, take the best offer and sign up with a particular firm without considering what practice area they will serve.
, and the process attorneys go through to choose a practice area makes little sense in a lot of ways. Consequently, it is not surprising that we receive many calls from lawyers seeking to switch their practice areas on a daily basis.
Although switching practice areas is difficult, it is possible.
It is important to remember that switching practice areas is not an easy decision. It is more important to practice work that suits your skills and interests than anything else
Furthermore, switching firms to join a new practice area may not always be the best choice. A law firm may allow you to switch practices within its confines, for example. Legal recruiters should not be enlisted if this is possible.
In essence, it will take a lot of effort on several fronts to change legal practice areas successfully. The process will also take time, so it is important not to rush it. The transition to your new area of legal practice may take 1-2 years.
1. Study
You will have to start all over in law if you switch practice areas. Prepare yourself for studying! Examine current cases, regulations, and case law for family law for 30 minutes a day. In the morning, look up cases on our Supreme Court website and keep yourself up to date on the current affairs.
2. Find a Mentor
Besides regular study,
finding a mentor is one of the most important tips for changing practice areas successfully.
There is no price you can put on that. You
do not just need a mentor who will teach you the practice of law, but also the business of it. Therefore, you need help with the business aspect of practicing in a variety of different fields, and finding someone who can guide you in this regard is extremely important.
To find a mentor, look for people who have made themselves known as leaders in your new practice area community and start a conversation with them.
"Is it okay to speak to you about this case?" is an example of how it can be done. Would you be able to speak with me about this challenge I am having with this judge? Do you see the same thing? Is it just that I am new? Over time, those relationships grow.
3. Write
Explaining something to someone else is the best way to understand it. Write about what you learn instead of just reading. As soon as you are ready, post what you have learned on your website. By doing so, you can communicate that you now practice in your new field.
4. Network with Others in Your New Practice Area
It can be invaluable for you to meet others who practice in your new area in order to learn more about who you will be interacting with. Discover the nuances of judges in your area, opposing counsels, and more.
Attend bar events in practice areas. Make contact with others who practice in your new area of practice in your jurisdiction. You can also plan your own event!
5. Do CLEs Targeted for Your New Practice Area
You should also investigate quality CLEs as an additional means of honing your expertise in your new area of law beyond your study of case law. In any case, you must satisfy your CLE requirements, so why not also become proficient in the new area you want to learn!
6. Use Google Alerts
Keeping up with the latest developments in your new area of practice? If your area of practice is covered by Google results, set up an alert for new results. The notification frequency and the sites from which you will receive the notifications can both be customized so it's possible to follow as many or as few as you want.
7. Learn the Business Side of Things
When you learn a new practice area, you will need to learn more than just the law. It's important to become familiar with the business side of things too and to seek out mentorship if necessary.
Billing in disability law cases differs quite a bit from billing in family law cases, for example.
8. Establish a New Network
If you are moving into a new field of practice, it is recommended you think about those connections that are one or two steps away from the clients you want. Connect with these individuals. Using disability law as an example, these would-be doctors. In family law, this could be a therapist. Keeping in touch with people in these roles, attending networking events for these groups, and making it known that you practice in a relevant area of law will help you earn referrals in the future.
9. Do Not Forget Your Old Network
Keeping and building your existing network is still very important, despite the need to build a new one. If you are doing anything different, they must know about it. When you don't practice in a particular area of law, it is likely someone from your old network will hire someone else to represent you.
It's important to note that if you become a "hybrid", your old network will become of even greater importance.
10. Create structure
For attorneys switching practice areas in tough times, this tip is particularly useful. A structure will keep you on track and keep you sane as you switch practice areas.
Every Sunday, you must create a "brain dump" from which you can generate your weekly action plan. Ensure that items on the list get you towards those goals, and complete as much as possible during the week by examining the future plans.
What Is The Best Type Of Law To Practice?
The best type of law to practice currently is as follows:
1. Family Law:
Family Law experienced the highest growth rate in alimony and spousal support issues during the quarantine period, even if clients' interest in divorce grew during the period. Only in August 2020, alimony legal inquiries increased 49x year-over-year (YoY).
2. Consumer Law:
There was a sudden and massive increase in searches for consumer fraud protection lawyers beginning towards the end of June from prior year trends.
3. Insurance:
There is no doubt that insurance companies have been overwhelmed with loss claims this year and denied many of them. People facing denial of their insurance claims are increasingly seeking legal help to file insurance bad faith claims.
4. Criminal Law:
Criminal offenses saw huge growth this year, with DUIs, DWIs, and drug possession offenses topping the list with 32x increases over last year. In addition to domestic violence, rape and sexual assault saw alarming increases in clients.
5. Civil Rights:
2020 marked the start of protests across the country against police brutality led by Black Lives Matter. In June, July, and August, client growth increased 14x year over year.
6. Personal Injury:
In contrast to past years, there were significantly fewer drivers on the road in much of 2020. The number of car accident claims was lower than normal, but the number of commercial 18-wheeler accidents increased significantly. Legal queries related to wrongful death also increased significantly.
7. Estate Planning:
A major concern for many Americans has been estate planning since COVID-19. Accordingly, attorneys handling wills and trusts inquiries increased by over four times from the same period in the past. Similarly, inquiries about probate have increased nearly twofold.
8. Bankruptcy:
In the wake of the pandemic, non-essential businesses were forced to remain closed for most of 2020. As a result, Chapter 7 business bankruptcy inquiries increased 6x over last year.
9. Employment Law:
Attempts by employers to cut costs in order to avoid ranking #8 on this list resulted in historic highs in unemployment rates during 2020. As a result, wrongful termination lawyers became an attractive option for many Americans in order to negotiate a severance package or challenge the grounds for termination.
10. Business Law:
In addition to causing business owners to re-negotiate or re-arrange their business contracts, COVID-19 also forced many companies to review their existing customer or supplier relationships.
