If you have ever questioned what you could do with your law degree---beyond practicing---you have reached the right post. Perhaps it happened while watching a lunchtime speaker panel on alternative careers in law. Maybe it was during the 9th week of your Admin Law class when Chevron just didn't hold the mystique it once did. You may have experienced it was while volunteering at a local legal aid clinic and realizing the complexities of public problems often extend beyond the realm of law. Or, maybe it was after submitting your 536th timesheet of billable hours to your managing attorney.
Whenever you experienced that moment when you realized that using your law degree to be an attorney is an option but not the only option, you may have started wondering...so, what else can I do with my J.D.?
Here is a list. A warning though, or caveat emptor, it contains everything from job titles, concepts, names of famous JDs, and more. What's more interesting is that some of the most surprising entries are based on real non-law options that have been exercised (find out more in the "Related Resources). It is a mixed bag at best, so use it as a brainstorming tool...a place to start from as you create your perfect job title.
And here we go...
- Public policy advisor
- Think tank contributor
- John Grisham
- Start a non-profit
- Demetri Martin
- Mayor
- High school political science teacher
- Public health graduate student
- President Obama
- Pastry chef
- Law firm recruiter
- Law school recruiter
- Loan officer
- Contract negotiator
- Human resources specialist
- Motivational speaker
- Law supplement author
- Realtor
- Ari Gold
- Home stager
- Harvey Levin
- Lobbyist
- CEO
- Political cartoonist
- Write a screenplay
- Law school professor
- Mediator
- Ozzie Nelson
- Venture capitalist
- Form a start-up
- Record music
- Marketing
- Compliance manager
- Career coaching
- Start a fashion blog
- Law school career counselor
- International sales
- Sports agent
- Stock broker
- CFO
- Financial analyst
- Foreign service diplomat
- UN Ambassador
- Talk show host
- Start a dating blog
- Grant writer
- Franchise owner
- Magazine editor
- Playwright
- Field journalist
- Fraud regulator
- Sitcom actor
- Speech writer
- Crime reporter
- Get a PhD
- LSAT instructor
- Blues singer
- Reality show contestant
- Risk assessor
- Open a restaurant
- Public Relations
- Children's rights' advocate
- Office manager
- Courthouse staff
- Public affairs representative
- Senator
- Tax preparer
- Backup dancer
- Own a professional sports team
- Stand up comedian
- Mohandas Gandhi
- Study Abroad Coordinator
- Work at a foundation
- Law school dean
- Win a Pulitzer
- Clinical research associate
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Futures and options specialist
- Photographer
- Social entrepreneur
- Andrea Bocelli
- Nelson Mandela
- Middle school principal
- Producer
- Open a law book store
- E-discovery specialist
- Practice support professional
- Ben Stein
- Governor
- Television sportscaster
- Geraldo Rivera
- Win a Nobel
- Movie critic
- Inventor
- Colonel Sanders
- Teach online
- Strategy and operations
- College softball coach
- FindLaw blogger
Related Resources:
- What Else You Can Do With a Law Degree? (Professor Corcos' webpage)
- The Limitless Lawyer
- Things to do with your law degree (besides practice law)
- 11 Famous People Who Were in the Completely Wrong Career at Age 30 (11points.com)
- Nobel Peace Prize in the U.S.: Who Has Won and For What (FindLaw's Law & Daily Life)
- On Less Than a Shoestring (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- Lawyers and Reality TV Were Made For Each Other (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- 111 Ways to Find Your Next Legal or Non-Legal Job (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
