If you are still wondering what field of law is best for you to practice, take a look at our list of 10 best fields of law to practice.
Defining “best field of law” is a very tricky task since every field of law has its importance and purpose and it would be unfair putting one field over the other. Although this specific issue is not measurable the questions about most lucrative law practices and highest paying law fields are more common. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, median annual salary for lawyers, in general, is around $118.160. The lowest 10% in this profession earn around $56,910 and those in the top 10% earn even more than $208,000. If you want to know more about types of lawyers that make the most money, you should definitely take a look at the list of types of lawyers that make the most money. Although a lot of lawyers specialize in criminal law, there are many other fields of law which can earn you good money. In any case, if law career is in your mind, you should focus on getting proper education including specialization if you are committed to building your career in the specific field of law. Also, there are lawyers who never enter the courtroom but focus their expertise to research, drafting and advising.
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Although law schools do not ask for you to know which field of law you want to practice when you graduate, it is always a plus to have something in mind when it comes to your future career. While some will focus on earning “big” money and working within the field of corporate law, others will focus on doing what they like even if it means having a lower salary. Also, certain fields require more work, personal involvement and working hours but it is up to you to make your choice. We’ve compiled a very interesting list of easiest and highest paying fields of law which might be of interest to you. However, sometimes your job opportunities will depend on types of lawyers in demand and most in-demand law fields, at least at the beginning of your career. Growing legal practice areas in 2017 and 2018 are intellectual property law, labor and employment law, environmental law and bankruptcy law, among others. In the end, “best field of law” will depend solely on your personal interests.
In order to compile this list of 10 best fields of law to practice, I firstly consulted Brown University website to check their list of major law fields in order to have a starting point for further research. Then, I checked JDJournal article dealing with in-demand fields for 2018. Quora thread on the area of specialization for young lawyers was also very helpful. In order to have a coherent ranking of these fields of law, 10 best fields of law are ranked according to the median annual wage. Fields in which you can earn more money are ranked higher on the list. However, take in mind that lawyers also need to make their way up in order to earn good money, meaning that beginning salary might significantly vary compared to the numbers we provided on this list. Let’s take a look.
10. Family Law
Median annual salary: $69.499
We start our list of best fields of law to practice with family law, that is a field of law concerned with family relationships such as divorce, child custody, adoption, child support, etc. Most family lawyers are invited in case of divorce and their job is to help make settlement plan in order to avoid trial. This usually involves division of material property and proposing a plan for child custody. Having in mind that divorce rates are on the increase, family lawyers will definitely have a lot of job to do. Also, family lawyers are called in case couples want to sign a prenuptial agreement (prenup contract can vary depending on the persons signing it, but it is usually signed to protect the property each person owns in case of divorce).
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