1. 800. 973.1177
CAREER COUNSELOR’S CORNER
Alternative Legal Careers [Danielle D. Hansen] So you went through three years of law school only to eventually decide that you don’t want to practice law? No problem. Your J.D. offers you a plethora of other opportunities that don’t involve typical attorney work.
no, and we’ll get to that.
possess. Your job is to find such employers.
let’s be honest and admit that it might have
Your family and friends may not (from experi-
So what can you do with your hard-earned
been because of the inherent financial
ence, I could say will not with some cer-
law degree, besides practice law?
rewards that a J.D. affords us. For some of
tainty) understand your lack of interest in a
us, however, about midway through our third
traditional legal career. They think you go to
year we realized that perhaps we might not
law school to become a practicing attorney.
ers, you can successfully enter any career
have it in us to spend our days and nights
Period. You will not hear the end of that argu-
field. The options are only limited by your
working our way towards becoming part-
ment. This can cause quite a bit of stress and
imagination. We’ll examine a few of the more
ner. It can be too daunting and far too time
confusion, and you may just want to give up
typical positions attorneys seek here.
consuming.
and follow the pack, becoming a traditional
We all began law school with a love of the law -- or at least a curiosity about it. Okay,
legal professional.
Since a law degree is so valuable to employ-
Academic Administration: There are currently over 3,500 colleges and
So, the prospects of other careers became more appealing. Ah, but what to do with that
Fortunately, a legal education is very valu-
universities in the United States. Many retain
precious J.D. you worked so hard (and paid
able, and it can provide attorneys with the
in-house counsel, but there are also many
so much) for? You certainly can’t discard it,
opportunity to work in almost any career
other careers in academic administration
but you also know that you don’t have the
field. Law school provides an intense training
which could put your legal skills to use.
heart for traditional “lawyer” jobs. We’re
ground where students are given invaluable
fortunate to be in a job market now where
tools that would be assets to any employer in
Undergraduate institutions are required to
attorneys have plenty of career options in
any career.
follow confusing and intertwining state and federal regulations. In this atmosphere, legal
jobs that don’t necessarily call for them to Law school stresses critical, analytical, and
degrees are not only practical, but often
logical thinking and writing skills, as well
essential. Some academic administration
You can still use your legal knowledge and
as impartiality and the ability to see issues
options include: Affirmative Action / EEO
expertise to your employment advantage.
from all angles and points of view. You were
Officer, Grants and Contracts Specialist,
Moreover, you can combine that experience
also taught how to survive and thrive in an
Disability Services Coordinator, Trust Of-
with some of your most passionate interests
intensely competitive and stressful atmo-
ficer, Licensing Director, Legislative Affairs
and find a job you truly enjoy. Such alterna-
sphere. You may take for granted the basic
Specialist.
tive legal careers are becoming more and
skill set learned in law school, but these
more prevalent.
skills are not as common in the workforce
In these positions, you won’t be asked to
among non-attorneys as you may think.
practice law necessarily - which is your goal
practice law.
Obstacles:
in pursuing an alternative career in the first So, no, those three long, hard years of your
place - but your legal background would
Beginning an alternative legal career is
life were not “wasted” in law school simply
prove extremely helpful. When it’s time for
difficult because you are straying from the
because you do not want to take the tradi-
you to confer with the general counsel, you’ll
traditional path. The largest hurdle you may
tional path. If anything, they have increased
be able to communicate with him or her far
face is trying to figure out how to use your
your marketability.
more easily than a non-attorney could.
Employers want the knowledge and skills you
If you loved the law school atmosphere, then,
degree. You may wonder, “Did I waste three years of my life in law school?” The answer is
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1.800. 973. 1177
CAREER COUNSELOR’S CORNER
specifically, a position in law school admin-
Attorneys have always led in the field of im-
istration might be your best choice. Most law
migration. It’s wrought with confusing legal
school administrators are legal graduates.
issues that only someone with a lawyer’s
Most likely the woman who helped you sift
training and with diligence to the specialty
through those confusing financial aid applica-
could fully understand.
tions and the man who helped you decide what courses to take were attorneys who simply
Since the 9/11 attacks, this area has under-
chose a career in academic support.
gone vast legal changes. With the enactment of The Homeland Security Act in December
Some law school academic administration op-
2002, the former United States Immigration
tions include: Career Counselor, Financial Aid
and Naturalization Service (INS) has been
Administrator, Student Affairs Director, Direc-
reborn as the Bureau of Citizenship and
tor of Alumni Affairs, Director of Admissions,
Immigration Services (BCIS), a sub-depart-
Clinical Programs Supervisors, Academic
ment of the newly created Homeland Security
Compliance, Research Directors, Computer
Department. With these drastic changes, the
Consultant, and Director of Marketing, to
entire U.S. immigration system is adapting
name a few.
as well. Individuals with legal backgrounds are desperately needed to grapple with and
Wouldn’t it have been great to have a guide
administer the new law. It’s a career where
helping you through your One-L year? More
heavy research is involved, and if you enjoy
and more law schools are providing in-depth
history, immigration, and administration, then
counseling, and who better to perform such
this field may prove to be a perfect fit.
work than someone like you who’s been through it?
Positions in the immigration field can be found in corporate environments, as well as in state
Banking and Finance:
and federal government.
The banking and finance industry is fiercely regulated, and one small legal misstep can
Many corporations import workers from other
spell disaster for any company or corpora-
countries and need immigration administra-
tion. This is a field of constant legal change
tors to complete the necessary legal paper-
where an understanding of the law is vital.
work. Many large firms have visa specialists
Some banking and finance positions include:
to handle all such paperwork for their foreign
Compliance Officers, Credit Examiners, Finan-
employees once they get here. Other corpo-
cial Planners, Claims Settlement Specialists,
rate positions include: Business Immigration
Bank Probate Administrators, Mutual Funds
Administrators, Human Resources Adminis-
Administrators, Trust Examiners, Securities
trators and International Recruiters. Gov-
Examiners, and Escrow Agents.
ernment positions, at both state and federal levels, include: Immigration Administrators,
While the law is involved in these positions,
Research Specialists and Immigration Inspec-
it’s more of an understanding of the law that
tors.
would be important, as opposed to day-to-day litigation. These types of officers do not serve
These career fields are just a few of the many
as lead counsel on any projects, but rather an-
options you have to explore. There are count-
swer to such counsel. For that reason, these
less opportunities out there, so don’t listen to
jobs can be far less stressful, and the daily
the naysayers who think that your law degree
grind can be tolerable since there’s a variety
is wasted if you’re not in court everyday!
in the work. Immigration:
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