You may feel pressured to map out your entire professional future as soon as you receive your first acceptance letter—or maybe even before you submit your first application. This pressure could come from peers, friends, family, and even yourself. While it may be comforting to know the field you intend to practice, you don’t need to have your mind made up on day one. That’s one major benefit of the JD being what’s called a “generalist degree,” meaning law school provides you the foundational knowledge and skills to practice law in any field.
Part of your law school journey is discovering the legal subjects you are most passionate about, the groups of people you want to represent, and the professional values you want to uphold.
“Becoming a happy lawyer is really about finding a career path that’s true to who you are, to what your values are, that lets you do things that you enjoy all day long,” said Jim Leipold, LSAC’s senior advisor for Legal Education Consulting and LawHub. “From the moment you get accepted to law school until you graduate, you’re embarking on a road that involves a lot of self-reflection. Think about your values, what you like to do, the kinds of work you like to do, the kinds of people you like to work with.”
Consider whether you want to represent people, organizations/corporations, or issues. Would you like to work for a law firm, a business, a nonprofit, or in the public sector? Desired salary, job location, opportunities for advancement, job security, and work/life balance will also contribute to your career journey decisions.
For many lawyers, the intangibles matter just as much. What motivates you? Which tasks do you enjoy performing? Which skills do you excel at? Being a lawyer isn’t only about arguing. Some students might be drawn to a career that requires a lot of research, while others prefer to counsel clients directly. Some might want all the responsibility on their shoulders, while others flourish when collaborating as part of a team.
It’s also perfectly normal to change your mind during the course of your studies or even once you have embarked on your career. Sometimes a field you thought would be interesting isn’t as professionally exciting once you’ve explored it further. Give yourself the grace to change paths along the way. “Immerse yourself in certain legal work settings and take advantage of your time in law school to try on different hats, gain some practical skills experience, and see if a particular work setting or kind of work feels good or doesn’t feel good to you—and then try something else and see how that feels,” Leipold recommends.
The courses you take, mentors you meet, and internships and externships you hold all play a part in determining the field of law you ultimately pursue. And so does your choice of law school because different law schools have different strengths. Either way, the vast majority of law students use the summers between each year of law school to gain professional experience. Opportunities during the school year also help you understand the legal ecosystem around you. Many students participate in clinics to develop their practical skills while representing real clients, attend lawyer networking events, visit court, and do informational interviews to learn from lawyers about their jobs.
“Put in the work to figure out what you like and what you don’t like,” said Kyle McEntee, LSAC senior director of prelaw engagement and host of the I Am The Law podcast. “Ask questions. Listen to different opinions. But be careful not to overweight any single opinion. It’s also okay to rule out different work settings and practice areas. If you can figure out what you don’t like, you can focus your energy somewhere else.”
LawHub has resources to give you ideas about what to explore, as well as to help you narrow your focus as you seek internships and clinics, and get closer to graduation. The I Am The Law podcast has interviewed over 100 lawyers about their practice areas and workplace settings. Explore the extensive library today here on LawHub or anywhere you get podcasts.
Finally, Jim and Kyle both have the same advice: Don’t get stuck comparing your discovery journey to that of your fellow applicants or classmates. Each person’s path is their own. Whether you know immediately what field you want to go into or you change your mind every week, don’t be afraid to dream big, have backup plans, and follow your interests wherever they may lead.