Which legal practice areas will suit you best?
Whatever your interests, there’s probably an area of practice to suit them. Graduate recruiters will expect you to be aware of the range of work their law firm undertakes and the clients they advise – you’ll need to show evidence of this awareness during the training contract or vacation scheme application process. However, they won’t expect aspiring trainees to have chosen a definite area of specialisation at this stage – the point of a solicitor's training contract is to introduce different practice areas to help you realise where your strengths and skills lie. In fact, in appearing rigid in your choice of specialisation at this stage you may be doing yourself a disservice.
Analyse your strengths as a lawyer
Think carefully about where your strengths lie. Some areas of practice are legislation-heavy: tax lawyers must get their heads around lengthy finance documents with each new budget announced by the chancellor; environmental lawyers need to be able to cope with ever-changing legislation from Europe. Other areas, such as family law, are often more about common sense and practical application of a narrow set of principles than constantly emerging legislation from Westminster or Brussels.
How are legal areas of work affected by recession?
Economic cycles can affect the buoyancy of many practice areas. It’s important to consider whether you would suit areas that are cyclical and less predictable (eg corporate and real estate), or whether you like the consistency of more recession-proof work (eg employment and family).
Research your law career options
Scroll through the solicitors' areas of practice to find out more about what goes on in different areas of work, and the kinds of skills you'll need.