Legal Studies, Law Degree Programs and Training

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Careers

Immigration Customs Agent

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency is a part of the Department of Homeland Security. An immigration customs agent has the responsibility of enforcing customs laws and immigration laws in the United States. According to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE.gov), a number of different job opportunities are available: Deportation Officer One position with ICE is as a deportation officer. Deportation officers’ conduct the research that is necessary to support decisions that are made in exclusion/deportation cases and help (…)

Antitrust Law

Antitrust law is the broad category of federal and state laws that are meant to keep business operating honest and fairly. Antitrust laws regulate the way companies do business. The goal is to level the playing the field in the free market and prevent businesses from having too much power. For the purposes of antitrust law, a trust is a large group of businesses that work together or combine in order to form a monopoly or control the market. Major (…)

Tax Law

Tax law is the practice of law that relates to the assessment and payment of taxes. Tax laws come from a variety of sources. They come from federal, state and local authorities. They’re based in federal and state constitutions, laws and regulations. Tax law involves understanding, implementing and defending the payment or non-payment of taxes. Tax lawyers help their clients understand tax laws and conduct their affairs in a way that’s advantageous with regards to tax laws. When disputes occur, (…)

Cryptography Law

Cryptography law is the body of law that relates to securing and protecting information from unauthorized access. Cryptography laws protect individuals from having their personal information disseminated without their consent. They also work to protect government secrets as part of a military defense strategy. Another name for cryptography law is encryption law. What Is Cryptography? Cryptography or encryption is the practice of modifying information with a secret encoding key or other method of transforming the information to another form. The (…)

Statutory Law

Statutory law is law that’s written by a legislative body. It’s law that a government deliberately creates through elected legislators and an official legislative process. It’s up to the judiciary to interpret and enforce statutory law, but the judiciary can’t create statutory law. Laws created by statute are often codified. That means they’re all put together in one place and given numbers for reference. For example, the United States Code is the indexed collection of U.S. law. States have their own collections of statutes (…)

Transportation Law

Transportation law is the body of law that governs transportation infrastructure and its use. It regulates the way that people travel using any method of transportation including railways, air travel, vehicular travel and even waterways. Much of transportation law comes from the government agencies that make regulations and oversee compliance with the regulations that they create. Transportation law also involves companies and individuals that must understand and follow the regulations. Where does transportation law come from? Most transportation law in (…)

Private Equity Law

Private equity law covers private equity firms that pool investments of pension funds and other large investors to purchase assets and other companies. A private equity lawyer will help form the funds and help negotiate the terms of the contracts. The private equity industry in the United States began around 1946 when two venture capital firms were founded. Private equity is a type of investment where investors’ money is used to buy out businesses. It’s like Dragons’ Den! In private (…)

Border Patrol Agent

According the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), since its inception in 1924, the Border Patrol’s primary mission remains unchanged: to detect and prevent the illegal entry of aliens into the United States. This may include apprehending individuals who are in violation of the laws of immigration. Border Patrol agents also help prevent terrorists and terrorists weapons, including weapons of mass destruction, from entering the United States. Qualifications In order to start a border patrol career a person must be under the (…)

Technology Law

Technology law is complicated as technology is forever changing. Along with new technological advances new laws are created to help control issues that may arise. The internet has been one of the main advances in technology where laws have had trouble keeping up. There are many areas of technology law including information, internet, and civil liberties including the right to free speech. Technology Law is a relatively new term in our language – so new that it means different things (…)

Space Law

Does the United States own the moon? Have you ever wondered if there are laws about space? Space law is the body of laws, agreements and treaties that govern outer space. Worldwide leaders must grapple with how to regulate activity in space. Space law covers issues like rules for exploration, weapons use, damage for liability, rescue efforts for astronauts in distress, environmental regulations and records of space activity. What do space lawyers do? Space lawyers draft international treaties and national (…)

Mining Law

Mining law is the collection of laws and regulations that apply to mining activities. There are a diverse set of laws and rules that directly and indirectly govern mining in the United States. Mining laws determine who can mine, where they can mine and how they may go about mining. Mining laws include federal, state and local laws and regulations Mining laws come from a number of sources. The federal government has laws that govern mining on both public and (…)

Obscenity Law

Obscenity law is the law that regulates what images, speech and other expressions individuals can lawfully communicate. Obscenity law concerns itself with banning or suppressing speech that violates standards of good taste and decency. The area of law balances legitimate communication in a free society with the purposes of public censorship. The practice of obscenity law involves prosecuting and defending cases that challenge and interpret obscenity laws. Why do obscenity laws exist? Obscenity laws protect a sense of morality in (…)

Communications Law

Communications law is the practice of law that relates to the exchange of information using technology. It’s any law that involves the regulation and use of electronic telecommunication. Communication law includes technologies like radio, television, cable and broadband internet. It involves the creation of rules and policies that govern use of these technologies. Communication regulations govern both public and private communications. Lawmakers create these regulations with the goal of making communication technologies accessible to all Americans at a reasonable price. (…)

Constitutional Law

Constitutional law is the law that relates to interpreting, implementing and amending the United States constitution and the constitutions of the 50 states. It is an area of law that focuses on what the constitution says, what it means and what its limitations are. As social and political issues change and develop in the United States, attorneys who practice constitutional law bring these issues to the courts to ask for clarification about the meaning, interpretation and enforcement of the constitution. (…)

Customs Agent

The main role of a Customs Agent (aka Customs Inspector) is to investigate and inspect persons, goods, common carriers, and merchandise, arriving in or departing from the United States or between states to detect violations of immigration and customs laws and regulations. Customs Agents work for the United States Department of Customs and Border Patrol, which is a branch of the DHS (Department of Homeland Security). A custom agent that works for the CBP is responsible for helping keep weapons (…)

Construction Law

Construction law is the combination of all of the areas of law that apply to construction work. The process of building is complex. Builders have to follow a large number of rules and regulations. There are many things that they need to know and do before they ever pour the first bit of cement or clear the first tree. People in the construction industry have to work with private entities and government representatives in order to conduct business. They must (…)

Firearm Law

Firearm law is the combination of laws, regulations and public policy that govern the manufacture, distribution and sale of firearms in the United States. Although the basic rule is that guns are legal in the United States, there are exceptions to the rule, and firearm law remains controversial. Firearm law says who can make or buy a gun and under what circumstances. Firearm laws exist in the United States at both the federal and state levels. The Second Amendment The right to (…)

Derivatives and Futures Law

Derivatives and futures law is the collection of laws that regulate trading in derivatives and futures. Derivatives and futures law involves regulations. It also involves compliance. Practicing derivatives and futures law requires identifying applicable laws and regulations, creating a compliance plan and helping clients negotiate business transactions. Attorneys in the area of law may also help their clients defend against enforcement actions. What are futures and derivatives? A derivative or future is a financial contract where the value of the (…)

Defamation Law

Defamation law is the area of law that relates to communications about the reputation of another person. Defamatory speech is a communication that might hurt the reputation of someone else. The purpose of the area of law is to protect people from having their lives and livelihoods ruined or significantly altered because of untrue statements against them. However, the law still protects a person’s First Amendment right to speak freely without being held liable for saying something insulting, making a (…)

Estate Law

Estate law is the body of law that concerns a person’s physical and personal property. Estate law involves planning for a person’s finances and property both during their lifetime and after. It’s a body of law that includes taking care of people and property. It can involve both transactional law and litigation. Estate law is all of the laws that impact how a person makes decisions and issues directives about their personal affairs. What is an estate? An estate is (…)