Other lawyers are specialists. They may specialize in a particular type of practice or a specific area of the law. Types of practice include trial lawyers, class action litigators, transactional lawyers, appellate lawyers, and mediators. Many of these specialities tend to be transactional, that is, focused on structuring a transaction or A doing a deal. Examples include estate planning, acquiring a corporation, purchasing real estate, negotiating an employment contract, or drafting a pension plan.
Law schools focus primarily on litigation.
Students read appellate cases, study court procedure and evidence, participate in moot court and mock trial, and write appellate briefs. Increasingly, however, law schools have come under attack by attorneys and professional organizations for failing to prepare students for the diverse practice of law. In response to this criticism, law schools, such as Texas Tech, have emphasized a curriculum which gives students an opportunity to practice essential lawyering skills such as interviewing and counseling, legal research and writing, negotiation, pre-trial motions, and mediation. These are the skills which you will use constantly as a summer clerk and as a practicing attorney after graduation. A lawyer can accomplish this goal by carefully drafting clear and unambiguous contracts that are not susceptible of conflicting interpretations and by including in contracts dispute resolution clauses which require the parties to mediate or arbitrate disputes before filing a lawsuit.