The Case for Specializing Early: Finding and Following Your Purpose

Law students and junior associates are often advised to sample diverse practice areas before deciding where to land as almost as a rite of passage. I’ve noticed this creates a underlying fear amongst young and aspiring lawyers that early specialization limits opportunity, but my experience has shown the opposite. In today’s increasingly complex legal landscape, expertise is credibility, and clients and firms alike seek practitioners who understand the nuances of their legal obligations. Early specialization didn’t close doors for me; it opened the right ones.

This “build breadth before depth” approach is sound advice for those still discovering their path. However, if you already have a clear understanding of what drives you, the issues that ignite your curiosity, or the types of legal challenges you want to tackle, I invite you to be bold and consider shaping your career with purpose from the start.

In practice, this might look like tailoring your law school experience by choosing courses, clinics, or opportunities that position you to build expertise in your chosen field. It means building depth and focus early, with intention, to create a meaningful place for yourself in the profession.

This is my story: I spent my final year of undergraduate studies in Vietnam researching the decision-making process behind permitting hydropower development projects in the Mekong River Basin. I gained insight into the complex intersection of large-scale industrial development, community needs, and environmental impacts, obtaining firsthand understanding of how competing interests are balanced or overlooked. Notably, this is where I began to consider for the first time how a country’s legal system and government policies frame and further complicate competing pressures, shaping which interests are prioritized, negotiated, or left behind.

My time in Vietnam piqued my curiosity about legal considerations in environmental decision-making and ultimately inspired me to apply to law school. I wanted to use my legal knowledge to help shape policies and regulatory frameworks that determine how concepts like infrastructure development, ecosystem protection, community building, and sustainability are balanced.

During law school at the University of Ottawa, I actively pursued every environmental course, clinic, and opportunity that fit into my schedule—from taking environmental law courses to serving as a case worker with the Ecojustice Environmental Law Clinic, competing in an environmental law moot, and more. All these pursuits deepened my interest in environmental law. One of my most formative experiences was working as a research assistant to Lynda Collins, a renowned Professor in the Centre for Environmental Law and Global Sustainability at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. With Professor Collins, I conducted legal research on the intersection between the Sustainable Development Goals and human rights discourse to develop a book chapter of the same subject.

Determined to practice environmental law in a way that reflected the complexities I had come to appreciate, I entered the articling search with a clear sense of purpose. However, what I quickly discovered was that the path to a focused environmental practice was far from straightforward. Many civil litigation boutiques handling environmental files expected their students to work across other focus areas like insurance, real estate, and corporate commercial disputes. While the Big Law firms offered breadth, and had strong environmental regulatory departments, there was no certainty of landing in the practice area that had motivated my legal education in the first place. I found myself getting the same advice from career office staff, friends, and other lawyers alike: “start broad, and you can specialize later.”

While at times I found myself nearly convinced, I often returned to a difficult question: Was I willing to give up the reason I went to law school in the first place? The answer, ultimately, was no. Instead, I chose patience and an unconventional route. It was mentorship of Lynda Collins that inspired me to double down on my commitment—I turned down articling offers that didn’t align and pursued a Master of Laws in environmental and constitutional law, and Indigenous legal issues at Western University. At Western, I deepened my substantive knowledge and practical understanding of the legal and regulatory structures shaping environmental decision-making in Canada.

At the time, it seemed unconventional (and risky) to do another year of school, while all my friends were getting ready to begin their articles and get called to the bar. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I made. Following my graduate studies, I joined Canada’s leading boutique environmental law firm as an articling student and was hired back as an associate. The work was challenging and nuanced, and I worked on the kinds of matters that had driven me from the start—the experience served as a springboard for what came next. Eventually, I took an in-house position at one of Canada’s largest banks, where I provided advice on environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) matters.

Now, eight years since graduating with my JD, I’m currently practicing at KPMG Law as part of our cross-Canada, interdisciplinary Sustainability, Environment, and Regulatory Law team. It’s work that allows me to apply my carefully cultivated law school and practical experience, and importantly, align with the purpose that brought me into the profession in the first place. To me, specializing early is not about narrowing your options; it’s about anchoring yourself in work that matters to you. That sense of purpose is my compass.

My path in environmental and regulatory law so far has taught me that when you choose a field with intention, you gain not only depth but direction. Environmental law and sustainability sit at the intersection of policy, business, and justice, demanding both legal precision and system thinking. By choosing this niche early, I immersed myself in the conversations shaping Canada’s future, such as how industries grow responsibly, how communities are protected, and how law can support sustainability without compromising economic viability.

Early specialization doesn’t mean your learning stops; it means your learning becomes deeper, intentional, and grounded in a field where you feel like you can build lasting impact. In addition, the skills you develop will serve you no matter where your career takes you.

To the next generation of lawyers, I offer this: follow the work that ignites something in you, even if it feels too early to commit. And remember, inspired people inspire others. Perhaps the future of our profession will be shaped by those who choose to lead with passion.