A lawyer is someone who provides legal advice and counsel on behalf of someone involved in a legal dispute or legal issue. Also called attorneys or counselors, lawyers typically represent people before a governing body (such as a court) by conducting legal research, gathering relevant documents and witnesses, drafting written briefs, presenting oral arguments, and negotiating legal rights and responsibilities of their clients. To become a lawyer, a person must complete at least three years of intensive legal education and training, take and pass a rigorous state licensing exam (known as the ``bar exam``), and pass a personal and moral fitness test.