Getting Work experience Forum

[6lehderjets]

ITE those with experience seem to have an edge on employment. I'm thinking getting substanative experience during law school may provide some degree of benefit. What practice areas seem like they will be in demand in coming years?

Other TLS threads have suggested bankruptcy, tax, healthcare. However, bankruptcy is kinda cylical depending on the place you practice. Any others come to mind? Bird law, space law, international law notwithstanding.

Thanks in advance.

[z0rk]

ITE those with experience seem to have an edge on employment. I'm thinking getting substanative experience during law school may provide some degree of benefit. What practice areas seem like they will be in demand in coming years?

Other TLS threads have suggested bankruptcy, tax, healthcare. However, bankruptcy is kinda cylical depending on the place you practice. Any others come to mind? Bird law, space law, international law notwithstanding.

Thanks in advance.

Are you a 0L or in school currently?

I highly reccomend working in between undergrad and law school for a few years. I worked as a paralegal and continue through law school (I am an evening student). It has been tremendously beneficial, and I have noted a difference in my approach towards the material when compared to others who are coming straight through. You don't necessarilly need to paralegal before/during law school, but get some real world context before delving back into the theoretical world of law.

[6lehderjets]

ITE those with experience seem to have an edge on employment. I'm thinking getting substanative experience during law school may provide some degree of benefit. What practice areas seem like they will be in demand in coming years?

Other TLS threads have suggested bankruptcy, tax, healthcare. However, bankruptcy is kinda cylical depending on the place you practice. Any others come to mind? Bird law, space law, international law notwithstanding.

Thanks in advance.

Are you a 0L or in school currently?

I highly reccomend working in between undergrad and law school for a few years. I worked as a paralegal and continue through law school (I am an evening student). It has been tremendously beneficial, and I have noted a difference in my approach towards the material when compared to others who are coming straight through. You don't necessarilly need to paralegal before/during law school, but get some real world context before delving back into the theoretical world of law.

In school currently.

I had about 5+ years of WE pre-law school, not all of it directly transferrable to law though.

Essentially, I'm trying to figure out the "hot" areas of law that I should consider volunteering and doing clinics to make myself more marketable.

[Detrox]

ITE those with experience seem to have an edge on employment. I'm thinking getting substanative experience during law school may provide some degree of benefit. What practice areas seem like they will be in demand in coming years?

Other TLS threads have suggested bankruptcy, tax, healthcare. However, bankruptcy is kinda cylical depending on the place you practice. Any others come to mind? Bird law, space law, international law notwithstanding.

Thanks in advance.

Are you a 0L or in school currently?

I highly reccomend working in between undergrad and law school for a few years. I worked as a paralegal and continue through law school (I am an evening student). It has been tremendously beneficial, and I have noted a difference in my approach towards the material when compared to others who are coming straight through. You don't necessarilly need to paralegal before/during law school, but get some real world context before delving back into the theoretical world of law.

In school currently.

I had about 5+ years of WE pre-law school, not all of it directly transferrable to law though.

Essentially, I'm trying to figure out the "hot" areas of law that I should consider volunteering and doing clinics to make myself more marketable.

With solid work experience pre-law school, even unrelated, the best thing you can do for yourself now that you're in law school is to focus on your grades.

[Void]

ITE those with experience seem to have an edge on employment. I'm thinking getting substanative experience during law school may provide some degree of benefit. What practice areas seem like they will be in demand in coming years?

Other TLS threads have suggested bankruptcy, tax, healthcare. However, bankruptcy is kinda cylical depending on the place you practice. Any others come to mind? Bird law, space law, international law notwithstanding.

Thanks in advance.

Are you a 0L or in school currently?

I highly reccomend working in between undergrad and law school for a few years. I worked as a paralegal and continue through law school (I am an evening student). It has been tremendously beneficial, and I have noted a difference in my approach towards the material when compared to others who are coming straight through. You don't necessarilly need to paralegal before/during law school, but get some real world context before delving back into the theoretical world of law.

In school currently.

I had about 5+ years of WE pre-law school, not all of it directly transferrable to law though.

Essentially, I'm trying to figure out the "hot" areas of law that I should consider volunteering and doing clinics to make myself more marketable.

With solid work experience pre-law school, even unrelated, the best thing you can do for yourself now that you're in law school is to focus on your grades.

True for 1L year, but after 1L I couldn't disagree more. After 1L you should be focusing on maximizing your experience and meeting people in the legal community. Intern, extern, and volunteer as much as you can, and develop relationships with people who will recognize your value. This is how you get a job.

[TheFutureLawyer]

Georgetown did a study a short time back - Labor and Employment was the fastest growing area of law in 2012.

[6lehderjets]

ITE those with experience seem to have an edge on employment. I'm thinking getting substanative experience during law school may provide some degree of benefit. What practice areas seem like they will be in demand in coming years?

Other TLS threads have suggested bankruptcy, tax, healthcare. However, bankruptcy is kinda cylical depending on the place you practice. Any others come to mind? Bird law, space law, international law notwithstanding.

Thanks in advance.

In school currently.

I had about 5+ years of WE pre-law school, not all of it directly transferrable to law though.

Essentially, I'm trying to figure out the "hot" areas of law that I should consider volunteering and doing clinics to make myself more marketable.

With solid work experience pre-law school, even unrelated, the best thing you can do for yourself now that you're in law school is to focus on your grades.

True for 1L year, but after 1L I couldn't disagree more. After 1L you should be focusing on maximizing your experience and meeting people in the legal community. Intern, extern, and volunteer as much as you can, and develop relationships with people who will recognize your value. This is how you get a job.

