If you are an international student interested in pursuing a legal career in the United States, now is an excellent moment to do so. According to the projections made by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States of America, the industry of law will expand by 9% by the year 2030, which would result in an additional 46,000 job opportunities annually. But because there were only 34,000 people who graduated from law school in the United States in 2020, there is a possibility that there would be a shortage of 12,000 open lawyer positions per year. A career in law is not only employable and secure, but it also offers variety, versatility, financial reward, and professional satisfaction.
But which subspecialties of law are the most rewarding to practise? If a foreign student wants to pursue a legal profession in the United States, they have an almost unlimited number of alternatives available to them because the legal field encompasses such a wide variety of subfields. As a lawyer, you have the ability to find work in virtually every sector, from corporate law to criminal law, from entertainment to the environment. The market for legal services in the United States generated around $256 billion in revenue in 2013, according to the latest figures; this figure should indicate that the demand for legal services in the United States is always on the increase.
The current crop of individuals who have an interest in practising law appears to be motivated by a sense of healthy competition and the many different career paths that may be opened up with a law degree. When looking for long-term legal jobs in the United States, it is essential to keep in mind that a Master of Laws degree (LLM) is not an acceptable replacement for the three-year Juris Doctor (JD) programme. Having an LLM on your resume would undoubtedly be an asset, and it might even help you land the legal job of your dreams. The majority of law students do look at legal careers within the United States, either in law firms, multinational corporations, or the judiciary. You may be thinking about getting an LLM or JD in the United States in order to pursue a career in academia or to improve your chances of joining an international organisation.
However, the majority of law students do look at legal careers within the United States. It is critical that you have a clear understanding of all of your options as soon as you make the decision to pursue a legal education, regardless of the path you intend to pursue. You may begin by researching the most common legal specialisations or by obtaining information on the average salary of attorneys. The roles of defence attorneys, government counsels, business counsels (also known as in-house counsels), and legal aid lawyers are among the most common professions in the legal industry. A lawyer may choose to concentrate their practice on a particular field, such as tax law, intellectual property law, family law, securities law, or environmental law, amongst others.
In addition to this, attorneys may also think about working in the dispute resolution industry as arbitrators, mediators, or conciliators. They might become judges or hearing officers if they meet the requirements, jobs in which they are responsible for applying the law and supervising the legal process in courts. New data reveals a significant rise in the number of jobs that are open to attorneys who are interested in joining a law firm. This highlights the comeback in recruiting lawyers following the first shocks caused by the epidemic. According to estimates that were issued on Wednesday by legal market data supplier Leopard Solutions, there were 8,268 open positions for attorneys at all levels at just over 1,000 companies throughout the nation as of May 14. This represents a 150% rise from the beginning of the outbreak.
Since those estimations were made, the number of vacancies in the organisation has continued to rise. As of the previous Wednesday, there were a total of 8,472 vacant associate positions, counsel positions, partner positions, staff attorney positions, and other support attorney positions. In an email, Phil Flora, who serves as vice president of sales and marketing at Leopard Solutions, stated. According to the data that was provided by Flora, a breakdown of that amount reveals that the bulk of the vacant opportunities is for associates, totalling 6,048 available positions. According to him, there were 242 available opportunities for counsel, 272 open positions for partners, and 1,872 open positions for staff and support attorneys.