Most attorneys specialize in a particular area of law. Your practice area choice will impact many aspects of your career including your first job out of law school and your numerous options down the road.
As you gain exposure to different courses, clinics and internships, your interests may grow and change during law school and beyond. However, it’s important to spend some time considering which practice areas will be a good fit for you, so you can think strategically about other career-related choices. This page will help you start your practice area research and feel more confident as you discover what interests you most.
Getting Started in Practice Area Research
Big Law practice areas are generally divided into the broad buckets of Corporate/Transactional (interchangeable terms), Litigation, and Regulatory. Each of these buckets have their own subspecialties (e.g., private equity, funds, white-collar litigation, general commercial litigation, antitrust, energy, international trade, etc.). There are also smaller buckets of practice such as tax, bankruptcy, labor & employment, real estate, and others. Sometimes these smaller buckets are stand-alone practices and sometimes they are a subset of the larger buckets. Each firm structures their practice areas in a different way, and it can be helpful to look at firms’ websites to see how they are organized.
- Before you dive into research, we encourage you to review our Self-Assessment page and watch 10 Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Choosing a Practice Area.
- Attend OCS’ Law Firm Kickoff Reception in late September which focuses on learning about the different Big Law practice areas.
Digging Deeper in Practice Area Research
After asking yourself these and other big picture questions, dig deeper into practice areas using:
- OCS Practice Area Podcasts offer short, practical interviews with HLS alums on common practice areas in Big Law.
- OCS Legal Market Information highlights differences in practice areas based on geography.
- Vault Practice Area Guides provide insight into the practice areas, potential career paths, top-ranked firms in each practice, and practice Q&A’s from attorneys at top-ranked firms. Create a Vault account for access to secure sections.
- Chambers Legal Practice Groups provides an overview of over 50 different practice areas.
- Informational Interviews with HLS alumni and other attorneys in your practice areas of interest provide valuable insights into the work and connections in the field.
- Hotshot’s learning tracks include short videos that show you the work you would be doing as an associate in a particular practice area .
Considering Exit Options
If you do not plan to spend your career at a Big Law firm, one consideration in choosing practice areas may be your ability to do the work outside of a large law firm or your “exit options.”
- Start with OCS’s guide to Researching Exit Options
- Watch the “Law Firm Attrition” video in the Student Training Videos section of Firm Prospects to learn to research where people go after their Big Law jobs.
- Browse the Beyond Big Law Podcast Series to learn about careers outside of and post-Big Law, including business, in-house legal departments, academia, and other firms of all sizes.
- Listen to OCS’s Practice Area Podcasts which typically include a question on common exit options for the practice area.
Closing Thoughts on Practice Area Research
- Clarify your goals before starting practice area research.
- Accept that you may not know your ideal practice area yet—and that this is normal.
- Identify which subjects, clients, or types of work interest you most and why.
- Use these interests to guide which employers, practice groups, and legal markets you research.
- Turn your research into clear, specific talking points for employers (e.g., “I’m leaning toward corporate because programs that I saw with corporate attorneys highlighted collaborative, business-growing work, which fits my business orientation.”).
- Invest time in practice area research and reflection now to increase your odds of long-term career satisfaction.
- Meet with an OCS adviser to refine your interests, target employers, and prepare how you’ll discuss your choices.
Additional Resources
- Browse the OCS Program Library for recordings from past programs.
- Find HLS faculty, clinics, and courses in HLS Area of Interest
- Find relevant student orgs, student journals, student practice organizations