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Last Updated: August 01, 2022

Types of Law Fields

Candidates who are taking a degree in law will find that specializing in any area in this field will be highly beneficial and necessary unless they are going for a general legal studies program. Most law schools will offer specializations from an undergraduate level and students will be able to practice within them during their initial internships before they apply for the same specialization at a master’s level.

Taking one specialization does not allow candidates to stick to only that one field of study since most fields overlap in the work field. Court cases rarely stay within one field of study and hence students will have to learn about other areas along with the nuances of their area of specialization. Most often, after taking a specialization, one will have to take a certification exam in the field of their choice to enter the work field.

Choosing a Specialization in Law

Choosing a specialization in law is mainly dependent on the kind of court cases one would like to eventually work on. But this does not imply that one will always have to deal with their vast area of specialization, they will also be able to focus on one of the areas under their field of specialization if they so wish to. For instance, a lawyer who has specialized in family law will be able to take up only divorce cases and not deal with juvenile offenses. But at the same time, certain divorce cases might require the handling of juvenile cases where they will have to take the necessary course of action.

While most specializations are offered at different universities, one will have to keenly go through the courses and subjects that the institution will deal with under the specialization. They will also have to consider the graduation and employment rates of the institution before applying for a specialization. One other factor to consider is the practical nature of the program they have chosen since practicing in the legal field during academic years can be highly beneficial for their future careers.

15 Recommended Law Fields

There are plenty of specializations offered in the field of law. A few of these are exceptionally popular in the career field since they can offer higher legal positions and salaries to the candidate. A few of the best specializations one can choose and their details are as follows-

Commercial Law

Commercial law is also known as business law and it deals mainly with the regulation of persons and businesses that deal with trade, sales, and commerce in general. This field of study is often confused with corporate law and candidates will be able to work on cases from both these fields in the practical world but essentially the former deals with mergers & acquisitions, the formation of a company, etc. Corporate law, on the other hand, deals with assets and aspects like the sale and distribution of the same.

While focusing on commercial law, candidates will have to learn about other fields of study based on the business their company or organization is dealing with. This can include environmental law, food & safety law, intellectual property law, etc. Candidates will eventually be able to learn about this second field of study after they have confirmed the organization they are working for.

Subjects under Commercial Law

Students who have taken up this field of study will be dealing with include-

Career Scope after Commercial Law

Candidates who have taken their specialization in commercial law will be dealing with career options that are dependent on the level of education they have completed in the field. A few of these include-

Family Law

Candidates who take up family law will be dealing with the issues in relationships between people in association with families. This will include marriages, divorces, juvenile crimes, adoption, child abuse, etc. and candidates will have the option of working on any single one of these issues eventually. Taking this field will allow candidates to work for firms and also work independently as soon as they have gained experience and credibility for practicing individually.

This field overlaps with fields like immigration and naturalization law, along with criminal law in certain cases. They will also be able to work for government agencies that deal with similar cases. Taking a specialization in this field will open up career options in every part of the country since most agencies are always hiring talents from this field. This field will also overlap with property disputes, stalking, domestic marriage laws, etc.

Subjects under Family Law

This field of study will require candidates to learn about various issues and laws dealing with the different aspects of a family. While institutions cover the most general and popular topics in this field, candidates can choose institutions that take up issues in the field they would like to work on. A few of the subjects that are dealt with in this topic include-

Career Scope after Family Law

People who have specialized in family law will be able to take up different kinds of legal professions like-

Intellectual Property Law

This field of study allows candidates to mostly work with scientists and artists along with companies that deal with similar persons for protecting their legal rights over intellectual property. This area will require them to deal with patent laws, copyright laws, and trademark laws. Most often, candidates will be working for agencies and organizations that deal with artists instead of the individual. It will be essential for candidates to learn about the kind of subject they are dealing with and hence those with a background in the sciences and humanities are preferred for this specialization.

