Law is a complex and varied field, to say the least. When deciding to become a lawyer, students have to take into account more than you might think, as there are more than 15 different types of law careers that they can choose from.
Naturally, each branch comes with its own particularities that have to be studied in law school. You can’t become a bankruptcy or admiralty lawyer just with basic law notions and information. You must select a specialty and, naturally, doing so can be very difficult given the large number of options.
But this article is here to help. As such, here are 15 types of law careers that law students can pursue in the future!
Family Lawyer
As the name implies, family law means dealing with disputes, uncertainties and relations between family members. Given almost every single person out there is part of a family, this field can be very lucrative.
For example, a Las Vegas family law attorney can earn as much as $91,000 a year while practicing family law in Nevada.
Maritime Lawyer
This type of career deals more with activities that are related to the maritime environment and less to do with the sea itself, so to speak. A lawyer practicing in this field will have to oversee maritime economic transactions related directly to trade on the sea.
Naturally, they might also engage in solving disputes between entities, administrators, sailors and so on.
Bankruptcy Lawyer
Judging by the name, it is clear that bankruptcy lawyers help both people and companies deal with an event that can be very significant in people’s lives — bankruptcy (and anything related to it).
Most companies and businesses have a bankruptcy lawyer on standby, just in case something doesn’t go as planned and they need a quick fix for their problems.
Business Lawyer
Also known as corporate law, this type of career is one of the most lucrative out there, especially in the U.S. and other big countries of the world. Being a corporate lawyer means, in most cases, that you’re pretty much set for as long as you hold a contract with the firm you’re working with.
But keep in mind that this is no easy work and that, in most cases, you’ll have to work with entire teams of lawyers on just a single case.
Civil Rights Lawyer
If you want to help protect our civil rights with more than just protests and demonstrations, you could practice civil rights law. Nowadays, this career deals mainly with the issues of unfair practices in workplaces and governmental institutions, but it also deals with discrimination as well.
In short, this type of law deals with every right and liberty of the individual.
Entertainment Lawyer
This area of law does not deal with TV shows necessarily, even though some of us might like to believe that. Despite its name, it is centered more around intellectual property and the rights that artists hold over their creations that are meant to entertain.
For example, if you’ve published something and are not getting royalties out of it even though you signed a contract stating that you would, an entertainment lawyer might be the one to help you.
Health Lawyer
Obviously, health law deals with everything related to health care, mainly the legislation around this rather sensitive field. Those that practice this particular type of law can represent a plethora of different clients, such as clinics, health practitioners, insurance companies and even patients.
Immigration Lawyer
This area of law is, as you might have guessed, more than just a sensitive area. It doesn’t only deal with those people looking to enter a country — there’s more to it than that when it comes to immigration law.
Immigration lawyers will also help people that are seeking refuge or asylum in a certain country or state.
International Lawyer
This type of law can deal with either the public or the private sector. For the latter, lawyers manage the trade and finance divisions of international companies, businesses and corporations.
For the public sector, lawyers that practice international law manage deals between countries/nations.
Labor Lawyer
Labor law is known for protecting employees from anything bad or unethical that their employer might do. This involves compensation, issues with wages, discrimination, different types of harassment and so on.
Obviously, in cases of wrongful termination, there’s no better type of lawyer to help you than one working in the field of labor law.
Military Lawyer
In order to practice military law, one would also need to serve in the military — or be a pretty much permanent member of the force, while also being a part of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps.
The above allows you to deal with legal matters that occur within the armed forces of a country or state.
Personal Injury Lawyer
Corporate law might be lucrative, but personal injury law isn’t far from that either. It is one of the most profitable areas of law, for both clients and lawyers — why?
Well, because the lawyers get paid a percentage of the damages their clients are awarded. Given that some personal injury cases settle for millions of dollars, one can assume that law students are more than happy to specialize in this field.
Real Estate Lawyer
A real estate lawyer deals with everything related to real estate, both in terms of who owns the land and who is allowed to build on it. Naturally, this also implies the involvement of disputes between landlords and tenants and, in some cases, even neighbors.
It is also worth mentioning that this particular type of law also covers some of the most serious and important tenant rights.
Tax Lawyer
Tax is, especially in the U.S., quite a big deal. In fact, quite a lot of people get into trouble because they don’t get their taxes right or don’t submit them before they are due. This is where tax lawyers come in!
Overall, such lawyers help reduce the financial liabilities of their clients. They do so by continuously studying the ever-changing area of tax.
Intellectual Property Lawyers
Unlike entertainment law, intellectual property law focuses on the rights of the people that create intellectual property. This includes but is not limited to inventions, works of art, business creation, symbols and so on.
It is worth mentioning that IP lawyers usually can’t handle all the facets of intellectual property and often specialize in a single domain related to this.
The Bottom Line
The field of law is extremely vast, and this is probably one of the reasons why law students are often so stressed during their studies. Choosing the right type of law for you is not an easy task.
As you’ve noticed with most of the types mentioned above, they divide into smaller areas of expertise within the same field, making it even harder for a student to pick their perfect poison.
Nevertheless, law colleges and universities do a great job at providing them with the assistance they need to pick the right branch for them and make a career out of it!
