With so many different types of law — what should you study?
Before you start studying law, you should have a plan on where you want to go. Law school can be rather expensive so you need to learn the areas of law practice and which one might fit you best.
Don’t only think about how much money you can make in each field. You should also consider which areas of law are of the most interest to you.
Continue reading this article to learn the types of law practices so you can choose the ones that work best for you.
Types of Law – Choose the One that Works for You.
Whether you want to open a practice like Heard Law Firm or another respectable firm, you need to understand the different types of law you can practice. We will show you some of the most popular areas of law practice now.
- Banking & Finance Law
- Corporate Law
- Commercial Law
- Criminal Law
- Media Law
- Public Law
- Family Law
Depending on the area of practice you choose, your day-to-day activities are likely to look very different. Yes, you’ll still be practicing law but as you can imagine, you’ll be focused on different things working in corporate law vs. spending your days in family court.
Deciding Which Area of Practice Is Right for You
You should know that there are other areas of practice but we’re going to focus on the areas we spoke mentioned above. If none of these areas work for you, you can investigate other areas of practice.
Banking & Finance Law
When you’re a banking and finance lawyer, you’re focused on loan transactions primarily. If you love numbers then this could be a good option for you.
You may advise on simple bank loans or you may have to navigate complicated financial arrangements that span across more than one jurisdiction. Not only would you have to think about the law but you’d have to think about how each transaction would affect the business you’re working with.
Corporate Law
There’s a lot of money in corporate law since these companies have deep pockets. You’ll advise on their formation, what transactions they’re allowed to make and more.
If companies get into trouble, you’ll have to help them navigate their legal problems. You’ll look at the rights and duties of the company in regards to shareholders, creditors, and directors.
When you work in this field of law, you’ll likely be working long hours in a fast-paced and unforgiving environment.
Commercial Law
Working in commercial law means you’ll be dealing with problems that have to do with running a business. You’ll mainly deal with tort and contract law.
Some of the clients you’ll work with are governments, banks, large businesses, and insurance companies.
You’ll have plenty of work if you’re in commercial law since it directly relates to the economy. Commercial law governs businesses and makes sure they are doing what’s right as they operate.
Criminal Law
You’ve probably seen your fair share of crime shows like Law & Order and CSI. Criminal law has to do with crime and punishment.
If you’re on the prosecution side of criminal law you aren’t likely to earn as much money as you will earn on the defense side of things. Some people want to work putting people behind bars and other people would rather work keeping people from going behind bars.
As you’re looking at the responsibilities of a criminal lawyer, you’ll have opposite goals depending on which side you’re on.
If you’re the prosecutor, your goal is to make the jury see that the person is guilty without reasonable doubt. If you’re the defense then you need to put reasonable doubt in the mind of the jury.
Media Law
When you work in media law, you’ll work in an area that regulates IT, telecommunication, advertising, broadcasting, and similar areas.
You’ll be helping determine what’s allowed to be published and broadcasted around the country. You won’t only work on intellectual property law, you’ll also deal with censorship and tort of defamation.
This type of law might sound glamorous but it’s just as much work as other areas of law.
Public Law
Practicing public law means working in constitutional law, tax law and other similar areas of practice. If the state does something to an individual, they are able to challenge the actions of the state and that is where you come into play.
Family Law
Family law has gone through a lot of changes and is a very busy area of practice. Family law includes marriage, divorce, child law, and other similar things.
If you get into family law at this point in time, you’ll be in the middle of many changing laws as there are cases regarding the structure of a family, gender and morality. There will be many long hours working on these cases since they are very complicated.
If you want to have a part in making big changes in law then family law might be the best choice for you at this point in time.
Learn More About Law
Now that you know about the types of law, why not continue learning about the law so you can decide what the best course of action for your education is? We have many articles that will give you a behind the scenes view of the world of law.
Navigate our site, find your favorite section, drop a bookmark and come back for more great reads.
