Speaker 1 (00:00): What type of law do you want to practice?
This is the most dreaded question by all law students since the beginning of time, because no,
most of us have no idea what type of law we want to practice one year into law school, but the
law firms do not care. They're going to ask you anyway. So we need to have a very well-reasoned
well-thought out answer to this question, which is exactly what we're going to go through in
today's video. How to answer the question, what type of law do you want to practice? Hey guys,
if you're new here, my name is Angela Vorpahl of angelavorpahl.com and the law school network on
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firm interview so that you can turn any awkward or formal interview into a great conversation.
Speaker 1 (01:04): So if you guys are ready to dive in,
be sure to smash that light button and let's go a few important things to know before we begin
crafting our answer to this question. And the biggest one is to understand why law firms are
asking this in the first place, because yes, they understand that the vast majority of law
students have no idea what type of law they want to practice. But they're going to ask you anyway,
not because they're trying to pigeonhole you, but because they want to see that you've given
this some thought and that you have at least a high level understanding of what the two
biggest practice group umbrellas actually do. So in order to understand more about what litigation
is versus what transactional law is, check out this video up here, but to give you guys
the down and dirty so that you can at least begin to sense of what group you fall into.
Speaker 1 (01:52): If you are into case law research, if you like
the idea of legal writing, either in the form of a memo or persuasive writing in the form of a brief,
if you enjoy the courtroom atmosphere, oral advocacy of any kind, then you are leaning
towards the litigation camp. If you are interested in helping a business run and operate, whether
that is through financing agreements or merger and acquisition agreements or tax agreements
or partnership agreements, then you are leaning more towards the transactional corporate law camp.
Okay? So now that hopefully you have an idea of which camp you are leaning further towards.
We can now begin to craft our answer to this question, to create our answer to this
question. We're going to use the broad, narrow broad format. And this format is
designed to make you the most attractive, most competitive candidate for this position.
Speaker 1 (02:47): So we are not looking to
pigeonhole you into any particular practice area, but we are looking to help them see where you
might fit and why. And so with that piece broad, we are going to say something along the lines of,
I'm not quite sure exactly what practice group I'm settled on yet, because I know there are
so many interesting ones out there. The next piece of the formula is narrow. So in this one,
we are going to give them a taste for where we are leaning so that they have an idea of the type of
practice area we're attracted to. And why, so you could say something along the lines of I'm
leaning towards a litigation practice because I'm interested in a practice area where case strategy
and oral advocacy play a big role, or I'm leaning towards a litigation practice because I'm
interested in a practice area where legal research and writing skills are in high demand, or I'm
leaning towards a transactional practice because I'm interested in a practice area where business
transactions and financing is a major focus. Speaker 1 (03:54):
So we are telling them which camp litigation or transactional we're leaning towards and giving
them a reason why a note about the narrow piece of the formula. If you have a particular practice
group that you would like to name either because of something in your background or research that
you've done, or somebody that you've talked to you can, by all means specifically name that
practice group. And you would add that on in the end and give the reason why you're interested in
that particular practice group. So an example of how that would look would be something along the
lines of I'm leaning towards a litigation practice because I'm interested in a practice group that
puts a lot of emphasis on case strategy and oral advocacy. In particular, I'm interested in patent
litigation because I've spoken with several patent attorneys. And my understanding is that patent
cases tend to go to trial much more quickly. Speaker 1 (04:47):
Another example of how this could look is I'm leaning towards a transactional practice
because I am most interested in helping businesses run more smoothly and more efficiently. And I'm
particularly interested in a tax practice because I have an accounting background and
I have spoken to several tax attorneys. And my understanding is that a tax practice is actually
very creative and very challenging because the tax code changes so frequently that the impact
of the regulations is something that is always changing and always needs to be evaluated.
And the third piece of the formula is broad again. So we just told them the type of practice group
we're leaning towards so that we show that we have given this some thought that we understand
what the two practice group umbrellas do, and that we're not, not being overly wishy-washy.
Now we want to go broad again, because we want to show that we're a team player that we understand
that the law firm may not have an opening in the practice group we just mentioned.
Speaker 1 (05:42): And so I would close out my answer by saying
something like, but I am so excited to continue learning about the different practice groups at
the firm, especially those where I can add the most value or that are growing the fastest. So
you're showing that by and large, you want to hit the running. You want to contribute in a positive
and significant way and that whatever they need, you are the perfect junior associate candidate
for that position. So bringing it all together and answers to the question, what type of law do
you want to practice could look like I'm still getting to know the different areas of the law,
because I know there are so many interesting practice groups out there that being said,
I'm leaning towards a more litigation focused practice group, because I'm really interested in
a practice group where strong, legal and research and writing skills are really valuable.
Speaker 1 (06:31): And also there's an emphasis on case strategy and
oral advocacy. And in particular, I'm interested in either employment law or patent law, because
I've heard there are a lot of moving parts to both of those practice groups and that they really keep
you on your toes. But I am so excited to continue to learn about the different practice areas at the
firm, particularly ones that need associate health and where I can really hit the ground running
and start creating value right away. So there you have it, a formula and a model answer for how to
go about answering this extremely popular law firm interview question. But before we end, I want to
give you guys three examples of how not to answer this question. So, number one is, don't say,
I don't know, 99.9% of all law students don't know what type of law they want to practice, but they
want to see that you can answer this question in a thoughtful and industry aware way.
Speaker 1 (07:24): Number two is don't just say
litigation period or transactional law period, and not give an answer or a reason why, again,
because that doesn't show a lot of preparation or a lot of thought that has gone into your answer.
And number three, make sure that the law firm actually practices the practice area that you
are going to say in your answer because no, not all law firms practice every type of law.
So regardless of whether you're going to go litigation or transactional or something more
specific, always, always, always look on the law firm, webpage, check out their practice groups
and make sure they actually practice the type of law that you are going to say. So there you have a
guys, I hope this video was helpful. Don't forget to grab your free copy of the best questions to
ask any law firm interview in the link below this video, which will help you turn any sort of formal
or stuffy interview into a great conversation, which is really the most effective type
of interview. So I hope this video gave you guys some great insights, go rock those interviews. Let
me know in the comments, how they turn out and have a great week. I'll see you next time.