5 answers
jennel
Student
20
Questions
5 answers
Mackenzie Ward
associate
103
Answers
Houston, Texas
Updated
Mackenzie’s Answer
The perception of whether the field of law is overpopulated can vary depending on factors such as location, specialization, and economic conditions. Here are some key considerations:
1. **Location**: The demand for lawyers can vary significantly by geographic location. In some areas, there may be a surplus of lawyers relative to the demand for legal services, leading to increased competition for jobs and clients. In other regions, there may be a shortage of lawyers, especially in rural or underserved areas.
2. **Specialization**: The level of competition can also depend on the legal specialization you choose. Some specialized areas of law, such as criminal defense, personal injury, and family law, may have more lawyers competing for clients, while other niche areas may have fewer practitioners.
3. **Economic Conditions**: Economic factors can influence the demand for legal services. During economic downturns, there may be reduced demand for certain legal services, while in periods of economic growth, there may be increased demand for legal advice related to business transactions and regulatory compliance.
4. **Career Path**: The legal profession offers a wide range of career paths beyond traditional law firm practice. Some lawyers work in government, non-profit organizations, academia, corporate legal departments, or alternative legal careers, which may have different levels of competition.
5. **Market Saturation**: In some metropolitan areas, particularly large cities, there can be a perception of market saturation due to the presence of many law firms and lawyers. However, competition may still vary depending on the specific practice area.
6. **Adaptation**: Lawyers who are adaptable and open to new practice areas or innovative approaches to legal services may find opportunities even in competitive markets.
While the legal field can be competitive, it's important to note that demand for legal services remains strong in many areas, including criminal defense, family law, real estate, and business law. Moreover, the legal profession continues to evolve, creating opportunities in emerging fields like technology law, environmental law, and international law.
If you're considering a legal career, it's advisable to conduct thorough research on the specific legal market in your desired location and practice area. Networking, gaining practical experience through internships or clerkships, and building a strong professional reputation can help you navigate the competitive aspects of the legal profession and find rewarding opportunities. Additionally, consider how your skills and interests align with the evolving needs of clients and the legal industry.
1. **Location**: The demand for lawyers can vary significantly by geographic location. In some areas, there may be a surplus of lawyers relative to the demand for legal services, leading to increased competition for jobs and clients. In other regions, there may be a shortage of lawyers, especially in rural or underserved areas.
2. **Specialization**: The level of competition can also depend on the legal specialization you choose. Some specialized areas of law, such as criminal defense, personal injury, and family law, may have more lawyers competing for clients, while other niche areas may have fewer practitioners.
3. **Economic Conditions**: Economic factors can influence the demand for legal services. During economic downturns, there may be reduced demand for certain legal services, while in periods of economic growth, there may be increased demand for legal advice related to business transactions and regulatory compliance.
4. **Career Path**: The legal profession offers a wide range of career paths beyond traditional law firm practice. Some lawyers work in government, non-profit organizations, academia, corporate legal departments, or alternative legal careers, which may have different levels of competition.
5. **Market Saturation**: In some metropolitan areas, particularly large cities, there can be a perception of market saturation due to the presence of many law firms and lawyers. However, competition may still vary depending on the specific practice area.
6. **Adaptation**: Lawyers who are adaptable and open to new practice areas or innovative approaches to legal services may find opportunities even in competitive markets.
While the legal field can be competitive, it's important to note that demand for legal services remains strong in many areas, including criminal defense, family law, real estate, and business law. Moreover, the legal profession continues to evolve, creating opportunities in emerging fields like technology law, environmental law, and international law.
If you're considering a legal career, it's advisable to conduct thorough research on the specific legal market in your desired location and practice area. Networking, gaining practical experience through internships or clerkships, and building a strong professional reputation can help you navigate the competitive aspects of the legal profession and find rewarding opportunities. Additionally, consider how your skills and interests align with the evolving needs of clients and the legal industry.
