The job of civil rights lawyers is to uphold the laws and regulations set in place by the United States Constitution and to ensure that their clients are treated fairly. If an individual feels that he or she has been discriminated against- by definition of the various acts and amendments added to the Constitution- then he or she is free to hire a civil rights lawyer and sue the offending party in a court of law. These cases often occur if an individual feels that he or she was denied a house, a job or admission to a public university, based on the color of his or her skin, sexual preference, gender, national origin, religion, or disability.