,lawyer how to choose practice area

by Lina Rowe 3 min read

What's the best area of law to practice?

Here are 16 fruitful, promising areas of law for you to consider.Complex Litigation. This is an area of law that demands a lot of patience and incredible attention to detail. ... Corporate Law. ... Tax Law. ... Intellectual Property. ... Blockchain. ... Healthcare. ... Environmental. ... Criminal.More items...

What is the easiest area of law to practice?

Estate Planning Although being a legal clerk is the easiest career path, it is only suited for beginners. Estate planning wins the most stress-free legal practice area when practicing law for lawyers. Many lawyers avoid estate planning as it is a field of law associated with death.Jan 30, 2022

What area of law is most in demand?

Highest Client Growth Rates by Practice AreaInsurance: +2190% (YoY) ... Criminal Law: +1680% (YoY) ... Civil Rights: +1160% (YoY) ... Personal Injury: +660% (YoY) ... Estate Planning: +330% (YoY) ... Bankruptcy: +280% (YoY) ... Employment Law: +190% (YoY) ... Business Law: +140% (YoY) (Top growth area: Contracts)More items...•Sep 21, 2020

What is the most profitable area of law practice?

What are the most lucrative law practice areas?Law Practice Area 1: Tax Attorneys. ... Law Practice Area 2: Intellectual Property Lawyers. ... Law Practice Area 3: Law School Professor. ... Law Practice Area 4: Law School Deans. ... Law Practice Area 5: Judges. ... Law Practice Area 6: Law Firm Administrator.

What type of lawyers are the happiest?

The happiest attorneys, therefore, are those who experience a cultural fit. This means they work for firms where they are free to act independently, do work that matters to them and collaborate on teams with people who complement their personality and communication style.Jun 25, 2019

Which area of law is least stressful?

However, there are many sectors of law which are less stressful:Real estate law.Intellectual property law.High Street family law.Government lawyers.Working In-House.Jul 9, 2021

What is the most difficult area of law?

Litigation is probably one of the toughest practice areas within the legal sector. It is also one of the most thankless practice areas. Litigators are demoralized by many facets of the legal sector. Litigation is also one of the most difficult practice areas to get a good lateral legal job in.

What type of lawyer makes the most?

Types Of Lawyers That Make The Most MoneyMedical Lawyers – Average $138,431. Medical lawyers make one of the highest median wages in the legal field. ... Intellectual Property Attorneys – Average $128,913. ... Trial Attorneys – Average $97,158. ... Tax Attorneys – Average $101,204. ... Corporate Lawyers – $116,361.Dec 18, 2020

What type of lawyer is the highest paid?

Medical Attorneys Medical lawyers are among the highest-paid types of lawyers and earn one of the highest median salaries in the legal field.

What are the 7 types of laws?

CLASSIFICATIONS OF LAWPublic and Private Law.Civil Law and Criminal Law.Substantive and Procedural Law.Municipal and International Law.Written and Unwritten Law.Common Law and Equity.Mar 11, 2016

What is the highest paid area of law UK?

Swindon, the City of London, South West London, West London, East London, Coventry, Bristol, Leeds and southeast London make up the top ten geographies in the UK for the highest average employment lawyer salaries. The average salary of a fully qualified solicitor specialising in this area is around ÂŁ43,000 annually.

Do lawyers make a lot of money?

Do lawyers actually make good money? A: Law careers have always been some of the most lucrative in the United States. Depending on their location and specialty, lawyers can make as much as $200,000+ a year, which is considerably more than people make in most other professions.Sep 21, 2021

Passion and Personality

Some of the most successful attorneys attribute their success to passion. Some of these attorneys will tell you outright that passion will drive your career. You need to look at the practice that energizes you.

Demand and Supply

You don’t want to venture into a field that will not sell in the job market. As a graduate, you need to find a law practice that will be sought by prospective clients.

Law School Concentrations

You should practice what you studied in law school. If you want to become a competent attorney, practice what you concentrated on law school. If you majored on litigation, you should practice civil litigation.

Legal Practice Area Goals

Long term goals are vital if you want to become a successful attorney. A long term goal is something you seek to realize in the future. As you select a legal practice area, you need to base it on your long term goals.

What are some examples of regulatory practices?

