All Jobs You Can Do With A Law Degree

Sometimes, after finishing law, a person can realize that they do not actually want to be a lawyer. Well, if you find yourself wanting to try something else, this article might help you.

Not everyone who finishes law school pursues a career in law

Be it of their own volition or simply because of the fact that there seem to be too many lawyers in their general area (in fact, this was so prominent that New York Supreme Court Judge Schweitzer had to rule that you cannot sue your school for promising ease of employment after getting a degree, a testament to difficulties lawyers might face), some people try out other professions. Sometimes, those professions are not even remotely connected to their degree, which is a waste, so, maybe you should try to find a job that will utilize the skills you have acquired through law school. But, what are those skills?

If you have already gone through your law school you already know this, but, if you are just thinking about choosing to go to one this is something worth mentioning: Law schools do not only teach you the letter of the law. Think about it, law schools teach you to think analytically, write clearly, speak in public, be persuasive, negotiate, cooperate with others and many other skills, so, which careers utilize your knowledge and value your law degree?

1.Become a politician or work for your government

Law and politics are closely intertwined and that will remain so forever, so having a law degree is a big plus for anyone wanting to swim those waters. Simply consider how many powerful politicians have a background in law. Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are perfect examples of a law degree leading to a person becoming the leader of the free world. And it got Hillary Clinton so very close to being elected herself. But, let’s face it, it is highly unlikely that you will become a president, however, do remember that the government employs around 3 million individuals. So, finding a job might not be that difficult.

2. Finance and banking

If pursuing a career in politics is not your cup of tea, you can consider trying out finance. While you can outright practice law in the finance sector, you do not have to. If you prefer to deal with the money directly, you can do that too since working with finances requires quite a bit of legal knowledge. Many a bank has hired lawyers to work in higher paying positions due to their sets of skills and character traits.

3. Teaching

Now, we do know that teaching is not the most appealing of the jobs – the salary is not the best and you have to work with kids – but, for a lot of people, this is the perfect job that they thoroughly enjoy. While public schools ask you to become a teacher, you can get hired in a private school with not much effort. In fact, there is a number of people who quit high paying jobs to teach. But, to be fair, this is not a great choice careerwise – it is a choice one makes if teaching and working with kids or teens is what they truly want to do.

4. Mediating

While a law degree is not required to work in negotiation and conflict resolution, it definitely helps. Having the legal know-how and knowledge on negotiating is a big plus and you can find a great use for the speaking skills you have acquired through law school.

5. Entrepreneur

Now, going through law school is definitely not needed to become an entrepreneur, in fact, no degree is really necessary. However, as an entrepreneur, you will need to understand and negotiate contracts so a law degree is definitely not going to stand in your way.

6. Writing

After years of learning how to transform your thoughts into words, effectively writing can come naturally to many lawyers. A great example would be David E. Kelley, a lawyer turned writer who fathered some of the most popular TV shows of all time. If you still can’t put your finger on why his name is so familiar to you, he is the writer of popular TV series that revolve around the law like Ally McBeal, Boston Legal, The Practice, and many more.