Becoming a Specialist Lawyer

Specialization is a critical part of a lawyer’s career progression.

It enables lawyers to become indispensable in a competitive market. The challenge for you the associate is navigating yourself into the position of indispensable expert. 

An industry full of high achievers doesn’t stand still. Figuring out how you fit into its future takes an appreciation for the direction it’s moved in over the past few decades as a clue to where it’s going. As our world has become more complex, law firms have found growth in diversifying their practices, shifting from being generalist business lawyers to creating distinct markets around a specific financial product or a single substance like cannabis. To market yourself effectively as an associate means knowing the market you’ll add value to the most so you can continue to progress in your long term career.

‘If you can figure out how to offer the industry the best version of yourself, the reward will come.’

But specialization isn’t just about marketability – it’s intimately tied to career satisfaction. Every lawyer finds a subject they care about enough to endure those long hours or, better yet, barely notice them.

The Path to Specialization

You’ll have ambitions for sure. But for the moment, put on hold the lure of prestigious titles and big salaries. If you can figure out how to offer the industry the best version of yourself, the reward will come. The journey to specialization is one of self-discovery, beginning with your firm rotating you through corporate, litigation, IP and many more practices to expose you to the development opportunities they offer. For you, this is an opportunity to learn what you want and how you might get it. Here are some pointers on how to navigate the process of becoming a specialist. 

Work out what excites you

As you rotate around departments and client engagements, you’ll get a sense of all the variables in attorney life. You’ll learn about the team structures that allow you to shine. You’ll learn the limits of your attention span – whether drawn-out mega-projects or completing smaller tasks in quick succession works better for you. You’ll learn if there are practice areas or industries that bore you and others you can’t get enough of. For an associate, finding more interesting work is among the strongest drivers in a lateral move. And your thinking will become detailed: you might learn that you have a preference for startups over more mature companies. You’ll learn about your appetite for responsibility or risk. You’ll figure out if your technical and analytical skills are your best asset, or whether it’s your flair for expressing yourself persuasively. And perhaps most importantly, you’ll learn about the characters you work with best – culture is critical. In fact, cultural clash is one of the biggest factors in lateral moves not working out.

Pick your moment to make the shift

There will come a time when you feel you’ve hit that level of broad capability. In parallel with this early growth phase, what frustrates a lot of junior associates is the lack of autonomy over their lives and careers. Every firm has its own take on how they empower and develop lawyers. For instance, the nature of the clients and the way firms win work and remunerate – lockstep, eat-what-you-kill – trickles down into how much freedom the firm will grant you to define yourself. Consider the power you have, for example, around work assignments or hybrid schedules. After a while, associates just feel a need for change, but that should come with some confidence in being professionally ready for it. 

Think like a GC

A career in law is really a career in business. That realization comes after the first few years when attorneys shift from applying their academic minds to solving problems for real people in businesses within complex industries. Perhaps more than any other factor, it’s this immersion in commercial problems that channels an associate’s passion. Becoming a more senior lawyer means thinking beyond the task at hand, and about the wider concerns of the GC. And for the GC, what’s on their mind is the new risks on the horizon affecting their very complex businesses. 

Immerse yourself in a field

Once you’ve identified a potential specialization, dive deep. Read industry-specific publications, attend conferences, and connect with practitioners. Whether it’s life sciences or cryptocurrency, reading the trade journals and attending conferences is strongly recommended to keep ahead of the sector’s innovations and new regulations. Keep an eye on the market’s disruptors to pre-empt its future. You need to position yourself as a forward-thinking expert.

Build your personal brand

Specialization is as much about visibility as it is about expertise – as you progress to partner, business development skills should become second nature. So seize any opportunity to share your insights through articles, panels, podcasts, or networking. The advantage younger generations of lawyers have over older partners is that stronger bond with emerging trends and innate fluency with tech – your expert views will always be valued. 

Takeaways for Aspiring Specialists

1. Find your niche: your rotations are your laboratory. Take note of the work that excites and challenges you the most.

2. Think strategically: adopt the mindset of a GC – always contextualize your specialization within broader business goals.

3. Leverage your environment: understand how your firm’s structure and client base can accelerate (or hinder) your growth.

4. Stay future-focused: anticipate market changes to stay ahead as an expert in your field.

5. Showcase your expertise: build a reputation through thought leadership and engagement with industry networks.

The Reward of Specialization

Specialization in law isn’t about choosing limitations – it’s about unlocking your potential. Whether you’re financing renewable energy projects, protecting intellectual property in the tech sector, or tackling regulatory hurdles in life sciences, specialization allows you to make an impact in areas that matter to you.

Your journey will require self-awareness, adaptability, and persistence. But as you hone your focus and grow your expertise, you’ll build a career that’s as dynamic as it is rewarding. The legal profession thrives on innovation, and so can you.

Further reading: Is Your Law Firm the Right Fit for Your Career Path?