Amy Harber
Attorney
2
Answers
Leesburg, Virginia
Updated
Amy’s Answer
There are so many different areas of practice within the law that I would not say the profession is oversaturated. There are litigation and transactional attorneys positions in just about every type of field of the public, private, and non-profit sector, and there are also plenty of people who obtain a law degree and don't actually practice law. It's also a unique profession in that a law degree could also enable you to set up shop and work for yourself if you are motivated and disciplined enough to do so.
Thomas Sutherland
Associate Continuity and Recovery Specialist, CBCP
207
Answers
Detroit, Michigan
Updated
Thomas’s Answer
"IS THE LAW INDUSTRY BECOMING OVERSATURATED?
November 14, 2019
There are two professions parents tend to push their children into pursuing: doctor or lawyer. One of these two is in high-demand, and the other is becoming saturated. However, even with an understanding of the over-saturation of the law industry, men and women are still racing towards obtaining their law degree. Some may say that this influx in attorneys will be short-lived and only the strong will come out on top. Maybe so, but that is a risk many are not willing to take, especially when that risk comes with enormous college debt. So, is the law industry becoming so saturated that it’s not even worth pursuing?
How Many Lawyers Are There?
According to Statista data, in 2019, the number of attorneys in the United States stood at 1.35 million. Incredibly, this number is over 15 percent more than it was just ten years ago. This data has been provided mostly by each state’s bar association or licensing agency. You might be saying to yourself that you’ll just specialize in personal injury as this is the most common, and thus the probability of finding work is high. As the old saying goes, “There are no new ideas.” Civil litigation, corporate law, and healthcare law are also common fields.
Companies Are Downsizing
There was a time when the last thing a company did was diminish its team of attorneys. However, according to many CEOs and high-level executives, this is exactly what they are planning on doing. Over 60 percent of executives state that having too many attorneys on their payroll is costing them more money than what they are worth. Most have already begun downsizing their teams only to include a handful of attorneys to represent their companies.
Why Can’t They Find Work?
Although the actual skills and services that attorneys provide are very much needed, there are simply not enough people in demand for them. This isn’t due to suddenly everyone following the law or not being involved in accidents; it’s that for every 244 Americans, there is one lawyer. That is the equivalent of creating a new city and instantly making it the ninth biggest city in America. Then there is the dark side of the law that comes with those numbers. After a while, we will begin to see practicing law not as a service people pay for but rather a hunt to obtain the most profit. This creates mistrust amongst the public and produces less demand for attorneys, especially those fresh out of law school. Also, a trend toward outsourcing or giving legal work to legal assistants or paralegals is growing.
What’s Being Done?
Lawyers are now seeking ways to promote their services to a greater range of people. While advertising on TV or billboards can work to some degree, today, lawyers need complex PPC campaigns to get in front of potential clients. PPC, or pay-per-click, advertising essentially brings business to attorneys when people click on their ads on third-party websites. The attorney pays a cost for each click generated from these websites. Their advertising could also involve including lawyer SEO keywords on these web pages.
The Alternatives
For many Americans, switching their college major is often out of the question. Debt has been piled on, and most of their studies have been completed. There is simply no choice but to finish their law school career. However, is that simply all they can do? Hope that they will find a job after school? Some lawyers are looking into the technology sector. Also, a decrease in the need for legal advice is partially due to much of it being offered online for free or for considerably lesser than what an attorney would charge. Many new attorneys are seeking to capture this market by making their services available to online users as well as doing consulting work with these online companies.
Should you consider switching majors? Is the law industry simply too full? Understandably, these questions should be asked by students and current attorneys. The field of law may not be the shoo-in that it once was, but that does not mean you cannot adapt and innovate your law firm. Simply adhere to the details listed above to begin not only preparing yourself for a tough market but also to find ways to stay on top of the competition."
Source: https://idahobusiness.net/law-industry-becoming-oversaturated/
November 14, 2019
There are two professions parents tend to push their children into pursuing: doctor or lawyer. One of these two is in high-demand, and the other is becoming saturated. However, even with an understanding of the over-saturation of the law industry, men and women are still racing towards obtaining their law degree. Some may say that this influx in attorneys will be short-lived and only the strong will come out on top. Maybe so, but that is a risk many are not willing to take, especially when that risk comes with enormous college debt. So, is the law industry becoming so saturated that it’s not even worth pursuing?
