the company, what rights do they have, how much ownership should each party give up, etc. If you’re into high-stakes business, going into M&A may be for you.