I agree. However, I think it would be better if I was strategic with my externships & volunteering. I'm leaning towards tax because it seems to be steady area with a lot of volunteer opportunities. I like studying bankruptcy too, but it seems cyclical?

[6lehderjets]

Georgetown did a study a short time back - Labor and Employment was the fastest growing area of law in 2012.

Do you have the link to this? I tried googling it but didn't see it.

[TheFutureLawyer]

Georgetown did a study a short time back - Labor and Employment was the fastest growing area of law in 2012.

Do you have the link to this? I tried googling it but didn't see it.

Google this: Legal Market - Georgetown University Law Center

[reasonable_man]

With solid work experience pre-law school, even unrelated, the best thing you can do for yourself now that you're in law school is to focus on your grades.

This is potentially awful advice depending on where op goes to law school...

[6lehderjets]

Georgetown did a study a short time back - Labor and Employment was the fastest growing area of law in 2012.

Do you have the link to this? I tried googling it but didn't see it.

Google this: Legal Market - Georgetown University Law Center

Found it, thanks!

[guano]

ITE those with experience seem to have an edge on employment. I'm thinking getting substanative experience during law school may provide some degree of benefit. What practice areas seem like they will be in demand in coming years?

Other TLS threads have suggested bankruptcy, tax, healthcare. However, bankruptcy is kinda cylical depending on the place you practice. Any others come to mind? Bird law, space law, international law notwithstanding.

Thanks in advance.

Are you a 0L or in school currently?

I highly reccomend working in between undergrad and law school for a few years. I worked as a paralegal and continue through law school (I am an evening student). It has been tremendously beneficial, and I have noted a difference in my approach towards the material when compared to others who are coming straight through. You don't necessarilly need to paralegal before/during law school, but get some real world context before delving back into the theoretical world of law.

In school currently.

I had about 5+ years of WE pre-law school, not all of it directly transferrable to law though.

Essentially, I'm trying to figure out the "hot" areas of law that I should consider volunteering and doing clinics to make myself more marketable.

The hot areas now might be slow next year, and the slow area now might be hot soon.
E-commerce was hot in the 90s, then slowed down. Life insurance was hot in the 2000s, and is now back to being a niche field. Mortgage was a niche, but has been booming for the past 8 years, but will probably be much smaller in a few years. Bankruptcy and M&A are the quintessential cyclical/counter-cyclical fields (see eg Weil)

[Void]

I think you should just figure out what you want to do and direct yourself towards it. It's 2013. If you are going to law school because you think you'll make lots of money, you're a fucking moron. The only reason for the investment at this point is if you actually want to be a lawyer. And if you're just shooting for whichever "field" is "hottest" right now, it sounds like you should build a time machine and head back to the 90s, when lots of lawyers actually made bank.

[Green Crayons]

Wisdom gleaned from attorneys, not just me raving:

Georgetown did a study a short time back - Labor and Employment was the fastest growing area of law in 2012.

The billable rates in Labor and Employment are shrinking overall because the practice itself has essentially become fairly standardized and straightforward. Plug X facts into already-established and inflexible Y legal equation (usually the Title VII/Equal Pay Act analysis) and pop out Z result, which will either be a dismissal or settlement. Because of this commodification, L&E practices have become big hits with smaller outfits, but it isn't cutting edge law. Someone should go into L&E because they like the subject matter, not because it's going to net them prospects of long-term stability (e.g., steady pay increases). Exceptions exist, obviously, but the overall future of the practice area isn't sizable billables, which means the larger firms will minimize their L&E practice areas.


At any rate, if you're a law student, you should ignore practice areas (except during your summer job). Just get into a clinic, internship, or externship that allows you to work on and file pleadings/motions. That's all a firm is going to care about when looking at your law school work experinece. Outside of some really obtuse or Byzantine area of law, you can learn the substance of a practice area on the job fairly quick. Firms want someone who is familiar with the process of actually practicing and the procedural and substantive requirements of that practice.

[TheFutureLawyer]

Wisdom gleaned from attorneys, not just me raving:

Georgetown did a study a short time back - Labor and Employment was the fastest growing area of law in 2012.

The billable rates in Labor and Employment are shrinking overall because the practice itself has essentially become fairly standardized and straightforward. Plug X facts into already-established and inflexible Y legal equation (usually the Title VII/Equal Pay Act analysis) and pop out Z result, which will either be a dismissal or settlement. Because of this commodification, L&E practices have become big hits with smaller outfits, but it isn't cutting edge law. Someone should go into L&E because they like the subject matter, not because it's going to net them prospects of long-term stability (e.g., steady pay increases). Exceptions exist, obviously, but the overall future of the practice area isn't sizable billables, which means the larger firms will minimize their L&E practice areas.

Hmm, I'm not sure you can't say the same thing (re: commodification) about most areas of law. And I'm not sure how true the "commodification" really is. I've only interned in offices dealing with employment law, and in none of them did it seem as easy as you suggest (I mostly dealt in appellate work though). And don't more changes come to L&E law than most other areas of law? Every week you see some law being proposed or passed at the fed or local level which would shake up the field and create a bit more work.

You're saying that the future of the practice isn't in sizeable bills, meaning that larger firms will minimize their L&E practice. There could be some truth to that considering the S Court's hostility to class actions, but won't that mean more work for the smaller and medium sized firms where most of us will end up working? Also consider talk of biglaw going the way of the dinosaurs altogether.