There is a lot that you can do with a law degree besides being a lawyer. Careers in consulting, marketing, or journalism are just a few professional tracks to consider. A non-legal career is a great option for J.D. graduates who want to leverage the skills they earned during their law school years.
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This career offers you a choice of future workplaces, including private practice firms and the not-for-profit sector, and tends to involve better working hours than at a City law firm!
You don't need a law degree to pursue a career related to law. There are numerous professions in various industries that work with or for lawyers, helping them with trials, court proceedings and other legal responsibilities.
More alternative careers for lawyers. Outside of the list above, here are 44 other jobs to consider after being a lawyer: Account manager. Bail bondsman. Banker. Border patrol. Career counselor. Contract administrator.
If you made it through law school, earned an advanced degree or worked full-time while earning your bachelor’s, you are most likely a certain type of person — one who is hardworking, responsible, and a critical thinker. You pay attention to details. You are able to see different sides of a problem.
Alternative jobs for lawyersParalegal.Investigator.Investment consultant.Mediator.Fund manager.Financial analyst.Realtor.Labor relations specialist.More items...•
Who made more than lawyers? Doctors topped the list and were followed by orthodontists and dentists, chief executive officer, and petroleum engineer.
It's true: you can go to law school even if you don't want to be a lawyer. A JD can turbocharge your career prospects and teach you incredibly versatile and in-demand skills.
If someone hasn't gone to law school, but has an interest in law, he or she may work as a communications manager or chief marketing officer, or in functional roles for social media, market research or pricing strategy, Roach says. Business school graduates can be especially coveted by law firms for non-attorney roles.
Highest paid lawyers: salary by practice areaTax attorney (tax law): $122,000.Corporate lawyer: $115,000.Employment lawyer: $87,000.Real Estate attorney: $86,000.Divorce attorney: $84,000.Immigration attorney: $84,000.Estate attorney: $83,000.Public Defender: $63,000.More items...•
In short, medical school is hands-on and requires a lot of memorization. Law school requires analytical work and critical thinking. Law school requires heavy reading and writing while medical school requires learning about problems through clinical studies and hands-on training.
The highest 10% of lawyers earned median annual earnings of more than $208,000 in 2019. Some law school graduates forgo serving as a lawyer in order to have more work-life balance. There are many jobs you can do with a law degree and legal-related roles where having a J.D. may be an asset.
Why study law? A law degree is a great qualification to obtain employment – law graduates have the 6th highest employment rate - and bear in mind up to 60% of all law graduates chose to use their law degree to gain jobs other than in the legal profession.
Many law graduates go on to pursue a career in politics, either as an elected official or as a member of their support team. This can involve policy development, speech writing, PR and a range of other activities.
Recruiters look for an attention to detail, the ability to work under pressure and an ability to think critically. These are all qualities that are developed during a law degree.
With careers departments pushing vacation schemes and pupillage from your very first year at university, it can often seem that there is only one career path for law students. However, this is far from the case. If you’ve changed your mind about law, you may be wondering what you can do ...
Many publishing houses , especially those with specialist legal publications , look to employ law graduates as researchers. They are thought to be a good fit for the role given that a law degree equips you with research skills and the ability to absorb large amounts of technical information and convey it clearly and succinctly.
10 Alternatives to Becoming a Lawyer: The Flexibility of a Legal Education. What does one learn in law school? Yes, law, okay. But the principles of law are only the tip of the legal iceberg. Law school is all about building character and gaining a trove of life skills. Life skills that come in handy for law school graduates seeking alternative ...
If you went to law school and decided not to practice law, make sure that your potential employer knows you aren’t looking for these jobs just because you can’t find a job as a lawyer.
Law school is all about building character and gaining a trove of life skills. Life skills that come in handy for law school graduates seeking alternative careers to a becoming a lawyer. The percentage of law students who end up working as lawyers has fluctuated significantly in the past decade. Around forty percent of law graduates do not practice ...
If your favorite aspect of learning law was mediating conflict between two parties, this is the path for you. Acting as an informal judge, an arbitrator helps move a case along before it goes to trial. A Juris Doctor degree is not required, but this job is often held by someone with a law degree.
Writing, negotiating and public speaking are valuable, but it’s not only the skills you gained during your legal education that will help you in both the legal and general workforce — it’s the character traits you built. Committing yourself to your education can be a challenge and if your goal is to earn an advanced degree, especially a Juris Doctor (JD), than the word “challenge” is an understatement. School (especially law school) is a place where one learns resilience and to push past perceived limits. It’s a place where you become you.
Responsible for client relations, reputation management, and much more, a legal marketer is the marketing expert in a firm with extensive knowledge about the services they are promoting. Having a JD is not essential, but it helps.
Around forty percent of law graduates do not practice law. This is partly due to the economy, with firms hiring fewer in-house lawyers, but it is also because more and more students are realizing the value of a law degree in countless other professions — from HR to government to business to teaching.
