2022 looks to be a year of intense competition in the job market for lawyers as legal departments and law firms pivot from pandemic survival to long-term growth. These are 10 law specializations that are currently high in demand according to the St. Francis School of Law:
1. Litigation
The process of introducing, planning, and executing a lawsuit continues to be one of the most important legal practice areas.
2. Commercial law
Commercial law is growing due to an increase in new business developments and marketing disputes. There is also a growing need for experts in virtual currency law.
3. Intellectual property law
Demand for protection of copyrights and trademarks for musicians, writers, designers, and patents for inventors continues to grow as new technologies, like music and film streaming services, emerge.
4. Family law
Family and domestic issues like marriage, divorce, adoption, juvenile offenses, and child protection need attention at all times. These cases sometimes overlap with immigration and naturalization legal matters.
5. Immigration & naturalization law
As federal and state immigration policies continue to shift, there is enormous impact on families, economies, and the courts, and lawyers working in this area have been in high demand for some time.
6. Real estate law
The recent housing market and increased urban development have created many jobs for lawyers interested in this transactional and planning legal work.
7. Contract management
Contract managers oversee the process of creating, executing, terminating, and renewing contracts between parties.
8. Compliance
Compliance managers help their clients within the parameters of government guidelines that apply to that particular industry or practice. Because the regulations are complex and growing there is constant demand for lawyers to support policy and compliance programs.
9. Labor and employment
The regulations that govern relationships between employers and employees, including unions, contracts, wages, safety, benefits, and workers’ rights, are vast, and many, many lawyers and other professionals work in this area.
10. Corporate transactions
Also known as mergers and acquisitions, or M&A, this work navigates the buying and selling of companies and their assets