A path to a legal career is not easy. It entails long years of study and considerable sacrifice. It is an expensive journey, which, for many, requires a heavy amount of loans that will follow them for at least a decade, if not more. In light of this, one would think that a lawyer should know a lot about the different areas of practice in the profession and should have a significant say in selecting the best one for him. Sadly, that is rarely the case.
The reality is that the type of law that one ends up practicing is often as random as where a roulette wheel may stop. Summer associates (do you remember them?) may receive some exposure during their clerkships to different areas, but if they receive an offer of employment, it often provides few options, as they frequently are placed in a department of need. Options are even more limited for those who have to scramble to find a job after graduation. Due to economic necessity, they frequently will take whatever can be found. This includes the growing number of new practitioners who are opting to start their own firms due to sheer economic necessity; for them, there may be little choice at all but to do the type of work that comes in the door due to their need to pay bills.
