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Where lawyers actually specialize

• Litigation

  Suing and defending. Less courtroom and more written motions than films suggest.

• Corporate and transactional

  Deals, contracts and companies. The best paid corner of private practice.

• Criminal, prosecution or defense

  The fastest route to actual courtroom time, and the lowest pay early on.

• Family, immigration and housing

  Where most ordinary people meet a lawyer. Emotionally heavy, often underpaid, always needed.

• Intellectual property

  Patent work requires a science or engineering degree on top, and it pays for it.