When do you declare what type of law you want to practice?

[Scooter14]

At what point in the process do you declare your specialization? For example, Defense, Environmental, Real Estate, Wrongful Death, etc.?

[Anne]

At what point in the process do you declare your specialization? For example, Defense, Environmental, Real Estate, Wrongful Death, etc.?

Law school is different from college in that you don't have to "declare" a specialization; all law students receive about the same legal education regardless of whether they plan to specialize in something or not. However, there are some law schools that have specific tracks you can follow (for example, UCLA has an Entertainment Law program - http://www.law.ucla.edu/home/index.asp?page=1111), for which you have to declare your interest and submit a form during your 2L year so that you can take limited-enrollment courses. For the most part, though, once you've fulfilled the basic requirements of your J.D., you don't have to declare anything, you just meet with your advisor and the Career Services Office to figure out what you'd like to do after you graduate, and tailor the rest of your classes and internships to give you the most background and knowledge in that field, and improve your chances of employment once you get your degree.

[Strangelove]

Do you have to pick a specialization or can you just graduate with a "general" law degree? I didn't know that there were "specializations" you could do...I thought you just went to law school and took the classes they told you to take. 

[lawdog]

Graduates who have earned their JD have the same degree, but generally the curriculum is predetermined only for the majority of the first year of law school. During the second and third year, most law schools provide a greater variety of courses from which to choose, in order to allow focus on more specific areas of the law.

[Strangelove]

But what if you don't know...can you just continue to take a "generalized" curriculum all three years?

[lawdog]

Quite a few law students start school without knowing what type of law they want to focus on. Your first year curriculum will expose you to many different facets of the law, though, and by the end of that year you will probably have a much better idea of what areas interest you. 

[Jeffort]

But what if you don't know...can you just continue to take a "generalized" curriculum all three years?

Pretty much, whatever mix of legal topics/areas you consider 'generalized' you can decide to take.

There is a wide range of different areas of the law a lawyer can specialize in if he/she doesn't go the typical bread and butter general civil litigation practice route.  If there are particular areas of law you want to practice and/or areas of law that firms you want to work for specialize in, it would be wise to take the relevant classes about those areas of law.

Plus, it is generally a good idea to take the classes for all the bar exam tested subjects, which all together pretty much equal a broad spectrum 'generalized' legal curriculum.