Finding Your Niche as a Lawyer: Beyond Practice Area
Most lawyers think “niche” means choosing a practice area. But the most successful and fulfilled lawyers know their true niche is a combination of what they do, how they do it, and why they love it.
When niche is reduced to practice area alone, it ignores the unique way you deliver value and the deeper purpose that fuels your work. That’s why two lawyers in the same field can have completely different reputations, client bases and career satisfaction.
The Three-Circle Exercise:
In my coaching practice, I guide attorneys through a simple but powerful exercise:
WHY (center circle): The purpose that drives you - the reason you went into this line of work, and get out of bed in the morning. The cause, the mission, the change you are here to create. This should almost bring you to tears when you get it right.
HOW (middle circle): This is your unique style, your method, they WAY you practice. How you interact with clients, get the win, look at cases, lead teams.
WHAT (outer circle): The practice areas you touch. The services you provide.
Draw these three circles - WHY at the center, HOW surrounding it, and WHAT enveloping both these circles on the outside. The closer the the center, the more foundational to your career identity.
Example: “I am a family law trial attorney (what). My style is to find the needle in the haystack in discovery, and use my keen understanding of civil procedure to outmaneuver opposing counsel (how). The reason I do what I do is to support people like my Mom who needed fierce representation to get what was fair (why).”
Notice how the WHY creates emotional resonance, the HOW establishes differentiation, and the WHAT provides context. The real power comes in their alignment
The Payoff:
Enhanced Marketability: Clients don't just hire lawyers, they hire lawyers who understand their world and share their values. When you articulate not just what you do, but how you doe it and why it matters, you become magnetic to your ideal clients.
Sustainable Fulfillment: You stop practicing law and start living your purpose through law. Work is more energizing because you are operating from your authentic center.
Call to Action:
Grab a blank page, draw your three circles, and start filling them in, right now. Don't overthink, let your instincts guide you. If you get stuck, ask yourself:
What injustices in the world keep me awake at night?
What do colleagues consistently say I am uniquely good at?
When have I felt most alive and effective as a lawyer?
Your niche isn't just what you practice - it is who you are as a lawyer. When you get that alignment right, everything changes.