Subjects under Intellectual Property Law

Candidates who have taken up intellectual property law will be dealing with different types of intellectual property that can range from scientific inventions to visual art. Each of these will have its takes of ownership and handling that the candidates will have to be familiar with. Candidates will therefore be learning about subjects like-

Career Scope after Intellectual Property Law

Candidates who have taken up intellectual property law will be able to be

Tax Law

This specialization is also known as revenue law and deals with ordeals of businesses and similar organizations concerning transactions, tax legislation, regulatory services, etc. Candidates who take up the field will be dealing with even disputes within similar setups especially when they stem from tax violations. The field will require candidates to deal with both civil and criminal cases depending on the scale of the crime committed. This specialization is one of the highly sought-after areas in the legal field and hence students will easily be able to land jobs if they excel.

Subjects under Tax Law

Candidates who take up tax law will be learning subjects like-

Career Scope after Tax Law

Studying this field will allow students to work either for individuals and organizations to help them reduce tax liabilities or they will be able to work for governmental organizations in ensuring that tax laws are being followed. A few of the career options include-

Immigration and Naturalization Law

This field of study deals with the people who have migrated to the US and those who wish to be naturalized in the country. Lawyers in the field will be focusing on the protection of the basic human rights of the persons involved. Candidates who take up this field will have to deal with cases emphatically considering and weighing different options at all times. They will also have to keep themselves updated based on the changing state, federal, and national laws relating to immigrants and citizenship.

Subjects under Immigration and Naturalization Law

Candidates who take up this field will be closely dealing with family law and sometimes even criminal and civil cases. A few of the subjects that they will have to learn include-

Career Scope after Immigration and Naturalization Law

This career field will involve working closely with families and people from other countries. The demand for lawyers specializing in this field has been quite high and is estimated to remain high in the coming years. A few of the career options one can pursue include-

Litigation

This field deals with resolving disputes between different parties within the court. But at the same time, the field does not only include the handling of the case within the court. It begins with the introduction of the dispute and the formation of the lawsuit. Candidates who take up this field will be dealing with almost all other specializations of law and hence it will require intensive study sessions to become a litigation lawyer.

The fields that one will have to deal with include family law, labor & employment law, intellectual property law, etc. It will be best for candidates to understand most other fields of study before delving into litigation.

Subjects under Litigation

A few of the subjects that one will have to deal with in litigation include-

Career Scope after Litigation

The career scope for people who have taken up litigation is quite high with the rise in job demand remaining consistent over the years. Candidates will be able to take up professions like-

Real Estate Law

This field focuses on the purchase and resale of properties irrespective of whether the property handling has been done by individuals or organizations. This will also include the usage, development, lease, and other aspects involved in real estate. Candidates who take up this field will be dealing with cases relating to the preservation of tenant rights and landlord disputes. They will be able to take up cases relating to any part of property handling and focus only on them until they are required to deal with other areas of the field as part of a case.

Subjects under Real Estate Law

Candidates who have taken up real estate law will be introduced to subjects like-

Career Scope after Real Estate Law

The career options in this field are vast since people will be dealing with all forms of property handling cases. It is also a high-paying career section under the law since the clients one will have to deal with especially when it comes to businesses and organizations will be paying high amounts as fees for case completion. They will be able to further specialize in one of the areas in real estate and solely work in that area. These areas include-

Labor and Employment

Candidates who take up this specialization will be dealing with all laws and regulations concerning employees, employers, and their relationships with each other. Once they have completed the specialization, they will be able to work for both public and private organizations. They will also be able to represent unions, businesses, job applicants, etc. They will be dealing with cases relating to overtime pay, salary increase, parental leave, compensation, etc. within this field.

This field will overlap with fields like immigration law, corporate law, healthcare law, etc. and candidates will occasionally have to delve into these other topics to strengthen their cases.

Subjects under Labor and Employment Law

Candidates will have to study a few of the following subjects and more while dealing with labor and employment law.

Career Scope after Labor and Employment Law

Labor and Employment law specialization will allow candidates to work with different organizations and businesses. A few of the employment options in this field include-

Criminal Law

Candidates who are dealing with criminal law will have a variety of cases to deal with and this field will always coincide with other specializations under law. All their academic and professional work will be focused on the fundamental legal rights of individuals and organizations. They will closely work with cases dealing with the liberties of individuals and citizens in the country.

