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I'll try this again after previously being thwarted in my attempt to learn more about law.

Currently a 0L who works for a legal institution, however, can anyone explain or point out a place to explain different avenues in law I could go into or should look [proactively] into as a 0L.

I know it depends on what my school specializes in/what classes interest me blah blah, but I want to know what different types of law I can go into outside of big law.

I'm aware of the ambiguity this question has inviting a snarky response but outside of Litigation and "International" Law which areas should can people attest to? I know, as an absolute, I do not want to touch family law or anything related, but I feel so out-of-touch with niche type laws that aren't as well know (Labor law, insurance defense, etc) and I've been getting self conscious constantly hearing "what type of law do you want to do" to which I answer litigation or "international" law.

Saving your smart*** responses can anyone summarize some lesser known(to a 0L) areas of law or point me to somewhere I can look into different types with explanations and career paths?

I have started answering this question simply with "RICO law." When the asker inevitably says, "Oh, so you want to work for the feds?" I stare at them blankly for a few seconds before answering, "No. The defense side of RICO."

This could be helpful

http://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-Le ... _lmf_tit_5

The catch-all is usually Business/Corporate and there a lot of MidLaw firms that specialize in this area if you are adverse to BigLaw. Otherwise there are plenty of other specialties like Criminal, Health, Immigration, Labor, Securities, Tax, Real Estate, Bankruptcy, Intellectual Property, etc. However, keep in mind that the more unique or unusual the specialty, the less opportunities there will be to find work it in. You'll have the easiest time finding a job in criminal or business law due to their shear size, but IP is in short-supply if you have the necessary background to get into it.

Just google some of the above specialties, read up on them, and see if you any of them.

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http://www.chambers-associate.com/Pract ... -Summaries

ETA: I guess this is specifically for biglaw, but I'm guessing this still applies for what you're getting at. Just look at specialized boutiques that perform the same functions as biglaw departments.

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the first two posts in this thread are an amazing collision of terrible question and terrible answer

fatduck wrote:the first two posts in this thread are an amazing collision of terrible question and terrible answer

You know what they say - ask a terrible question...

fundamentallybroken wrote:I have started answering this question simply with "RICO law." When the asker inevitably says, "Oh, so you want to work for the feds?" I stare at them blankly for a few seconds before answering, "No. The defense side of RICO."

I've started answering the "what type of law do you want to practice" question with "maritime law". When they ask what that is, I tell them it's pirate defense.

There are types of law that biglaw doesn't do. They don't do a lot of criminal (except white collar stuff) and they don't do family. You can always just do simple probate or something as well. These are all relatively low-brow fields. Do you speak Spanish? Immigration...

fundamentallybroken wrote:

fatduck wrote:the first two posts in this thread are an amazing collision of terrible question and terrible answer

You know what they say - ask a terrible question...

I asked about the different areas of law more obscure from an outsiders perspective...terrible question or you're a flaming douche ?