The legal profession is one that many people aspire to. For those that look to pursue it, there comes a point that they’ll have to choose their specialization. This is the area of the law that they want to practice for their career. These can range quite broadly, including criminal law, business law, and even environmental law.
Naturally, these will affect what kind of legal jobs they can get. If you’re on your road to becoming an attorney, then this will be a process you’ll have to go through. While you can specialize in several areas, you’ll still have to determine what these will be.
What kind of roles you’ll be eligible for after graduating will play a part in this. Some are much more popular than others, with there being various reasons behind them. You might want to consider one of them.
Most Popular Legal Jobs
Intellectual Property Lawyers
Intellectual property has been a concept for centuries. Over the past few decades, however, it’s become much more of a hot topic. The concept, which is enshrined in law, protects peoples’ ideas through trademarks, copyright protection, and multiple other areas.
Intellectual property lawyers are the ones who navigate this complex system. As the area has become increasingly convoluted, and more people are coming up with an intellectual property, the area has become much more profitable.
That’s led to a significant number of attorneys flocking to the area. If you enter this field, you’ll need to remain competitive. The good news is that you should be highly paid for your efforts.
Criminal Defense Attorneys
Criminal defence attorneys will always be needed. While you mightn’t be thrilled at the thought of representing the guilty, you could end up spending much more time working with the innocent. For decades, local criminal defense attorneys have made a significant impact on the community they live in.
Representing the innocent in the legal system provides a wealth of benefits on its own, as you’ll be helping people in their time of need. With enough time and experience, the impact you’ll have on their lives will become palpable.
Being able to do good in the world is one of the more common reasons legal professionals gravitate to the role.
“Having a career as a criminal attorney means making a real impact in your community by representing both the guilty and the innocent in their time of need. You have the opportunity to do good and make a difference in people’s lives every day.” – lawyer from Meltzer & Bell, P.A
Litigation Support Director
Litigation support director is a relatively new role, although it’s become increasingly prominent. It is, however, one of the less client-focused legal jobs you can consider. While you’ll still need to have some legal education, you’ll typically provide support services to other attorneys.
Most of these will revolve around IT, so you’ll need to be tech-savvy. The average salary in this kind of role is in the high five figures. That should increase in the future, especially as technology becomes increasingly prominent in various areas.
There is a large demand for litigation support directors, although there isn’t enough supply to meet this. Once you’re experienced enough in the area, you could see your salary jump drastically. If you’re interested in the crossroads of technology and law, then this might be one of the better-recommended positions.
Law Firm Administrator
Law firm administrators, also known as chief managing officers, are responsible for the administrative and business aspects of a firm. As you might expect, these roles tend to be less client-facing, although there should still be a certain amount of legal work involved.
Their primary responsibilities will be the non-legal aspects, however. Human resources, practice management, marketing, and much more will fall under your purview. The main attraction to this position is that there’s quite a large salary associated with the role.
While you should expect much less legal work, you’ll be well rewarded for what you do. There can be other benefits associated with the position. One of the more notable is that you’ll need less legal education to qualify for the role. You can also expect shorter hours than many other legal jobs.
Wrapping Up
Each of the above legal jobs comes with various pros and cons. With some, you can represent clients in court. Others will have you drafting, reviewing, and editing contracts while communicating with clients. Your passions and interests will play a large role in whether you’ll enjoy these roles.
Using these to determine your legal specialization will help you make the right decision for you. With how significant the choice can be, putting the time into researching and making your decision is vital. You can always change specializations in time, although that would take more time and effort.
Getting it right the first time could be better recommended.