Things you need to know if you’re exploring alternative careers for lawyers: If you’re in Biglaw, you’re not a failure because you’re human (even though Biglaw makes you feel that way ). If you’re trying to figure out what else you can do with your J.D., don’t rely on prestige ( it’s a liar ).
Lawyers are not good at separating their identity from their job. I don’t know about you, but when I was working as a litigator, I felt like I had no time to be anything but a lawyer. There just wasn’t much time for anything else. That’s a pretty suffocating feeling when your job makes you miserable.
It’s no secret that law is a stressful profession. Many lawyers struggle with anxiety, and the legal profession’s mental health stats are grim. Especially if you have a clinical mental health issue (and many lawyers do, and don’t even realize it ), the legal profession is practically designed to exacerbate anxiety.
It’s no secret that being a lawyer is one of the most stressful jobs that you can have. There are task forces, books, and a multitude of articles written about lawyer stress and burnout.
Barrister. Barristers represent clients in court and through legal proceedings. They present their client’s case before a judge or jury. They are independent and unbiased sources of legal advice. Read more on becoming a barrister on the Bar Standards Board website.
Paralegals support solicitors, barristers and legal executives. They need knowledge in law but are not qualified solicitors. They are usually employed in law firms to work in a specialised department.
Chartered legal executives are qualified lawyers who specialise in one area of law, such as litigation or conveyancing. Legal executives can go on to become solicitors, law firm partners or managers, or hold judicial posts. With a law degree, you can complete the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives graduate fast-track diploma.
Judicial assistant. Judicial assistants support members of the court, usually by doing legal research. The role can vary depending on which jurisdiction they work in. Areas of work can include family, employment and commercial law for example.
Lawyers rely on jury consultants to gain a winning edge in high-stakes jury trials. These consultants provide insight into juror behavior, and they help attorneys craft arguments and trial themes designed to persuade jurors.
Paralegal services are typically billed at 25% to 50% of an attorney's hourly rate. Many paralegals perform the same services an attorney does, but paralegals are prohibited from giving legal advice or negotiating fees for services when they don't have law degrees.
More individuals and corporations are turning to mediators, also known as arbitrators or conciliators, to settle their legal disputes outside the courtroom. Mediators are growing in number and popularity as litigation costs skyrocket and the field of alternative dispute resolution expands.
Having been through law school and possibly some form of employment, you may have valuable contacts in your network. Use them to your advantage and ask if anyone knows of nonlegal opportunities that may interest you. Even if your connections are in the legal industry, they may introduce you to employers in other fields.
Primary duties: Paralegals use their knowledge of the law to perform various legal tasks for lawyers. Employed by lawyers, corporations or other entities, paralegals draft legal documents, do legal research and attend client interviews. They also conduct investigations, though they don't represent clients in court as a lawyer does.
Primary duties: A realtor is a licensed real estate salesperson who is a member of the National Association of Realtors. Realtors guide their clients through the transaction process of buying real estate. They also answer client questions, serve as a point of communication between buyers and sellers and keep the transaction process moving along.
Mediators also inform both parties of the mediation process, interview both parties, facilitate communication and answer questions. 5. Fund manager.
Primary duties: Real estate agents represent the buyer, seller or owner of a real estate property. They attend client meetings, show the property to various parties and complete various office work .
Primary duties: A title examiner, also known as a title searcher or title abstractor, supports lawyers with various duties relating to real estate records.
Primary duties: A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant, is a professional who performs supporting tasks for lawyers, helping them prepare for trials, hearings, depositions or meetings. Among their primary duties, they conduct research and gather evidence for legal cases, write and revise legal documents and maintain records in a law office.
Primary duties: A police officer is a public servant who enforces laws and apprehends individuals who violate them. There are different types of police officers. Some patrol and protect designated areas, while others investigate crimes by gathering and examining evidence.
Primary duties: A legal secretary is an administrative assistant who's specifically trained to perform clerical duties in the field of law. Though they're commonly called legal assistants, legal secretaries don't perform substantive legal work, so there is little overlap between their role and that of a paralegal.
Primary duties: A mediator is a professional who helps disputing parties resolve conflicts outside of court. They commonly work on cases relating to injuries, contracts and interpersonal disagreements. With excellent skills in problem-solving and listening, they encourage communication between the parties and facilitate negotiations.
Primary duties: A social worker is a public official who helps people in need by directing them to resources that can improve their lives. There are various categories of social work, with workers specializing in the care of groups such as the poor, children, mental health patients, disabled patients and more.
Primary duties: A legal writer is a technical writer who writes for law professionals or about legal issues. There are various types of legal writers. For example, some are responsible for writing briefs, which are summaries of a party's argument in a legal case, and others may report on legal cases for newspapers, magazines or online channels.