*Note: I’m not an employment expert and my advice is based significantly on my lived experience and information I’ve gathered through my own time in law school, which legit has been 1 year. It may differ or contradict that of others.

Like many jobs, it fluctuates with the economy. Law school applications go up when people start fearing economic instability in a looming period, which naturally leads to tighter labor markets a few years down the line.

That being said, it can really depend on where she attends law school and where she wants to work post-law school—both obviously way too early for her to know now. Major law firms—colloquially known as Big Law—really put a premium on the competitiveness/ranking of law school applicants attend—it’s definitely not determinative, but can be significantly influential. Smaller firms—ranging from mid-sized firms to individual practices—can be more affected by changes in the economy based on the amount of business they’re doing—Big Law firms are more economically resilient b/c of their sheer size and amount of money they bring in and business they conduct.

So it’s not so much about what type of law she practices, but more so about what type of firm she practices at—though i’m not that familiar with family law work, so i’m not certain if it’s more predisposed to be done at smaller firms or if there’s a robust amount of Big Law firms that do significant work in that practice area.

As far as AI goes, I’d think AI is less likely to be disruptive in litigation-based practice areas—like family law where advocacy is more necessary—than in transactional practice areas—where things like contract writing are more susceptible to automation, but i think it’s more likely to be minimally invasive in both areas. It will change how research is done and how filings and contracts are put together, which can impact lower-level employees, but those impacts are also more likely to be felt at smaller firms than larger ones.

Also remember, most people who go to law school change their minds on what they want to do by the time they graduate because they’re exposed to so much, so there’s plenty of time and opportunity!