What's the purpose of having an agent if you're a cartoon and/or comics creator, or an animation and/or comics person in general?

Hi. I am a cartoonist and writer. Years ago I tried to pitch an idea for an ORIGINAL comic book to a major comic book publisher, when they were still located in NYC. At the time the company was excepting unsoliticed work. I wanted to get my own comic books developed and published through them, so I made up some comic book panels and scripts for my own material and submitted it to them as part of a submissions package. I recall working on some of the artwork at a local library. A man passed by and noticed my work and he told me I should get an agent. If you're a cartoon and/or comics creator, what is the purpose of having an agent? I don't know that much about business, but I assume agents are there to represent you and protect you, especially in a court of law. If a party or parties claims to have issues with your material, such as copyright infringement, I assume the agent is there to do things like defend you and prove your material is yours and that it belongs to you, and that it's NOT infringing on anyone else's work, and/or prove your stuff came out before anyone else's, or that you aren't intentionally invoking controversy with your material, etc. This sounds like a lawyer. DO agents function as lawyers? I know agents are supposed to help get people work. I am not an expert on business or legality and the particulars of how things work in the animation and comics industries and such. I have never had an agent. Please help- thank you. At the time the company was accepting unsolicited work. - FIXED.