Choosing a practice area is one of the most critical decisions you’ll make in your legal career. It’s a choice that will shape your professional path, who you are in the legal community, your day-to-day work, and even your personal life.
Whether you’re a law student gearing up for graduation or a professional considering a career change, asking yourself the right questions can help you find a practice area that aligns with your values, skills, and interests. We’ve partnered with Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA), the world’s leading legal search firm, to identify 10 key questions to ask yourself before choosing a practice area. These questions are designed to help you reflect on your motivations, strengths, and career aspirations.
Although your values, skills, and interests may change over time, here’s what’s important to ask yourself upfront so you can move forward with confidence.
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1) What do I like to deal with?
Are you a people person, idea person, or money/business aficionado? Or are you more into dealing with concrete things like asset finance or real estate transactions? Reflecting on what you like to engage with can guide you toward a suitable practice area. For instance:
- People-oriented: Family Law, Immigration Law, Employment Law, Trusts & Estates, Entertainment Law
- Idea-oriented: Antitrust, Appellate, Litigation, Intellectual Property, Tax Law
- Numbers-oriented: Securities, Bankruptcy, Corporate Law
2) Do I want to create or enable?
Think about how you envision your role as an attorney. Do you see yourself calling the shots? General counselors are good at this. If you consider yourself a leader, you’ll likely lean toward an area of law where you can initiate legal responses. On the other hand, as a member of a team you might be more comfortable enabling activity as part of a corporate group or supporting broader initiatives.
3) Do I enjoy adversarial situations?
If you have a competitive nature and/or consider yourself a very assertive negotiator, you should thrive in many practice areas within the U.S. legal system. Our adversarial approach to the law lends itself well to work in Appellate, Employment, Environmental, Family, Insurance Coverage/Defense, Product Liability, or Criminal Law.
4) Do I want to be an expert or a generalist?
Are you someone who prefers to know a lot about a little or a bit about everything? Your preference for specialization versus variety can influence your practice area choice.
- Specialists: Patent Prosecution, Intellectual Property Law, Tax Law
- Generalists: Commercial Litigation, General Litigation, Real Estate, Criminal Law, Solo Practice
5) Do I prefer to analyze grey areas or have concrete answers?
Consider whether you enjoy interpreting nuanced language and navigating ambiguity in a case or if you prefer clear, definitive outcomes.
- Grey Areas: Family Law, Litigation, Trusts & Estates, Cyber Law/Currency, Intellectual Property Law
- Concrete Answers: Contract Law, Real Estate Transactions, Regulatory Compliance
6) Who do I want to help and how?
There are many ways to help in the legal sense. Plaintiffs need assistance with class action matters. Those in distress may benefit from a Family Law, Immigration, Litigation, Criminal, or Bankruptcy attorney. Corporations looking to grow their business may need Asset or Corporate Finance legal counsel. If they’re looking to up their protection from legal action, an attorney with Corporate, Litigation, or Employment expertise might get a corporation’s attention.
7) Do I mind facing moral conundrums or emotionally charged situations in my practice?
Think of this question in terms of your interest in taking on a real challenging case. Do you love a “project” and being able to fix someone or something? Once righted, can you distance yourself enough from the client and/or the situation to move on? If the answer is yes, you may want to focus your career in Administrative or Corporate Law, Entertainment, Executive Compensation, Intellectual Property, Real Estate, or Tax Law.
8) What relationship do I want with my client?
Do you prefer being a trusted advisor with close client relationships, or are you more comfortable working behind the scenes as part of a legal team?
- Client-facing roles: Appellate, Employment, Trusts & Estates, Family Law, Criminal Law
- Back-office roles: Corporate Law, Intellectual Property, Project Finance, Real Estate Transactional Law, Tax Law
9) How important is a predictable schedule?
Some practice areas offer a more set schedule than others. Government agencies are one example. ERISA counseling, Land Use, Trusts & Estates and Tax Law also provide regularity. There tends to be more unpredictability in certain legal fields like Litigation, Criminal Defense, and Emergency Legal Services.
10) Where can my degree take me outside of a law firm?
There is good demand for well-credentialed attorneys outside of the law office. Consider the versatility of your law degree and explore opportunities in such sectors as:
- Academia: Teaching, Research
- Government: Public Policy, Legislative Roles, Regulatory Agencies
- Corporate: In-house Counsel, Compliance Officer, Business Development
It’s also easier to move from a major market to a smaller market, rather than the other way around. What’s important is to find a sustainable career, and do so early on.
Identifying your ideal area of practice will let you use your innate strengths in ways that come naturally. It will reflect who you are as an attorney and won’t cause you to do something you don’t do well. It’s all about assessing (and re-assessing periodically) and asking questions so you can make the most of your legal journey.
Looking for information about legal internships to explore future careers? Check out these tips to stand out to your future employers and what factors to consider.