Expert: Bryan Chant, Esq. - 8/14/2009

Question
Hi Bryan!  I tried to ask you a question yesterday but it didn't end up going through.  I am an undergraduate student currently in my third year of college.  I am unsure what kind of law I want to practice but I am wanting to get a headstart on figuring that out now so I can be prepared for law school and for my career afterward.  I am looking for suggestions as to what specializations are in higher demand and maybe some books that you would recommend I read just so I can educate myself as much as possible during this time.  I am planning on practicing in the Nashville area, whether that would determine what may be a more useful field I don't know.  I was also thinking that it may be beneficial to learn a certain language or study something else more in depth.  I am just looking for suggestions on what I should do with my time now to get ahead of the pack.  Thank you for your expertise!

Answer
Hi Rachel,

Thanks for all your questions.  I'll do my best to answer them.

There are so many different legal practice areas that it can be almost impossible to choose.  I generally recommend that lawyers combine their personal and professional interests.  For example, I always loved to learn about medicine and healthcare so I decided to practice in injury litigation.  I suggest that you take a look at the American Bar Association website to research legal practice areas.

Bilingual attorneys are highly marketable to both clients and prospective employers.  Choose a language that would be helpful in your community or practice area.  For example, it would probably make more sense to learn Spanish than German if you are going to serve individuals in the Nashville area.  

Patent prosecution and litigation jobs are always in high demand with the technology market.  If you are interested in these jobs, you should be working on a undergraduate degree in the "hard" sciences such as chemistry, physics, or engineering.

To prepare yourself for law school, I generally just recommend that people work as hard as possible to do well in their undergraduate program and on the LSATs.  Also, develop your professional and personal interests and social network.  These will be useful later.  

Good luck!