How Many Lawyers Are There?
According to Statista data, in 2019, the number of attorneys in the United States stood at 1.35 million. Incredibly, this number is over 15 percent more than it was just ten years ago. This data has been provided mostly by each state’s bar association or licensing agency. You might be saying to yourself that you’ll just specialize in personal injury as this is the most common, and thus the probability of finding work is high. As the old saying goes, “There are no new ideas.” Civil litigation, corporate law, and healthcare law are also common fields.
Companies Are Downsizing
There was a time when the last thing a company did was diminish its team of attorneys. However, according to many CEOs and high-level executives, this is exactly what they are planning on doing. Over 60 percent of executives state that having too many attorneys on their payroll is costing them more money than what they are worth. Most have already begun downsizing their teams only to include a handful of attorneys to represent their companies.
Why Can’t They Find Work?
Although the actual skills and services that attorneys provide are very much needed, there are simply not enough people in demand for them. This isn’t due to suddenly everyone following the law or not being involved in accidents; it’s that for every 244 Americans, there is one lawyer. That is the equivalent of creating a new city and instantly making it the ninth biggest city in America. Then there is the dark side of the law that comes with those numbers. After a while, we will begin to see practicing law not as a service people pay for but rather a hunt to obtain the most profit. This creates mistrust amongst the public and produces less demand for attorneys, especially those fresh out of law school. Also, a trend toward outsourcing or giving legal work to legal assistants or paralegals is growing.
What’s Being Done?
Lawyers are now seeking ways to promote their services to a greater range of people. While advertising on TV or billboards can work to some degree, today, lawyers need complex PPC campaigns to get in front of potential clients. PPC, or pay-per-click, advertising essentially brings business to attorneys when people click on their ads on third-party websites. The attorney pays a cost for each click generated from these websites. Their advertising could also involve including lawyer SEO keywords on these web pages.
The Alternatives
For many Americans, switching their college major is often out of the question. Debt has been piled on, and most of their studies have been completed. There is simply no choice but to finish their law school career. However, is that simply all they can do? Hope that they will find a job after school? Some lawyers are looking into the technology sector. Also, a decrease in the need for legal advice is partially due to much of it being offered online for free or for considerably lesser than what an attorney would charge. Many new attorneys are seeking to capture this market by making their services available to online users as well as doing consulting work with these online companies.
Should you consider switching majors? Is the law industry simply too full? Understandably, these questions should be asked by students and current attorneys. The field of law may not be the shoo-in that it once was, but that does not mean you cannot adapt and innovate your law firm. Simply adhere to the details listed above to begin not only preparing yourself for a tough market but also to find ways to stay on top of the competition."
Source: https://idahobusiness.net/law-industry-becoming-oversaturated/
Mariana León García
Senior Analyst and Lawyer
26
Answers
Mexico City, Mexico
Updated
Mariana’s Answer
Hi Jennel:
Employment of lawyers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Demand for legal work is expected to continue as individuals, businesses, and all levels of government require legal services in many areas, so I really believe that there are many sectors in which we could work, everyday new needs appear for society so as consequence new legal areas are born.
Mariana
Employment of lawyers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Demand for legal work is expected to continue as individuals, businesses, and all levels of government require legal services in many areas, so I really believe that there are many sectors in which we could work, everyday new needs appear for society so as consequence new legal areas are born.
Mariana
Natasha Ng
Contracts Legal Counsel
1
Answer
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Updated
Natasha’s Answer
You would think that law or rather the legal sector is an overpopulated field as there are lawyers everywhere. However, there are an abundance of legal sectors to get into and not every sector is saturated. Lawyers and legal counsels are always in demand as there are always legal issues in our everyday world. Also, not every legally person ends up being a lawyer, you can use your legal skills in so many other diverse ways.
Other than being a lawyer how can I use my future legal skills in other ways
jennel
When training to be a lawyer, you will develop a wide range of skills such as people handling, analysing of documents, giving sound and partial advice and so forth. With those skills in hand, you can put it to good use to be an (e.g. entrepreneur) and anything really as those are fundamental skills to have in the long run.
Natasha Ng