Examples of regulatory practices include: antitrust, banking, communications, employee benefits, energy, environmental, food and drug law, health care, securities, and tax. Each of these areas has a corresponding federal agency employing lawyers and before which lawyers practice.

What is the number one driver for creating career options and job security when practicing law in a firm?

The number one driver for creating career options and job security when practicing law in a firm is your ability to develop business. This stands true whether you are in a global mega-firm, small local practice or boutique environment. (The single environment that does not come into play is the government; oddly, it has an indirect effect for practicing in-house at a company.) It should not come as a surprise that it is easier to develop clients in certain practice areas and geographies than others. So, if your long-term play is to become a law firm partner or hang out your shingle, understand how your practice area selection affects your potential client base, and whether it is the sort you can attract and develop into meaningful client relationships.

What are employers attracted to?

Employers are attracted to candidates who have some demonstrated interest in a particular practice area whether that interest is shown through prior work experience, extern/internships during law school, or even a concentration in classwork. Your ability to tell a credible story―through your resume and while interviewing―to a potential employer ...

How to be a lawyer?

1. Know Yourself. It sounds clichéd, but taking time to truly think through and analyze what interests you and where your talents lie will pay high dividends as you embark on your legal career . Different practice areas suit different personalities, both substantively and skillset-wise.

Do corporate lawyers like to write contracts?

Corporate lawyers tend to dislike their first- year legal writing class and instead enjoy the structure and predictability of reviewing and drafting contracts. Corporate/transactional law has many subsets (e.g., finance, franchise, real estate, technology transactions, etc.), but the overall personality traits for those who enjoy this work are ...

What does switching practice areas in law mean?

Switching practice areas in law means you’ll be a student all over again. Get ready to study! Alycia spends 30 minutes a day studying case law, regulations, and other information about family law not related to current cases.

How long does it take to change your legal practice?

It will also take time and it’s important not to rush the process. It may take 1-2 years before you feel you’ve fully switched to your new area of legal practice.

Why is it important to meet others in your practice area?

Meeting others who practice in your new practice area can be invaluable for learning about who you might be interacting with. You can learn the nuances about judges in your area, opposing counsels, and more.

Is it possible to switch practice areas?

So interested, in fact, that you think about changing legal practice areas. Switching practice areas in law is certainly possible. If you find a different practice area that’s more fulfilling, investing in making the switch is certainly worth it .

Why is prestige important?

The reason the prestige of your first firm is so important is simply that your next prospective employers will see it as important. You may get much better hands-on experience and training at a smaller firm, but prospective employers usually do not see it this way. When you are at a well-known firm, your training and experience is a known quantity.

What does pre law background mean?

Your pre-law academic background may make you more marketable in certain practice areas or may impose a glass ceiling on your career advancement prospects. Be sure you have the right background to progress in your practice area (or at least be aware that if you do not have this training, you will be facing an uphill battle).

Where is Abby from the New York Bar?

Abby also worked with the International Rescue Committee as a Fulbright Scholar in Madrid, Spain. She is a member of the New York Bar and is fluent in French and Spanish (and dabbles in Portuguese and Italian).

Is prestige higher in a group or firm?

Remember that groups within a firm can rank much higher in prestige than the firm on the whole and it will generally be the prestige of your group that counts. This can be particularly true with niche practice areas (for example, investment management, appellate litigation, real estate).

Think about your personality

Can you envision yourself in the area of law you want to practice? If you want to litigate, are you the kind of person that can handle intense personalities in a courtroom and can think quickly on your feet? If you are thinking about transactional law, do you like the idea of constantly reading and editing? These are just a few questions you should be asking yourself.

Think about the long-term

While traveling may sound appealing while in law school, do you want to be traveling throughout your entire career? Furthermore, do you want to have a career that has a more predictable workflow (i.e. tax, real estate)? Or do you like the unpredictability that comes with some areas i.e., prosecution?

What time does Harrison Barnes do a webinar?

Harrison Barnes does a weekly free webinar with live Q&A for attorneys and law students each Wednesday at 10:00 am PST. You can attend anonymously and ask questions about your career, this article, or any other legal career-related topics. You can sign up for the weekly webinar here: Register on Zoom.

Why do attorneys switch practice areas?

Attorneys who chose to switch practice areas for the right reasons most often do so because they realize that they are not suited for the particular practice area they are in. It is imperative that you thoroughly evaluate the reasons why you want to switch practice areas.

