You’ve survived 1L year. The fog of confusion around basic legal concepts has lifted, and you’re no longer constantly terrified of being cold-called in class. But now you’re facing a different kind of pressure: everyone seems to expect you to know what kind of lawyer you want to be.
The truth? You don’t need to have it all figured out yet.
2L is the perfect time for strategic exploration rather than premature commitment. While some classmates are already networking exclusively in their chosen field, the smartest approach is to explore thoughtfully while keeping your options open. Here’s how to navigate practice area exploration without the panic.
The Specialization Myth: Why 2L Is About Exploration, Not Commitment
Many students feel pressure to specialize early, thinking it will give them a competitive edge. But here’s what career counselors won’t always tell you: most successful lawyers didn’t follow a straight line to their current practice. The legal market is dynamic, and the practice areas that excite you now may evolve dramatically by the time you’re mid-career.
The real goal of 2L year: Build a foundation of diverse experience and knowledge that will serve you regardless of where your career ultimately leads. This means taking classes across different areas, pursuing internships in various settings, and networking broadly rather than narrowly.
Consider this, corporate lawyers need to understand litigation risk, family lawyers often handle real estate transactions, and employment lawyers must grasp both federal and state regulatory frameworks. The most effective attorneys have broad knowledge bases that allow them to spot issues across practice areas and collaborate effectively with specialists.
Traditional Practice Areas: Understanding Your Options
Corporate and Business Law
Corporate law encompasses everything from mergers and acquisitions to securities compliance and corporate governance. It’s fast-paced, intellectually challenging, and often well-compensated, but it requires attention to detail and comfort with complex financial structures.
Good fit if you: enjoy problem-solving, have strong analytical skills, and are comfortable with high-pressure deadlines. Many corporate lawyers have business backgrounds or strong interests in finance and economics.
Litigation
Litigation involves representing clients in disputes, whether in courtrooms, arbitrations, or settlement negotiations. It ranges from complex commercial disputes to personal injury cases to white-collar criminal defense.
Good fit if you: enjoy research and writing, are comfortable with public speaking, and thrive on advocacy. Litigation requires strong critical thinking skills and the ability to craft compelling arguments from complex facts.
Public Interest Law
This broad category includes legal aid, public defender work, civil rights advocacy, and environmental law. It’s mission-driven work that directly serves communities, though it typically offers lower compensation than private practice.
Good fit if you: are motivated by social justice, comfortable with high caseloads, and passionate about specific causes. Many public interest lawyers find the work deeply rewarding despite financial challenges.
Government Practice
Government lawyers work at federal, state, and local levels, handling everything from regulatory compliance to criminal prosecution to policy development. It offers stability, good benefits, and the opportunity to serve the public interest.
Good fit if you: value work-life balance, are interested in policy, and want to contribute to public service. Government work often provides excellent training and diverse experience.
Emerging and Specialized Practice Areas
The legal landscape is constantly evolving, creating new opportunities that didn’t exist even a decade ago:
Technology and Privacy Law
With increasing digitization comes growing demand for lawyers who understand data privacy, cybersecurity, and technology regulation. This field combines legal expertise with technical knowledge.
Healthcare Law
An aging population and evolving healthcare regulations create ongoing demand for lawyers who understand healthcare compliance, medical malpractice, and health policy.
Environmental and Climate Law
Climate change and environmental protection create opportunities in renewable energy law, environmental compliance, and climate policy advocacy.
Immigration Law
Changing immigration policies and global migration patterns ensure continued demand for immigration lawyers across various settings.
How to Explore: Practical Strategies for 2Ls
Course Selection Strategy
Don’t just take classes that sound interesting—think strategically about building a diverse knowledge base. Take at least one class in each major area: contracts/business law, constitutional/civil rights, criminal law, and a specialized area that interests you.
Consider practical skills courses like trial advocacy, negotiation, or legal writing workshops. These skills transfer across practice areas and make you more marketable regardless of your ultimate specialization.
Clinical and Externship Opportunities
Nothing beats real-world experience for understanding what different types of legal work actually involve. Pursue clinics or externships in different areas during your 2L and 3L years.
Pro tip: Don’t just choose based on prestige or convenience. A semester in a small practice or legal aid clinic can teach you more about day-to-day legal work than a summer at a prestigious firm where you rarely see actual client interaction.
Informational Interviews and Networking
Reach out to lawyers in different practice areas for informational interviews. Ask specific questions about their daily work, career paths, and what they wish they’d known when starting out.
Join student organizations related to different practice areas, even if you’re not sure about your interest level. These organizations often host speakers and networking events that can provide valuable insights.
