Before going to law school, it’s expected for law schools to accept how confused you are when it comes to the specific field of law you want to practice. That’s why it’s a good idea to do your own research before applying and attending classes to become a lawyer.
It can be quite difficult to do something knowing you’re unsure what you want to do. Having background knowledge of the different branches of law practice can help you expedite your application and make your law school run easy on you.
To guide you before diving deeper into the study of law and subsequently practicing as a professional, here’s a list of careers in law you can pursue:
1. Maritime Law
Maritime or admiralty law practitioners keep watch of economic transactions and property disputes that involve marine trade, legal navigation of waters, sailors, and some specific activities based on land.
But be reminded that practicing maritime law doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be dealing with the Law of the Sea, which is practiced in the realm of international public law that deals with navigational rights, rights to resources, and territorial water jurisdiction of nations.
2. Bankruptcy Law
The law of bankruptcy in the United States applies to liquidity issues concerning individuals and organizations operating within U.S. territory. This branch of law is based on the Constitution of the U.S. and is under Federal Law. Laws that vary by the state also applies in bankruptcy law.
Practicing this specific branch of law would require one to be knowledgeable in the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
3. Personal Injury Law
Personal injury law practitioners work with wrongdoings that affect an individual’s physical and mental abilities, whether intentional or not. Field experts in personal injury law have adequate knowledge of torts law and work with cases involving workplace injury, wrongful death, product liability, vehicular accidents, and malpractices in the field of medicine.
A common thing among cases of personal injury is that most of them are settled outside the court of law.
4. Corporate Law
Lawyers that represent businesses big and small are involved in the formulation, dissolution, and other legal aspects relevant to the legal administration of corporations. Business lawyers are typically found working in mergers, acquisitions, disputes, liability, and corporate reorganization.
They’re typically called in-house counselors when they only work for a single corporation.
5. Civil Rights Law
If governmental institutions or other governmental entities come into a legal battle with one or more individuals, civil rights lawyers work on both sides. Their cases involve unfair practices, discrimination, and suppression of liberties that affect one or more individuals’ rightful access to education, housing, employment, and freedom of expression.
6. Criminal Law
Working under the auspices of the criminal code, criminal lawyers focus on representing individuals or groups of individuals when they commit illegal acts or when those are committed against them. They can be prosecutors or defense professionals, depending on preference.
They commonly deal with cases that infringe upon responsibilities, individual liberty, and basic rights.
7. Entertainment Law
This branch of law is mostly related to Intellectual Property Law but is more focused on cases involving rights and royalties in the arts, cinema, athletics, television, and music. They typically represent talents when it comes to contract and property transactions.
Entertainment law is today’s most disrupted branch of law due to innovations in information technology and social media.
8. Environmental Law
Environmental lawyers deal with legal issues concerning regulations, treaties, conventions, and statutes based on transnational, federal, or state law. Practitioners in the realm of environmental law may be seen representing individuals, advocacy organizations, and government agencies.
Legal concerns can be surrounding the management of natural resources, pollution, and land and littoral disputes. These days, some aspects of public health are also becoming more common in environmental law.
9. Family Law
Family lawyers concentrate on legal relationships between individuals with family as the main context. They typically work in small law firms and work in various family law areas, such as divorce, adoption, and child welfare.
Other aspects of family law practice also involve marriages, domestic partnerships, civil unions, legitimacy, and child abuse.
10. Health Law
Attorneys specializing in health law may represent individuals or groups of health professionals, insurance companies, clinics, and patients. They also work with government entities to oversee the creation, implementation, and subsequent enforcement of public health policies.
Law, as a profession, contains a high number of specializations. That’s why you’ll be able to meet some lawyers who practice more than one branch of the law.
