When people imagine an attorney at work, experts say they commonly think of a trial lawyer arguing before a judge, but a number of lawyers practice outside the courtroom.
Many attorneys work for government agencies or represent companies that those agencies regulate, experts say. They often advise regulated companies on how to comply with government regulations. A large number of attorneys also work at public policy advocacy organizations that try to influence government agencies.
“Administrative law comes into play at any point where a government agency steps in to alter the legal rights of citizens, corporations, or other entities. It influences the formation of rules that govern everything from food labels to public benefits to nuclear waste disposal,” according to Harvard Law School‘s 2011 ” A Guide to Careers in Administrative Law.”
This legal discipline not only intersects with controversial areas like immigration law but also includes lucrative fields like tax law, experts say.
[Learn about the types of policy careers that law school graduates can pursue.]
Michael Herz, a law professor at Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law, says it is actually more common for lawyers to practice administrative law than trial law.
“Just like in your own life, if you think about how many times you’ve been to court, I hope it’s zero, but it’s certainly a low number, and then if you think about how much contact you’ve had with an agency — the DMV, the IRS, the Social Security Administration, who knows — it’s pretty constant,” he says. “And that is true of most people and therefore of most clients and therefore of most lawyers.”
Herz says this is a type of law that demands precision and careful attention to detail and isn’t a suitable path for every aspiring lawyer. “This is a field where you have to come to grips with some minutiae,” he says. “It’s unavoidable.”
Nevertheless, Herz says this is a viable career path for someone who is fascinated by public policy and who has a strong interest in an area of policy where regulations are of paramount importance, such as environmental or labor policy.
Because environmental and labor lawyers often deal with government agencies, administrative or regulatory law is a key part of their jobs.
Experts say law school applicants interested in these legal career paths should target schools with strong administrative or regulatory law programs. Here are three strategies they recommend to identify law schools that provide exceptional training in these areas.
1. Research law schools with prominent faculty in the field: Jonathan Havens, a food and drug regulatory lawyer who earned his J.D. from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America, says it’s important to look for a school where administrative and regulatory law faculty have experience with both the academic study of law and the actual practice of law.
Professors with an abundance of real-world experience are more likely to help you during your job search by providing contacts and job leads, Havens says.
Renata Castro, an immigration attorney who earned her J.D. at Nova Southeastern University, says one reason she chose the Shepard Broad College of Law was because, at the time, the school had a professor she admired who was well-known in the field of immigration law. She notes he was generous about introducing students to immigration lawyers.
[Evaluate professors to find a good law school fit.]
2. Target schools with law journals focused on a desired specialty: Castro says aspiring administrative and regulatory lawyers should also seek writing opportunities at law journals that focus on this area of law so that they can hone their analytical and rhetorical abilities.
“Students should use this time away from the pressures of lawyering which are infinitely heavier than law school, to craft their skill of research and writing, and writing for law journals gives students a goal to accomplish,” Castro said via email.
She notes that journal bylines likewise help students stand out to prospective employers and establish a strong professional reputation.
3. Seek experiential learning opportunities: Experts say that aspiring administrative or regulatory lawyers should seek law schools that offer either clinics and externships in this field or practical seminars that involve simulations of the work lawyers in this field do on a daily basis.
Havens says his most rewarding law school courses were the ones that gave him practice writing regulatory filings.
[Seek a law school with hands-on learning opportunities.]
These courses included mock meetings with government agencies, where Havens had to write documents similar to those he now authors on behalf of his clients at the Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr law firm.
Now an associate and vice chair of the food and beverage legal practice at his firm, Havens says law school applicants with an interest in his profession should apply to a school where they can gain practical experience in the field.
“It’s not enough to just know the law,” he says. “You have to know how to apply it, think on your feet and explain it to other people who might not be as well versed in it as you are.”
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Explore Strong Administrative, Regulatory Law Programs originally appeared on usnews.com
