Within the many different types of law are a nearly infinite number of legal niches. Developing a niche in the legal field will help you be seen by potential clients as an expert within your domain and makes it easier for you to market your business.
Samuel Dewey is an experienced lawyer with a specialization in congressional investigations and public policy. Here is his advice for how law students and new lawyers can find their legal niche.
You become an expert by repetition and commitment. This will only be a successful effort if you are focused on a topic that you are passionate about, that stimulates your intellectual curiosity time and time again.
Start by making a list of the potential legal niches you might be interested in. Then go out and get practical work experience in these fields through externships, internships, and entry-level positions.
Sampling different fields will allow you to narrow down what topics you’re drawn to intellectually, the types of clients you prefer to work with, and other important idiosyncrasies about yourself that will help you choose the best niche for you. Trial and error is the name of the game here: figuring out what you dislike is just as important as figuring out what you’re drawn to.
People generally excel when they find a balance between their skillset and the challenges they set out to conquer. What classes or assignments have you done well in? These may be clues to figuring out which legal niche would most utilize your best skills. Developing new transferrable hard skills, and seeing which of those you most gravitate towards, will diversify your options. Examples include learning how to create a complex spreadsheet, speak a new language, or perform basic data analytics.
Law has to keep up with societal changes, and that means new potential avenues to develop a legal niche within a growing field. Cybersecurity, labor, elder law, energy, intellectual property, and health are rapidly evolving fields that have the potential for specialists to dominate individual niches.
Technological advances in particular have kept the government and private sectors on their toes for some time now, arguably since a 19-year-old student managed to completely redefine the way intellectual property law was regarded on the internet when he released the music-sharing software, Napster.
Once you establish what niche you want to pursue, you will need to continue to gain experience and market yourself in a way that sets you apart from the competition. Attend events that are relevant to your chosen niche and present original material to connect with others. Actively engage with others on professional social media groups and regularly post relevant content.
When marketing your self online, share concrete results that are relevant to what your potential clients will be seeking. It is critical to stay on top of industry developments and trends, so make sure you read up regularly on relevant blogs and publications related to both your niche and your chosen industry as a whole.
If you are a law student or new lawyer, be sure to take Sam Dewey’s advice — your legal niche could follow you for the rest of your career.
Samuel Dewey is a successful lawyer and former Senior Counsel to the US House of Representatives Financial Services Committee and Chief Investigator and Counsel to the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. Mr. Dewey specializes in: (1) white-collar investigations, compliance, and litigation; (2) regulatory compliance and litigation; and (3) complex public policy matters. Within these fields, Mr. Dewey is considered an expert in Congressional investigations and attendant matters. Mr. Dewey has a BA in Political Science, a JD from Harvard, and is admitted to practice law in Washington, D.C., and Maryland.
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