Lawyers and other legal professionals talk a lot about legal specialization, technology and the future of the law. We wrote in this space about specialization last year, in fact. At the intersection of these topics are issues such as the automation of routine tasks, business development innovation, smart contracts and succession planning. A related aspect of the rapidly changing legal landscape is cutting-edge practices—blockchain, marijuana law and telemedicine, to name three that would have raised eyebrows just a few years ago but are now undoubtedly here to stay.

As firm priorities shift and client expectations change, young lawyers who commit to developing a cutting-edge practice will likely find themselves standing out from peers who are less ready for the future. Of course, those first steps into the unknown can feel insurmountable. Where do I start? What if I don’t know enough? What if my current practice area is totally unrelated?