When thinking about a career in law, it’s critical to examine your special interest areas and professional strengths. There are tremendous amounts of career paths in law. They include private practice, corporate law, public interest practices, judiciary service, and teaching. Detailed information about careers in law can be found on the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
The following is a sample list of law specialties (taken from U. of Kansas, Pre-Law Advising):
- Securities
- Family
- Tax
- Labor
- Environment
- Agriculture
- Antitrust
- Real Estate
- Poverty
- Human Rights
- Patent
- Trust and Estate
- Criminal
- Immigration
- Computer
- Communications
- Trial
- Personal Injury
- International
Additional links to information about law specialties:
Joint Degree Programs
Another option to consider if you have varied interests is a joint degree program. Joint degree programs allow you to combine two areas of interest while essentially earning two degrees at the same time. These programs are very demanding, but may serve to diversify your knowledge base, as well as increase your marketability. An example would be a JD/MBA program, which would include courses in both law and business, often for a lower financial commitment than if each degree was completed separately.