You may have never wanted to do criminal law before or maybe you don't think you like divorce work. When you're starting out, you may have to get past your likes and dislikes in the law. Even if you don't like the practice, get certified for court appointed work. This includes misdemeanors, felonies, and guardian ad litem work (for more information on GAL's, read here).
As a court appointed attorney, the court will give you some amount of work. The pay is not the best for attorneys but it is a good supplement for income to keep your head above water at the beginning at least. It will also provide you with valuable training that can extend into other areas of law that you want to practice. For example, as a guardian ad litem, you will interact with judges and attorneys who regularly practice divorce law. You can observe those attorneys, learn from those attorneys and gain confidence in the courtroom.
Depending on your jurisdiction, the requirements for these certifications will vary. If you can't figure out what is required, ask more experienced attorneys, someone in the court system or call your state bar. Typically, there is a requirement that you obtain continuing legal education in those areas every few years or so. Remember, just because you are on a court appointed list, does not mean you cannot seek help from more experienced attorneys, aka mentors (read here for more information).
If you get into an area of law and find it's not for you, there is no requirement that you continue to practice in that area of law. So when you're starting out, as long as you feel competent to handle the case, try out different areas of law and use your mentors to guide you along the way (you can always request someone co-counsel with you if you feel you will need a more experienced attorney).
If you are a solo practitioner or thinking about "flying solo" and would like to talk about the process, contact us at (804) 447-0146 or clbaudean@baudeanlaw.com.
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