LegalJob discusses “Three Essential Steps for Choosing a Practice Area (and Obtaining any Legal Job)” on Above the Law.

Other than attending a top ten law school and being in the top ten percent of your class, there is not just one way or one big secret to obtaining a dream legal job. Many people, for example, especially top law students, just fall into their practice area, and are doing what they are doing by accident. Accordingly, for this group, focus and planning ahead are not as crucial.

This post speaks to all others who are not quite sure what they will do when they graduate law school and are interested in planning ahead. For these folks, it may be helpful to have a practical plan with specific, mechanical steps. One such plan is summarized here (and discussed in detail in Making Partner). The plan has three parts: (i) pick a law “major,” (ii) network (with a clear purpose), and (iii) practice persistence. The second two parts are practiced twice — first to pick a law “major” and next to obtain a legal job.

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