How much does IQ contribute to life?

According to Goleman: "At best, IQ contributes about 20% to the factors that determine life success, which leaves 80% to other forces ... No one can yet say exactly how much of the variability from person to person in life's course it accounts for.

What is the most important aspect of switching practice areas?

However, as you consider the different types of law you could change to, the most important aspect involving the switching of practice areas is the question of who you are specifically. An important aspect to remember in all of this discussion is that switching the type of law you practice in should not be a decision taken lightly.

Who is the founder of BCG?

Harrison is the founder of BCG Attorney Search and several companies in the legal employment space that collectively gets thousands of attorneys jobs each year. Harrison is widely considered the most successful recruiter in the United States and personally places multiple attorneys most weeks. His articles on legal search and placement are read by attorneys, law students and others millions of times per year.

Can I become a lawyer and join a law firm?

In a lot of respects, becoming a lawyer and joining law firm practice areas require an insane amount of time and commitment. Most attorneys interview for summer-associate jobs, take the best summer job in the field of law they can get, and join a particular firm without much thought as to what practice area they will be in.

Is it normal to be unhappy at work?

Of course, it is entirely normal to feel unhappy with your job occasionally, and the reasons for the unhappiness may not be related to your practice area. But if the unhappiness is connected to your practice area, it behooves you to explore the reasons.

image

Passion and Personality

Image
Some of the most successful attorneys attribute their success to passion. Some of these attorneys will tell you outright that passion will drive your career. You need to look at the practice that energizes you. You don’t want to waste time in a career that is not naturally appealing to you. Career passions are conceived during childh…
See more on hosbeg.com

Demand and Supply

  • You don’t want to venture into a field that will not sell in the job market. As a graduate, you need to find a law practice that will be sought by prospective clients. Bankruptcy Law is a practice area that is in demand. It is one of the fastest growing practices in the market. In the United States, most of the companies in the Aviation sector are shutting down. In addition, the depreciating ec…
See more on hosbeg.com

Law School Concentrations

  • You should practice what you studied in law school. If you want to become a competent attorney, practice what you concentrated on law school. If you majored on litigation, you should practice civil litigation. When two individual are involved in legal disputes over non-criminal matters such as money, civil litigation is the remedy. If you specialize in civil litigation, you will be known as a l…
See more on hosbeg.com

Legal Practice Area Goals

  • Long term goals are vital if you want to become a successful attorney. A long term goal is something you seek to realize in the future. As you select a legal practice area, you need to base it on your long term goals. If you want to succeed and become reputable, long term goals are essential. As an attorney, your goals should be to serve clients wi...
See more on hosbeg.com

Know Yourself

Image
It sounds clichéd, but taking time to truly think through and analyze what interests you and where your talents lie will pay high dividends as you embark on your legal career. Different practice areas suit different personalities, both substantively and skillset-wise. Below is a general, high-level summary of the personality traits suite…
See more on lawpracticetoday.org

Understand The Role of Supply and Demand

  • Now more than ever, the market plays a significant role in determining who is hiring, what they are hiring for, and how long that job will last. Long gone are the days when simply having a law degree meant guaranteed job security at a law firm. Employers are ever more discerning on credentials, expertise, and value. What this means when selecting a practice area is: stand apart, choose the …
See more on lawpracticetoday.org

Choose Early and Commit

  • When I say choose early, I mean law school (if not earlier). Employers are attracted to candidates who have some demonstrated interest in a particular practice area whether that interest is shown through prior work experience, extern/internships during law school, or even a concentration in classwork. Your ability to tell a credible story―through your resume and while interviewing―to …
See more on lawpracticetoday.org

Clients Anyone?

  • The number one driver for creating career options and job security when practicing law in a firm is your ability to develop business. This stands true whether you are in a global mega-firm, small local practice or boutique environment. (The single environment that does not come into play is the government; oddly, it has an indirect effect for practicing in-house at a company.) It should n…
See more on lawpracticetoday.org

Consider Your Long-Term Personal Goals

  • This is the culminating question: how will the practice area you choose at the beginning of your career set you up for personal and professional success 10 years down the road? While the thought of where you will be a decade from now may seem overwhelming, this is a very real question to consider in our quick-moving world, where multiple job changes throughout a career …
See more on lawpracticetoday.org