How to Choose the Right Specialization in Law
By Vaishnavi Shukla
Confused about choosing the right specialization in law? Check out some tips here.
One question that’s more important than choosing the right law school is “How to choose the right specialization in Law”? Every law student who is aiming to pursue master’s in law is confused in two or more specializations that they want to pursue. For eg. : Some might in their 2nd and 3rd year be sure they want to specialize in Business and Corporate Law (BCL) when they do their masters, however, by the time they reach 4th or 5th year, they start having an inclination towards Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Law or Criminal Law or both. What do you do then?
One problem that persists with all of us is we want to do everything in too little time. Now, someone having an interest in BCL, IPR, Criminal Law would be having sleepless nights to decide which specialization to finally go with? Well it’s not as difficult as it seems if you have streamlined your interests and are ready to recognize what is best for you.
Tips to prioritize and recognize your interest:
- List out your preferences
- Pan out colleges offering such specializations (India and abroad) and check for future prospects of this subject.
- Research about the benefits arising out of the selected specialization and the value addition to your skill set.
- Interact with people who have pursued such subjects and enquire about the career prospects and whether it is one dimensional or multi-dimensional? Will it be fruitful, or will you manage to secure a job in future?
- Once you have listed the pros and cons of the subject, try doing as many internships as you can in those areas, see the kind of work involved and whether you see yourself doing the same?
- Further, even after pursuing the internships, you feel that the confusion prevails then I’d strongly suggest working for a year in the specialized field and know the nitty gritties of it.
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This brings me to my own example, sharing my personal story here:
I finished Law school and by then I already had few offers from the places I had interned at and through opportunities that I tried from LinkedIn and Naukri.com. Then came WIPRO through college placement and I was offered to join as Legal Executive. It was indeed very exciting, but the dilemma was that I also wanted to pursue my LLM and for that reason I gave the AIAT (All India Admission Test) conducted by Symbiosis Law School, Pune and managed to be in their merit list. It was overwhelming, but I had to choose whether to take up a job or pursue LLM. I chose the former and cancelled my admission. I ended up having the most memorable time at WIPRO. I took care of manufacturing and hi-tech vertical in the legal team and handled agreements for HP, Intel, Kone, Apple, Schindler, 3M, Infosys etc. It was a great value addition to my profile, and I knew how a corporate environment works. My love for business law and corporate law grew. I gave the AIAT again, got into the 1st merit list, resigned from my job, served the notice period and the day the job ended, I was on a flight to Pune to join the institution as a merit student, yet again. It was exciting, but I was proud that this time I paid for my own education without borrowing anything from my parents. Some of you readers, might know how it feels.
When I started working at WIPRO, it gave me so much exposure to real life experiences of business and corporate law and how I can apply it practically. Once I had one year experience, LLM seemed the right thing to do. I wasn’t unsure of my decision nor my specialization. The classes were so informative and with my practical knowledge along with it, I was understanding everything with ease.
There is no straight jacket formula for what is right or what is wrong, it’s just that some things work for some people and some don’t. However, the aforementioned are some of the tried and tested methods which have given good clarity in realizing what your calling is. Test and try, don’t be afraid of failing and most importantly, take ownership even when you fail. Failure is the steppingstone to success rightfully and the person who is successful has failed the most and has learnt the most from it.
The tips are merely to simplify your confusion in choosing the right specialization. However, one thing is certain, once you try three things, you will know which one work’s best for you. Law school years are the most precious years, be inquisitive and learn as much as you can. Do internships not just to put it on your CV, but to improve your skill set. You can be doing 1 thing but be the best in that.
I would like to advise all the readers, always dream. If you don’t dream, how will you work for it? How will you achieve it? Hope this rings a bell.
About the Author:
I am Vaishnavi Shukla, a Corporate Attorney- India Head at Loyal Hospitality Pvt. Ltd, an exclusive franchisee of Empire group of hotels. I pursued law at the graduation level from Bangalore Institute of Legal Studies (BILS). Further, I did my LLM from Symbiosis Law School, Pune.
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