Should You Get a Law School Concentration?

There are no majors in law school. But many law students choose to take classes in order to get a concentration or certificate in a particular specialty. Are these concentrations worth it ? Read on.

Look at all that concentration! Wait, that's not what we're talking about here...

What is a Concentration?

Admittedly, this person may not need a concentration to stand out…

It's a tough job market out there. You've probably seen the endless news articles about the sparse numbers of law jobs for mere mortals who did not go to Harvard or Yale law school (for your sake and ours we won't link to any examples). So it makes sense that law students are trying to find ways to stand out. One of those ways to stand out is a concentration.

Let's start by defining "concentration." A concentration is simply a specialty, akin to getting a major while at an undergraduate institution. The key difference between a college major  and a law school concentration is that in most cases concentrations are optional. When a law student elects to take a concentration, they will generally take classes in a particular specialty and receive notice on their diploma and transcript that they completed the concentration requirements. For our purposes, we are limiting the discussion on concentrations to typical law students, not L.L.M. or higher-level law degrees.

Some schools may also offer "certificates." In practical terms, certificates are essentially the same as concentrations in that they allow you to show you've taken classes in a particular specialty.

You Name It, We've Got It - Types of Concentrations

Every day, law schools are thinking of new ways to differentiate themselves. One of these ways is to offer a diverse selection of concentrations. Loyola Law School in Los Angeles offers a typical selection. Their 12 concentrations include Civil Litigation and Advocacy, Criminal Law, Environmental Law, Sports Law, and, Tax Law. 

This guy got his tax concentration, and man he is pumped. You would be

too if you made it through all those tax classes in one piece.

The fact is law schools help themselves, and you, when they can offer these kinds of specialties. For one, a greater amount of specialties in theory could mean greater choices for students. But perhaps more importantly, offering a specialty could help a law school increase its standing in the vaunted U.S. News & World Report rankings; indeed the magazine explains how specialties are part of the ranking system.

In short, if you are interested in specializing, there is a good chance your law school may offer the classes you want.

Benefits of a Concentration

Law schools are quick to tout the benefits of a concentration. Loyola, for example, explains that its concentrations provide students with specialized expertise, networking opportunities, and are proof that students "will provide immediate value and will be able to perform effectively as soon as they enter the legal profession." 

The top Google image search results for "networking" were this and a bunch of people standing around looking bored. You're welcome.

Concentrations work great for people who know exactly what field they'd like to go into. If you know that you want to get into environmental law, it makes sense to take the specialized environmental law classes, especially if there are experiential requirements such as internships or projects that may replicate what you'd do in the field.

Additionally, students who are part of the concentration may benefit from additional events and networking activities such as guest speakers and hot topic seminars. When we were in law school, the Intellectual Property students were especially active on campus and were responsible for bringing in practitioners, judges, and even arranging off-campus visits to places like Google's headquarters.

Finally, concentrations may allow you to work with certain professors who have specialized in the field for decades, and who may not teach other, general, law school courses.

Possible Downsides of Concentrations

There are a few possible downsides to taking a concentration. Just like college, there'll be course you like and courses you don't like. But because you are forced to take certain courses, even ones you think are not particularly relevant or interesting to your future profession, you might be denied the opportunity to take a class outside your field, but one with a particularly interesting subject or professor.

Our tax concentration friend, above, probably did not have the flexibility to take Transspacetime Litigation and Discovery with Doc Brown. 

Additionally, if you are uncertain about what area of the law you want to get into, a concentration might pigeonhole you into a particular field, which may make it harder to find a job in the beginning. This is true especially if a particular industry is experiencing a rough patch. 

Moreover, it is unclear if the presence of a concentration alone will make you more attractive than another candidate. Obviously, if the other candidate does not have a concentration but has prior work experience in a particular field, the other candidate probably has a better shot of getting interview than you do. There is some anecdotal evidence that employers are not impressed with concentrations. For instance, a couple years ago at a 1L employer meet and greet, several employers did not seem overly impressed with concentrations in general. They emphasized good research and writing skills and relevant work experience.

Finally, just because you graduate with a concentration in Tax Law, you probably will not be able to hold yourself out as a "tax specialist." That's because in states like California, the State Bar must certify you as a specialist before you can advertise or otherwise declare yourself to be in that specialty. Failure to do so likely violates ethical rules and could result in sanctions.

Our Take 

We fell into the "not sure what path to take" camp and elected not to take a concentration. However, we did make sure to take a bunch of practical, relevant courses such as Administrative Law, Statutory Interpretation, Accounting for Lawyers, and Mediation, which we figured could be useful in any general practice area. 

The choice is yours . . .

You should think about whether to take the concentration right after you finish your 1L year. Depending on the number of courses and when they are offered, you will need to figure out your schedule so you can complete the concentration in time. If you are interested in a concentration at the end of your 1L year, then go for it! But if you're really not sure, look at what your school offers, talk to professors and older students, and think hard about you want to do with this specialty. Are you doing it just for resume purposes? Or do you have a true passion for that area?

The answer will help you determine what path to take. If you're not particularly passionate about an area, then you are better off experimenting. You'll likely be happier and more enthusiastic as a result and that will show in your transcript. But if you know what you want, then by all means, specialize away!