The most demanded law specialties in 2013
Posted on avril 29, 2013 by Frank
As you already know, it is very expensive to study in order to become a lawyer. Some statistics say that an average law student in the United States will end up with a $100,000 debt when he finally gets out of school. What is worse than having high debts? Having high debts and being unemployed!
To live a happy life, you should not choose to specialize in a field of law simply because you have better chances to make a great living out of it. However, it is still very relevant for you to know about the main fields of law where there is a stronger demand: it could make you think about career opportunities that you had never thought of before.
Environmental law, a very promising sector
A lot of companies could be in trouble in a few years if they do not correct their poor ecological practices. Complying with new environmental laws and ethic trends is sometimes very hard for big corporate entities: this is where law advisors specialized in this field will be able to lend a hand. There are different disciplines in environmental law: you could specialize in waste management, water and air quality, climate change or even LEED practices. As more and more companies will try to obtain these green certifications, consultants will have a lot of work in front of them.
Bankruptcy law, growing as the economy crashes
While some sectors of the American economy are declining, other sectors are booming. It is particularly true for bankruptcy law, with so many individuals and companies unable to pay their debts in this hard situation. In opposition to popular beliefs, this practice is not only about making other people miserable: it is about knowing every aspect of business law and touching very different cases. You’ll have to have pretty good diplomatic abilities to work with your clients and to plead different motions to the court, but it can be very enjoyable.
Intellectual property law, necessary in a high-tech economy
As international economies are increasingly becoming intertwined, you could see a bigger amount of companies trying to steal intellectual property from others in order to become more competitive. We all know the problematic of counterfeit products, but intellectual property covers a much wider array of subjects. You could work on negotiating licensing deals, for example! You’ll need a pretty strong background on international trade law in order to specialize in that field and represent clients in front of the International Trade Commission, but you can be sure that this is a very promising field.
Civil law lawyers will still be demanded
Humans always seem to have a hard time getting along and this is not going to change in the next few years. Civil litigation is still a high-demand sector for many law firms. Once again, this field covers a very wide array of subjects. You could work on smaller cases such as defending landlords or tenants in housing conflicts. You could also specialize in personal injury law and help workers that got injured while working in unsafe work conditions. As you will see in Law school, civil litigation is a huge topic.
Mike Duhamel writes for FSD Law Group, a Montreal lawyer firm that works on an international level.