You know that you want to go to law school. You even have some ideas of what type of law you might like to practice. But how do you find out what areas will be in demand when you graduate?
How is the legal job market? What about alternative legal careers?
There is a lot you can find out now, before you go to law school.
Legal practice areas
There are hundreds of legal practice areas, including many that you might not have heard of. A great overview of them is in The Official Guide to Legal Specialties. The American Bar Association is also a good resource for information about different legal practice areas.
Trends in the legal job market
Like every other field, the legal job market has its ups and downs. So what are the ups? Who is hiring? What areas are stable? The best resource I have found to become knowledgeable about legal career trends is NALP. They have tremendous resources about salaries for recent graduates, employment and hiring trends, and press releases about the general state of legal hiring and the legal job market.
Another great new resource is the podcast through LawHub, I Am The Law. This podcast has episodes in which law graduates are interviewed about their jobs and career path.
Alternative legal careers
When I was in law school, I had pretty much decided, even before graduation, to seek an alternative legal career. I had to do all of the research on my own. I ended up doing so much research on the topic that I eventually wrote a book about it, Alternative Careers for Lawyers.
The world of law-related careers has expanded tremendously. You can use your law degree in business, journalism, politics, educational administration, compliance and many other areas.
Law school and law school admissions
Of course, you want to research law schools before you apply. See if they are in a part of the country where hiring is going well, and where the practice area that interests you is showing growth. Strategically apply to schools that have a center, journal, or professors who specializes in that area. For law school admissions insights and information about how legal hiring works, see The Essential Guide to Law School Admissions.
Another very interesting resource to look at for information about law school is Law School Confidential.
