Law Firms

Prior to beginning law school, one of the most common places students think about practicing law is in the private sector, in a law firm setting. Law firm practice can be extremely variable by size; from solo, to mid-size to national/international law firms and by law practice; litigation, transactional and civil and criminal law. Depending on the geographic area, a small firm can consist of 2-10 attorneys and focus on a specific area of law while medium sized firms may consist of a larger practice group and specialize in multiple legal fields. On the contrary, large firms provide a variety of services to a client base that generally consists of businesses and organizations, rather than individual clients.

These firms are extremely structured and have many different practice area departments, name partners to the firm and hire associates. For more information on what to expect when practicing in a law firm setting, contact PDO@pitt.edu.