A legal firm provides legal advice and aid through its lawyers. It may operate in any of the various sectors of civil or criminal law, with particular reference to subjects such as: separation and divorce, contract law, inheritance and succession, privacy, and company law, through to criminal offences, i.e. breaches of the law punished with sanctions.

Lawyers are professionals specialised in law, who have law degrees and are registered with the competent professional association (having passed a dedicated state examination) and consequently they are obliged to comply with a certain code of conduct. They are obliged to represent, assist and defend their client before a judge, in a legal dispute or legal proceeding known as a lawsuit. Lawyers work on a self-employment basis or within legal firms and do their business behind appointment and payment of sums known as fees.