Summer Employment Strategy
Use your 2L summer strategically. If you worked in one area during 1L summer, consider exploring something different for 2L summer. This gives you two different perspectives and keeps your options open for 3L job searching.
The CEB Journeys in the Law Program: Your Career Exploration Resource
One often-overlooked resource for practice area exploration is CEB’s Journeys in the Law program, which offers invaluable insights into different legal career paths through the experiences of seasoned practitioners.
CEB’s Journeys in the Law features conversations with accomplished attorneys who share their career stories, challenges, and insights about their practice areas. This program, available through CEB’s continuing education platform, provides something textbooks and classroom discussions cannot: real-world perspectives from lawyers who have built successful careers across diverse practice areas. The complete Journey in the Law Series can be found in the Academic & Essential Skills Collection on CEB’s Learning Platform.
What makes this program particularly valuable for 2L students:
Real Career Stories: Rather than theoretical descriptions of practice areas, you hear directly from lawyers about their actual career journeys—including unexpected turns, challenges overcome, and what drew them to their current work.
Diverse Perspectives: The program features attorneys from various backgrounds and practice areas, giving you exposure to career paths you might not have considered or even known existed.
Practical Insights: Lawyers share practical advice about breaking into their fields, skills that proved most valuable, and what they wish they’d known earlier in their careers.
California Focus: For students planning to practice in California, these conversations provide state-specific insights about different practice areas and legal markets.
The program exemplifies CEB’s commitment to supporting legal professionals throughout their careers, from law school through senior practice. As part of the University of California system with over 75 years of service to the legal community, CEB understands that career development is an ongoing process that begins in law school.
How to use this resource effectively: Listen to conversations from different practice areas, even those you think don’t interest you. Take notes on what resonates and what concerns you about different paths. Use the insights to inform your course selection, networking efforts, and summer job search.
Red Flags: When Not to Specialize
Choosing Based on Salary Alone
While financial considerations are important, choosing a practice area solely based on starting salary often leads to career dissatisfaction. The highest-paying jobs often come with significant trade-offs in work-life balance, job security, or personal fulfillment.
Following Family or Social Pressure
Your parents’ expectations or your undergraduate social circle shouldn’t dictate your career path. You’re the one who will be practicing law for the next 30-40 years.
Avoiding Areas Because of Stereotypes
Don’t dismiss practice areas based on stereotypes or limited information. Tax law isn’t necessarily boring, family law isn’t always emotionally draining, and corporate law isn’t inherently soulless. Every practice area has diverse opportunities.
Specializing Too Quickly
Some students panic about being “behind” if they haven’t chosen a specialty by 2L year. But premature specialization can actually hurt your career prospects by limiting your options and preventing you from discovering areas that might be better fits.
Building Transferable Skills While Exploring
Regardless of which practice areas you ultimately explore, focus on developing skills that transfer across legal settings:
Research and Writing: Every lawyer needs to research legal issues and communicate findings clearly. Take advanced writing courses and seek feedback on your work.
Client Communication: Whether you’re working with individuals or corporations, the ability to explain complex legal concepts clearly is invaluable.
Project Management: Legal work involves managing multiple deadlines, clients, and cases simultaneously. Develop organizational systems early.
Business Development: Even public interest lawyers need to write grants and build relationships with funding sources. Understanding how to build and maintain professional relationships is crucial across all practice areas.
Making the Decision: When and How to Commit
The timeline: Most students don’t need to commit to a specific practice area until their 3L job search. Use 2L year for exploration and 3L year for focused networking and job searching.
Signs you’re ready to focus: You’ve explored multiple areas, have some practical experience, and have identified work that energizes rather than drains you. You understand the day-to-day reality of the work, not just the theoretical aspects.
Keep flexibility: Even when you do choose a practice area, maintain some flexibility. The legal market changes, and your interests may evolve. The skills and knowledge you build in one area often transfer to others.
Your Exploration Action Plan
This semester: Take one class outside your comfort zone. Conduct informational interviews with lawyers in different practice areas.
Next semester: Pursue a clinic or externship in an area you haven’t explored. Consider CEB’s Journeys in the Law program for additional career insights.
This summer: If possible, work in a different area than your 1L summer to gain diverse experience.
The legal profession offers incredible diversity of opportunity. Second year is your chance to explore this diversity thoughtfully and strategically. Don’t rush the process — your future career will benefit from the time you invest in exploration now.
Remember, the best lawyers aren’t necessarily those who knew their path from day one. They’re the ones who built strong foundations, remained curious about different areas of law, and were willing to evolve as opportunities emerged.
