Choosing the right type of law to practice can mean the difference between loving your legal career and hating it. If it were only a matter of choosing which subject you enjoyed best in law school or which you excelled at, choosing which type of law you should practice would be easy. But it’s not. The actual practice of law is very different from the theories you learn about in law school. And sadly, there is very little practical career advice provided by most law schools. This is a guide for future lawyers, to help determine which type of law you should practice.
Civil Law: This type of law mostly involves torts and it encompasses the area of personal injury law. Civil lawyers should have an interest in litigation. But keep in mind that trials are a very small part of the civil process. Most civil cases never make it to trial. Therefore, most work is performed as part of the discovery process: answering interrogatories, conducting depositions, reviewing police reports and medical records, etc. You can choose to work as a plaintiff’s lawyer or as defense counsel, usually employed by an insurance company.
Criminal Law: Criminal practice is a court-based practice that bears little resemblance to what you see on television. In fact, much of a criminal defense lawyer’s day may involve waiting around the courthouse: waiting for the jail to produce your client, waiting for the court officer to call your case. If you work as a defense lawyer, you will need to have the stomach for it. You will be spending time at jails, with people most would like to avoid. And you will see and hear, perhaps even experience, things that most young lawyers would prefer not to.
Bankruptcy, Immigration, Real Estate, Wills and Estates: These are niche areas of the law, and can be a great choice for future lawyers struggling to decide which type of law they should practice. Lawyers may find less competition in these areas of the law, and limiting yourself to one area of the law can greatly simplify your professional life.
Corporate Law: If you want to avoid the courtroom, corporate law might just be your ticket. Some future lawyers would prefer to sit at their desk day after day, week after week, drafting memos and briefs, reviewing and summarizing transcripts, doing legal research. If you land a job at a large corporate law firm, you may even earn the big bucks. But be prepared to put in long hours and be prepared to bring in business. Otherwise, you could soon find yourself unemployed.
There are, of course, many other areas of the law you could consider, and you should indeed consider them all. The best piece of advice this attorney can offer is this: Don’t allow yourself to fall into a certain area of practice. Make the choice yourself after sufficiently researching your areas of interest and getting to know what the actual practice is like, as opposed to just taking with you the lofty theories you learned in law school.
