When I first decided to go to law school, there were a few areas of law that interested me, but of course, people would always ask “What type of law do you want to go into?”. And the more I got asked that question, the more I thought about it and how there are so many different types of law to go into. Eventually, I realized it would be impossible to be an expert in multiple types of law and I would have to narrow down what I want to do. Most students have this conflict with finding what type of law they want to practice, and this post will be about sharing my experience and how I found what I want to do with my law degree. 

When I first came to Widener, I thought that I would be super interested in contracts, property law, and family law. However, when I took contracts and property law my first semester, I realized that I didn’t want anything to do with either of those areas. I felt lost and had a hard time trying to figure out what to do after my initial plans were foiled. During my second semester, I took criminal law, and that is where I had a new passion emerge. I finally found a class where I felt completely engaged and felt like I knew what was going on. After taking that class, I thought I should give the criminal law area a more thorough examination and open up my possibilities for post-graduation employment. 

That semester, at the last second I decided to apply for an externship with the Bucks County District Attorney’s office. I was nervous and felt under-qualified but I was so intrigued after that criminal law class I felt confident enough to give it a try. That summer at the district attorney’s office turned out to be one of my best summer jobs ever. I remember even after week two I was already telling people how I definitely found what I want to do and that I could confidently say I knew what I would do with my law degree. Getting to work on researching case law for real-life cases and getting to watch full jury trials was an amazing experience and confirmed in me that no matter what, I wanted to become a litigator in criminal law. 

Over my 2L year, I took more criminal law-focused classes and some torts classes that would get me some litigation background. I loved those classes and they helped me continue to ignite my passion. Picking classes focused on what you want to practice is so important. It helps you learn about what you want to do and if you pick things related to your area, you can get some experience in other areas with skills that transfer over. However, I still recognized the importance of branching out and still took classes for things that I thought could be areas I would be good at like Family Law and Environmental Law. Every class you take in law school, even if it is unrelated to what you want to do, will still teach you valuable skills that transpose to what you enjoy so there was no value lost there. 

During my 2L summer, I came back to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and found myself feeling the same feeling I felt that first summer. Working in the criminal justice system is thrilling work that you can feel good about. You can see yourself making a difference and you can directly use your skills as a lawyer litigating in court. During my 2L summer, I got my certified legal intern papers so I could argue in court under the supervision of one of the DAs and I have been doing preliminary hearings against real defense attorneys. It’s a low bar to meet for the threshold to get a case held but it is a thrilling experience and I couldn’t be any happier. 

The point I tried to make in this blog by sharing my experience is that you may not know what you want to do with your law degree, but as long as you are comfortable branching out and trying new things, you will eventually hit that niche subject that sticks with you. Mine was criminal law and I know for a fact, there is nothing else I would rather do. Getting internships in the areas that interest you is vital. For me, it confirmed what I want to do, and for others, it confirms that they do not want anything to do with certain areas. Law school is intimidating and finding out what you want to do is difficult. This strategy worked for me and I’m sure it could benefit anyone considering law school. Good luck and I hope you enjoyed my story!