There are 1.22 million lawyers working in the United States.

And with millions of cases taking place each year, clients are in need of lawyers. If you’re a future lawyer, you’ll have to decide what area of the law you want to practice.

And with plenty of law practice areas out there, it can be difficult to know which one you want to pursue. If you choose the wrong one, you may be stuck doing work you hate.

Lucky for you, we’ve compiled a list of eight interesting law practices to check out. Take our advice, and soon you’ll know which type of law to pursue.

Read on to learn more.

1. Criminal Law

If you’ve ever watched lawyers on tv, chances are you watched a show about criminal law.

Criminal law is one of the most popular types of law.

Criminal law also has a lot of clients available to you. People can’t seem to quit breaking the law! And you get to capitalize on that.

If you’re considering criminal law, you should know that not every case is as exciting as it is on TV. Sometimes you’ll be working with a murder case, but other times you may be defending a shoplifter.

2. Military Law

Military law is the other kind of law you might have seen on TV. Known as JAGs, these lawyers work for the military and their employees.

This type of law requires extra education through the military. JAGs go through a special military tactic training and a military law training.

JAGs make less than most lawyers will when starting out. But with military benefits and raises, you could have a comfortable lifestyle.

And, JAGs can retire after 20 years of service with a full pension. Then, you free to pursue any other kind of law.

Or, you might want to enjoy retirement instead.

3. Investment Loss Attorney

Investment loss attorneys have their clients’ back when they need it most. If you become this kind of attorney, you will help your clients recover their lost investment.

Sometimes advisers give investors poor advice or lie. When an investor takes this advice, they might lose their investment.

To get that money back, you would help your client sue the advisor. Depending on who your client is, this can be a lucrative type of law.

Investment loss is an interesting field of law. Read more about it to see if you’re interested in it too.

4. Immigration Law

Immigration law is a growing field of law. Immigration lawyers help non-citizens become citizens in a legal way.

Immigration lawyers also work with refugees trying to enter a country. And they often help immigrants who came without going through the legal way.

This law is best for people who are passionate about this topic. Often, immigration lawyers must relocate to find clients. And, the pay for immigration law is rather low.

But if you care about this, it might be the place for you.

5. International Law

International law is a broad section of the law, and it often encompasses other types of law as well. International lawyers can work either in the private or public sector.

Those who work in the private sector tend to work with international cooperations. This form of international law includes corporate law, and it can include other types.

Private international lawyers will sometimes work with entertainment law. And some may even do criminal law. International lawyers in the public sphere tend to work with governments. They will help create treaties or settle cases.

Jobs in international law are often difficult to attain. But, with some experience and the right education, you could break into this field.

6. Entertainment Law

Entertainment law deals with, well, entertainment. This includes music, movies, television, sports, visual art, and more.

Entertainment lawyers tend to deal with intellectual property law. In a nutshell, intellectual property law deals with stealing someone else’s idea.

If you become an entertainment lawyer, you could work for a firm. But you could also end up working with a specific celebrity.

While these kinds of jobs are difficult to get, they often come with a hefty salary. And if you make it, you might make some famous friends. And sometimes, you may even become famous yourself.

7. Personal Injury Law

Personal injury law is another common type of law. These types of lawyers help clients when someone else has hurt them.

You would help your client sue for the damages someone else does to them. In return, they give you part of the money they win. Personal injury lawyers can sometimes make more money than other types of lawyers. Some lawsuits can be millions of dollars.

But television and movies exaggerate the amount personal injury lawyers make. And if you don’t work for a firm, you may not make money until you win a case.

8. Civil Rights Law

Civil rights law is an expanding area of the law. And if you’re passionate about justice, this may be the type of law for you.

Civil rights lawyers help when someone infringes on somebody else’s constitutional rights. Often civil rights lawyers fight racism, gender discrimination, religious oppression, and more.

The downside to civil rights law is that you won’t make much money doing it. But, lawyers don’t do civil rights law for the money. Instead, they do it to help people.

One example employer you may have heard of is the ACLU. They help citizens keep their rights, and you could do it too.

Next Steps: Choosing One or Two Law Practice Areas

Now that you know about the different law practice areas, you should choose one or two to learn more about. Speak with law professors and working lawyers to find out more.

Once you’ve narrowed down your research, you’ll be ready to pick your focus. Don’t worry too much though. Even if you are in law school, most of the time, you can wait until you are a second-year student to figure out your path.

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