Career Strategy

Practice Specialty Expo

Each March, Career Strategy presents its annual "Practice Specialty Expo" at Villanova Law in the Cafeteria.

What is the "Practice Specialty Expo?"

An educational and networking fair, Practice Specialty Expo gives students the chance to talk informally with a roomful of attorneys representing dozens of practice specialties. Attorneys from private practice and public interest are stationed at designated specialty tables and talk informally with students about the realities, potentials, and challenges of law practice in their particular field.

Who should attend?

Any student interested in learning more about what lawyers actually do, what the industry trends seem to be, and what sorts of people fit well in those practice areas.

Why attend?

Because the practice of law is an increasingly complex and diverse profession. The most successful lawyers today use their broad-based legal education to develop expertise in one or more legal specialties that serve their desired client population and/or industry. Being both flexible and focused is critical to a lawyer's ability to adapt to changing market trends, economic realities, and individual professional goals. As a law student, you needn't declare a major necessarily, but for maximum success you must be able to demonstrate to employers that you're in tune with yourself, your market, and the legal industry you're about to enter.

How diverse is the practice of law?

Just to give you a sense, NALP's Official Guide To Legal Specialties: An Insider's Guide To Every Major Practice Area identifies the following 30 major practice areas (and many more sub-specialties):

• Admiralty & Maritime
   
• Antitrust
   
• Appellate Practice
   
• Banking & Commercial Finance
   
• Bankruptcy
   
• Civil Litigation
   
• Corporate Practice
   
• Criminal Law
   
• Entertainment/Sports Law
   
• Environmental/Land Use
   
• Family Law
   
• Government Contracts
   
• Government Agency/Regulatory
   
• Health Care
   
• Immigration
   
• Insurance
   
• Intellectual Property
   
• International
   
• Labor/Employment
   
• Legislative/Policy
   
• Military/JAG
   
• Municipal Finance
   
• Public Interest/Public Service
   
• Real Estate
   
• Securities
   
• Solo/Small Firm
   
• Tax/ERISA
   
• Telecommunications
   
• Tort/Personal Injury
   
• Property
   
• Trusts & Estates

Do you know what lawyers in these fields do? Where they work? What their training is? Whether you'd like doing what they do? If you're like the vast majority of law students (and many junior attorneys), the answer is probably no! However, to market yourself effectively to employers and to find a good fit for you, you should start learning the industry that you will soon join (i.e., the legal industry) and begin to identify places in the industry where you can use your talents and aptitudes to their fullest potential!

How can you learn more? You can start by attending Practice Specialty Expo, in March. Ask lawyers in the field about what they do, how they do it, and what they like most about it!

Any questions, please contact:

Carolyn Shaud, Esq.
Director of Recruitment
Telephone: 610-519-7032
Email: cshaud@law.villanova.edu

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