You have made the very difficult but rewarding decision to pursue a career in law. Now comes the harder part! Which area of law should you specialize in? With literally dozens of options to choose from, it is easy for someone just entering law school to get boggled. It is best if you can choose a specific area of law as your specialty quickly so you can focus on it and build your expertise.
Despite the several dozen specific specializations you can choose from, you actually have to make up your mind about only a few major areas that contain many specializations within them. These major areas of law that are most popular and challenging include bankruptcy, employment, healthcare, insurance, and labor law. Bankruptcy law students need to familiarize themselves with the eligibility requirements necessary to file for certain types of bankruptcy protection and the particular protections granted under each type. They will also need to learn about the specific rights of debtors and creditors. Employment law essentially deals with the relationship between employees and the employers that they work for.
Lawyers in this diverse field need to know the law with respect to hiring, wrongful terminations, and the restrictions of employees when they move on to other employers. The health care industry has moved its focus onto managed health care, making the area of health care law increasingly complex in the recent years. Health care law students will need to fully understand all laws pertaining to private and public health insurance. Lawyers in this growing field must also be able to handle potential malpractice issues and help organizations to make a smooth and legally compliant shift to managed care.
Insurance law involves the interpretation and enforcement of property, liability, and life insurance policies. The emphasis for lawyers in this field generally centers upon the function of insurance in civil litigation matters and their effects upon public policy. Labor law has been fairly static in the recent past, but this field is expected to grow in the coming years. The expected growth is related to the changing management policies and techniques used by international corporations. A lawyer in this field needs to be familiar with the laws regarding collective bargaining, union organization and the obligations of a union to its members.
As society continues to become increasingly complex, so will the laws that govern it and therefore, the legal community. The specialization areas listed above are some of the hotter options in the legal profession yet describe only a fraction of the areas of law to consider. So, before you choose an area of specialization, you must do your homework and even talk to some lawyers in that field to figure out whether or not you are really interested in that line of work. This can help you avoid wasting a lot of money, time and effort and money pursuing a dream that was never yours to begin with.
David Neehly is an independent Education writer for "Colleges FAQ" Visit there today for the latest College updates. To read more interesting College articles go to: http://CollegesFAQ.com/articles