Talk to family lawyers about their careers. Suggested interview questions include: What made you want to enter this career? What do you like most and least about your job? How did you train for this field? What are some key skills for success? What advice would you give to young people about preparing for the field and being successful on the job? Perhaps you could even job-shadow a family lawyer to learn even more about the field. Visit the Web sites of law associations for lists of family lawyers in your area.

If you are already in law school, you might consider becoming a student member of the American Bar Association. Student members receive Student Lawyer, a magazine that contains useful information for aspiring lawyers. Sample articles from the magazine can be read at https://www.americanbar.org/groups/law_students/resources. The ABA also publishes several publications that are of interest to family lawyers, including Family Advocate, Family Law Quarterly, Child Law Practice, and Children’s Rights Litigation. The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers publishes the Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and Loyola University Chicago School of Law’s Civitas ChildLaw Center offers the Children’s Legal Rights Journal. Visit the Web sites of these associations and law school to learn more about these publications.

Other ways to learn more about this career include getting involved in summer exploration programs in law that are offered by colleges and universities; volunteering at a family law practice; and joining law clubs and participating in mock trial and moot court activities to gain experience in the field.

Family lawyers provide legal advice and representation to individuals or families in areas such as domestic and foreign adoption; child custody/visitation; children’s rights; child support; guardianship for children and for the elderly, infirm, and those with mental disabilities who cannot care for themselves; domestic violence; marriage; marital legal separation; divorce; estate planning; prenuptial and postnuptial agreements; alternative family arrangements; bankruptcy; elder law; reproduction issues (e.g., surrogate mothers, rights of sperm donors); and wills and trusts.

Family lawyers may be generalists, who work on a variety of issues for clients, or specialists, who focus on particular areas of family law such as adoption, divorce, elder law, or juvenile delinquency. Regardless of their specialty, family lawyers must be skilled in client counseling, negotiation, client advocacy, rules of evidence, planning and drafting pleadings and briefs, investigation and determination of facts, taking depositions, and trial practice. Since the field is so diverse, general family law practitioners must be proficient in a variety of legal areas, including laws relating to bankruptcy, real estate, disability, torts, criminal issues, insurance, contracts, tax, and wills and trusts, among others. Here are a few examples of typical duties for general family lawyers:

• coordinating local, national, and international adoptions
• representing parents in child custody cases
• filing civil lawsuits on behalf of state agencies against parents and guardians who are suspected of abusing or neglecting their children
• handling divorce proceedings (duties might include client counseling, negotiation with opposing lawyers to determine a settlement agreement, arbitration or mediation, and litigation)
• drafting prenuptial or postnuptial agreements that outline issues such as spousal support, property division, and even child custody in the event of a divorce
• helping clients begin guardianship proceedings if a client or client’s family member becomes mentally incapacitated due to age, disease, or injury
• representing children who are charged with criminal conduct such as assault, drug possession, and other misdemeanors and felonies
• probating a will and dividing the assets of the deceased per his or her wishes
• contesting a will by filing a lawsuit to set aside and invalidate the will

Family lawyers must also stay up to date on practice issues by reading industry publications, participating in continuing education, and attending association conferences. Other duties for lawyers who own their own firms include supervising paralegals, outside counsel, and other support professionals; preparing billing for clients; and promoting their practices.