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Many high school students name law as a profession they want to go in to. But exactly what kind of jobs are available in law? The options extend far beyond traditional criminal lawyers battling it out in courtrooms that we automatically think of. A few examples are below.
Firstly, there are many types of legal practice. Deciding on what area you will practice in as a lawyer is sometimes harder than the decision to become a lawyer. Areas of law you can practice in include
- Administration
- Civil Litigation
- Constitutional
- Corporate and Commercial
- Criminal
- Environmental
- Family
- Immigration
- Intellectual Property
- International
- Labor and employment
- Real estate
- Securities
- Tax
- Entertainment
- Health
- Sports
- Antitrust
You could choose to specialize in just one of the above, or choose a few related areas to specialize in. For example, specializing in family and real estate law would be a handy combination as many divorce suits involve property. Alternatively, areas such as international law and immigration law would compliment each other well.
Being knowledgable in as many areas of law as possible will increase your chances of success as a lawyer.
Once you have decided what areas of law you would like to practice, the next decision is to decide how you will practice that law. The practice of law is split into the following categories
- Private practice
- Public interest law
- Government counsel
- Corporate counsel
Private practice is probably the goal for many aspiring lawyers, however this may not always be an obtainable goal as a new college graduate. Practising in government or corporate law will give a new law school graduate a great amount of experience so he or she can set up a private practice later.