Subjects under Criminal Law

A few of the subjects one will have to deal with include-

Career Scope after Criminal Law

There are two career options in this field that are mainly opted for by people who want to work in this very field of study. One of them will be representing individuals that have been accused of the crime involved and the other will be representing the victim from the state or federal government. These are-

Healthcare Law

This field of specialization deals with all matters of the healthcare industry and mainly serves to bring justice to healthcare service recipients. They will have to handle cases relating to abuse and fraud within the industry and in turn, the cases they deal with will have a profound impact on the rules and regulations being implemented in the healthcare industry. The health law will also deal with large-scale matters like health insurance, health maintenance, health risk assessment, etc. as part of the field.

Subjects under Healthcare Law

Candidates who take up healthcare law will have to learn about subjects like-

Career Scope after Healthcare Law

This field of study has seen consistent growth over the years with high demand for lawyers. Candidates will be able to be part of organizations that deal with legalities in healthcare or they will be able to eventually practice individually after gaining enough experience in the field. A few of the career options one can have in this field include-

Environmental Law

This field deals with public laws that have been made at transnational, federal, and state levels for the protection and upkeep of the environment and natural resources. Candidates who take up this field will be working for the government or non-profit organizations, and advocacy organizations. They will be able to study about and deal with different factors that deteriorate the quality of the environment and they can also be part of cases that promote environment-friendly ideas. The factors that they have to fight against include mining, deforestation, pollution, etc.

Subjects under Environmental Law

The subjects that one will have to learn as part of environmental law include-

Career Scope after Environmental Law

There is a projected growth of around 9% for environmental lawyers which implies that around 71,500 jobs will be available within this field by the year 2028. Candidates will be able to make use of this opportunity and pursue professions like-

Constitutional Law

This field of study deals with the enforcement and interpretation of constitutional laws. They will also be able to interpret and study existing constitutional laws to find those outdated laws in the system and amend them. This will include intensive study and drafting of laws that suit the current society and culture. Candidates who take this field will either be working in firms or independently.

Subjects under Constitutional Law

The subjects that one will have to learn as part of constitutional law include-

Career Scope after Constitutional Law

Most candidates who take up constitutional law end up researching in the field and becoming professors in the subject. But they will also be able to practice as paralegals or attorneys in the field.

International Law

International law is a field of study that deals with cases and other legalities between nations. They will be able to work both in the private and public sectors and will be dealing with other specializations under the law for the most part. Broadly speaking, they will be dealing with the relations of different nations, the relations of states and individuals, and even those between international organizations. They will be in charge of creating and working toward treaties, declarations, and agreements between nations also.

Subjects under International Law

A few of the subjects that one will have to learn within international law include-

Career Scope after International Law

Since international law is a broad field of study, candidates will be able to take up another specialization after they have completed this field to focus on one area within the law. But otherwise, candidates will have career options that deal with all international matters. A few of these career options include-

Animal Law

This law deals with all laws and regulations relating to non-human animals. The candidates who have chosen this field will mainly be handling the protection of such life forms and they will have to ensure that the laws made for them are being enforced properly. While the law deals with animals that have to be protected and conserved due to endangerment, more often candidates will be dealing with the abuse and treatment of animals within the entertainment industry, research fields, and even within the meat industry.

Subjects under Animal Law

Animal law is a field of study that overlaps with fields like constitutional law, property law, etc. The subjects that one will have to deal with in this field of study are-

Career Scope after Animal Law

Candidates in this field will be able to practice as-

Bankruptcy Law

Candidates who are taking up this field of study will be dealing with debtors and creditors in a financial setup. Most often, debtors will file for bankruptcy to be exempt from paying the creditor back, and in such cases, they will have to seek a bankruptcy lawyer. Candidates in this field will have to be good with numbers and finance since they will be dealing with a lot of financial statements and other financial data that can be procured.

Subjects under Bankruptcy Law

Candidates who have taken up bankruptcy law will be able to further learn about other fields of study to perform as a good lawyer within the field. A few of the other fields they will have to focus on include-

Career Scope after Bankruptcy Law

A few of the career options one can pursue in this field include-

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